Press Release
Everything you want to know about gardens but
were afraid to ask!
Botanists rely on floras, and apothecaries on
herbals for the critical task of plant identification. Gardeners
need practical advice as well as descriptions of plants-such
as on the best times to sow seeds and graft trees, on the latest
varieties, on bulb storage, and on tools and techniques.
A new exhibition called 'Cultivating Gardens:
practical gardening advice through the ages', will be begin
on 21 March 2003 in the de Beer Gallery at Special Collections,
Central Library, Otago University Library.
This exhibition will showcase books that offer
such practical gardening advice. Some of the books are small
enough to be true handbooks or manuals. Others, like the gardening
dictionaries, are too massive to be taken into the garden and
were undoubtedly destined for shelves in a gentleman's library.
The exhibition will not only trace the development of practical
English gardening books from the late 16th century to the Victorian
era, but will also follow developments in 19th and 20th century
New Zealand, where new manuals were written for local conditions.
Items of particular note on display will be
Philip Miller's The gardeners dictionary [1731], John
Evelyn's classic Sylva, or a discourse of forest-trees (1664),
Maria Jacson's Florist's manual (1816), and John Abercrombie's
Every man his own gardener (1797). Important New Zealand books
borrowed from the Hocken Library will include George Chapman's
Hand book to the farm and garden (1862), early editions of Brett's
and Yates' Gardening Guides, Michael Murphy's Handbook of gardening
for New Zealand, and Muriel Fisher's Gardening with New Zealand
Plants, Shrubs and trees (1970). Also displayed will be rare
seed posters printed for the Dunedin firm Matheson and Roberts.
The exhibition will run through to 6 June
2003.
The curator for this exhibition will be Professor
Helen Leach, a garden history expert.
Special Collections,
First Floor, Central Library
Otago University Library
Hours: Monday to Friday 8.30 to 5.00.
Publicity images can be supplied.
For any further enquiries please contact Donald
Kerr, Special Collections Librarian, phone: (03)-479-8330; donald.kerr@library.otago.ac.nz
or Professor Helen Leach, at helen.leach@stonebow.otago.ac.nz