{"title":"Fiona Davison","description":"\u003cp\u003eFiona Davison’s works skilfully weave together rich historical insight and personal stories, offering readers a captivating journey into the past. Her writing, often set against the backdrop of wartime and upheaval, explores the resilience and courage of those who lived through extraordinary times.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAlongside history, Davison delves into the world of home and garden, revealing the quiet strength and passion behind horticulture. Whether unfolding hidden narratives or celebrating the natural world, her books invite reflection and discovery.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"the-hidden-horticulturists-by-fiona-davison-9781786495082","title":"The Hidden Horticulturists","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe untold story of the remarkable young men who played a central role in the history of British horticulture and helped to shape the way we garden today.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn 2012, whilst working at the Royal Horticultural Society's library, Fiona Davison unearthed a book of handwritten notes that dated back to 1822. The notes, each carefully set out in neat copperplate writing, had been written by young gardeners in support of their application to be received into the Society's Garden.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAmongst them was an entry from the young Joseph Paxton, who would go on to become one of Britain's best-known gardeners and architects. But he was far from alone in shaping the way we garden today and now, for the first time, the stories of the young, working-class men who also played a central role in the history of British horticulture can be told.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eUsing their notes, Fiona Davison traces the stories of a selection of these forgotten gardeners whose lives would take divergent paths to create a unique history of gardening. The trail took her from Chiswick to Bolivia and uncovered tales of fraud, scandal and madness—and, of course, a large number of fabulous plants and gardens. This is a celebration of the unsung heroes of horticulture whose achievements reflect a golden moment in British gardening, and continue to influence how we garden today.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Allen \u0026 Unwin","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47432931311852,"sku":"9781786495082","price":27.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9781786495082.jpg?v=1774766077"},{"product_id":"an-almost-impossible-thing-by-fiona-davison-9781915068378","title":"An Almost Impossible Thing","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe paperback edition of the bestselling, acclaimed book. While working at the Royal Horticultural Society, Fiona Davison came across a cache of letters from a young gardener who was denied a scholarship by the RHS, on the grounds that she was female. Appalled, and intrigued to find out what became of Olive, Fiona began to research the wider story of early female professional gardeners and discovered a group of pioneers whose struggles changed forever the rights and opportunities for women gardeners.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAlthough gardens are often seen as a refuge, a place to escape from the troubles of the modern world, this book looks back to a period when British gardens were an arena for radical and far-reaching experiments. A time when the ability to cultivate land was mobilised by a group of convention-busting women who wanted to change the world. \u003cem\u003eAn Almost Impossible Thing\u003c\/em\u003e follows six hitherto little-known women gardeners in the years before the First World War, and examines their lives in the context of suffragism, collectivism and Empire.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Gardners Books Ltd","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":67722512793836,"sku":"9781915068378","price":40.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9781915068378-an-almost-impossible-thing-1.jpg?v=1791933397"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookhero.live\/collections\/fiona-davison.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}