BBC
1 total work
Behind high redbrick walls at Chilton Foliat in Berkshire lies an extraordinary example of a traditional Victorian kitchen garden. This book traces its recent restoration from a neglected patch of weed-choked ground into a productive and well-ordered plot, cultivated with the use of Victorian tools and techniques and planted with 19th-century varieties of flowers, fruit and vegetables. The garden reflects the characteristics of the era - the inventiveness and interest in science, the constant quest for improvement and the strict social hierarchy. Retired head gardener Harry Dodson has been able to employ many time-honoured skills learned as a young apprentice on large country estates in the 1930s. Through his work restoring the garden, he has solved many horticultural mysteries, including how Victorian gardeners dealt with troublesome pests, how they grew such exotic fruits as pineapple and melon, and how they obtained fruits and vegetables out of season. Jennifer Davies also wrote "The Victorian Kitchen" and "The Victorian Flower Garden".