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Friday, April 24, 2009

Gardening With Antique Plants

I've finished reading David Stuart's Gardening With Antique Plants today, and I must say the book was among the better gardening books I've read as of late. It was beautifully photographed and quite informative!

Mr. Stuart organizes the book by a list of recommended antique plants for certain garden types; Cottage, Wildflower, Topiary, Rose, Kitchen and Container. The book is of considerable value to the cottager because the majority of the plant listings focuses on the tried-and-true varieties commonly used in the potager (that's a vegetable garden) and the flower garden.

Here are some of Mr. Stuart's recommend plants for a Cottage Flower Garden:

Bulbs and Perennials:

Acanthus (Bear's Breeches)
Alcea (Hollyhock)
Anemone
Aquilegia (Columbine)
Bellis (Daisy)
Dianthus (Carnation, Pink, Sweet William, China Pink)
Helleborus (Christmas Rose, Hellebore)
Hemerocallis (Daylily)
Iris
Lily
Paeonia (Peony)
Papaver (Poppy)
Primula (Primrose, Cowslip, Oxlip, Auricala)
Ranunculus
Tulips

Annuals

Antirrhinum (Snapdragon)
Calendula
Cheiranthus (Wallflower)
Lupines
Nasturtium
Nicotiana (Flowering Tobacco)
Sweet Peas
Violas/Pansies


Climbers

Clematis
Honeysuckle
Ivy
Morning Glory

And here are his suggestions for the Potager (Kitchen Garden):

Fruit Trees

Malus (Apple)
Mespilus (Medlar) (I had to look this one up. Not as common in American gardens)
Prunus Avium (Cherry)
Prunus Domestica (Plum)
Prunus Persica (Peach)
Pyrus (Pear)
Ribes x uva-crispa var. reclinatum (Gooseberry)
Vitis (Vine)

Vegetables

Allium Cepa (Onion)
Allium Porrum (Leeks)
Amaranthus
Brassica (Cabbages)
Curcurbita (Pumpkins and Squash)
Cynara (Artichoke)
Foeniculum (Fennel)
Lycopersicon (Tomato)
Phaseolus (Beans)
Pisum (Peas)
Spinacia (Spinach)

Kitchen Herbs

Allium (Chives)
Anethum (Dill)
Coriandrum (Coriander)
Mentha (Mint)
Ocimum (Basil)
Origanum (Marjoram)
Petroselinum (Parsley)
Thymus (Thyme)

2 comments:

david stuart said...

Hello there. If you liked that, see if you can find 'Plants from the Past', by myself and James Sutherland. There will be paperbacks in the 2ndhand market. We used to have a nursery of that name, selling period and 'cottage' flowers, now long closed. Anyway, glad that you enjoyed GWAF!
david

Urban Cottager said...

Thank you so much for reading my humble blog! I am very excited to see your comment. Thank you for the recommendation and visit! :)

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