Recent Garden Reads: Head Gardeners

I came across this book — Head Gardeners (from Pimpernel Press) — in the pages of Gardens Illustrated magazine and it piqued my curiosity enough to buy it. I didn't really know exactly who or what it might cover. I certainly never expected to discover a book that was fascinating, funny, moving and quite often brought tears to my eyes. Being a head gardener on the level of the men and women in this book is a back-breaking, endless job that gets little respect, offers low pay and challenges that seem insurmountable. Yet they all take it in stride and love what they do.

The book begins with a look at the subject of professional horticulture in the UK; but I think what author Ambra Edwards shares would be equally true here: Fewer and fewer educational institutions are offering programs in horticulture, meaning there is no next generation ready to fill the shoes of these head gardeners. And the people profiled here often said they only knew a fraction of what the gardeners, teachers and mentors in the generations before them knew.

Gardening — in terms of cultural heritage — is a big business in the UK: 33 million people visit UK gardens annually with 1/3 of them coming from abroad, while gardening in its many modes adds 9 billion BSP to their economy. (That's so much money I figured a pounds/dollars conversion is moot.) Many parts of the job have changed little in a hundred years. Others are completely new: multiple types of public relations efforts, money-making schemes, getting port-a-pots and designing car parks for the estate visitors — all related to the tourist aspect of the job. And in many historic gardens, the main task is to restore landscapes to their prime as it was a 100 years ago or more.

NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY

There are a few head gardeners covered here who are well-known like Fergus Garrett of Great Dixter (above with the late Christopher Lloyd) or Troy Scott-Smith at Sissinghurst. But often it is the garden designers who get all the press as opposed to this group who do the real work on every level. I discovered I knew the names and something about many of the gardens in this book but not the names of this group of men and women.

And it is a wildly diverse group of talents ranging from recovering heroin addict Paul Pulford at Queen Elizabeth Hall in London to Martin Ogle who — with no budget and a changing band of volunteers — is implementing Dan Pearson's design at Lowther Castle to Carol Sales of Headley Court who uses gardening as therapy for veterans badly injured during their time in Afghanistan and Iraq.

The back stories of every gardener profiled are as fascinating as the work they do today. Many of them did not have an easy life growing up and it was a love of nature that helped them through difficult times. It is worth noting that while photographer Charlie Hopkinson depicts the locations where these gardeners work, it is his portraits of these men and women that tell the story. 

Given that I bought this book on impulse, I am more than glad I did. It is a small but meaningful volume that will have a permanent place on my bookshelf and will likely be taken down and delved into again and again. An absolutely invigorating and inspiring read. 

Comments

[Lisa at Greenbow]

I enjoyed this book too.

[Barbara H.]

It sounds like a great book. The description of the lessening knowledge as time passes applies to so many other areas as well. I was a paraprofessional in a large public library and during my 21 years there the exact same thing happened. Times change and institutions change and maybe it's not as dire as it seems to me to be, but I'm so glad I'm no longer out there in the work force. Nature is a great refuge, which is why it is so important to keep it as intact as possible. The future is worrisome.

[Peter/Outlaw]

Nice that the gardeners who actually do the work from day to day are featured in a book. It sounds like a great read.

[Linda Brazill]

True. It's takes a long time to tell which changes are improvements and which are a degradation. I love lots of the digital features of the public library like ordering books on line, but for the most part I still like to read physical books. And more than ever the garden is a refuge.

[Kris P]

You find the most interesting garden-related books! I've added this one to my ever-lengthening book list on Pinterest.

[Linda Brazill]

It was nice to read a garden book that was not about pretty pictures or how-to tips. A completely different look at the subject.

[Erin]

I've had that one on my list for some time now. Nice of you to test it out for me. :)

[Loree / danger garden]

Thank you for this review, it seems like a book I would enjoy reading.

[Frank]

I'll keep an eye out for this one. Like you say, it's a completely different point of view and something an actual gardener can relate to perfectly!

[Linda Brazill]

You do such a variety of things in your garden and have a lot of special interests and pretty much do it all yourself. Just like the folks in this book! So I think you might find their stories of interest.