Flowers that Thrive in London Gardens and Smoky Towns

Overview

First published in 1886 by The Leadenhall Press—priced at one shilling—Flowers that Thrive in London Gardens & Smoky Towns is a charming botanical book which offers a window onto late Victorian urban life. With good humor and with many curious digressions, Mrs. Haweis details the trials and tribulations facing the green fingered city dweller as they strive to nurture plants amidst the smoke, smog, and soot. This practical handbook served as a riposte to those "country cousins" who insisted that a London garden was a fool's errand. Mrs. Haweis provides a wealth of horticultural advice and good sense, and draws inspiration from the fine, subtropical botanical gardens of Battersea Park and beyond.

Author Biography

Mary Eliza Haweis (1848 – 1898) was a prolific British author, essayist, illustrator and painter as well as a literary scholar and a campaigner in the women's suffrage movement. She published books and essays on many topics, from art and design to political philosophy and even including children's guides to Geoffrey Chaucer. She was also a talented artist who exhibited work at the Royal Academy aged just 18, designed her own book jackets, and illustrated many other publications.