National Gardening Week runs from Monday 27th April – Sunday 3rd May this year, and naturally we decided to delve into the archives for inspiration for those who have a garden.
First up we found a rather peculiar (and unhelpful) article in the Battersea Polytechnic Magazine from March 1922 (Vol 14 No. 62).
We then came across this drawing in oil pastels of a woman sitting with her cat by the pioneer movement theorist Rudolf Laban, which at least gives us an idea of how we might enjoy spending time in our gardens (Ref no L/C/10/41 © University of Surrey).
For those who don’t have a garden, we consulted our rare books for plants and trees you might be able to spot on your daily walk.
The bluebell, beautifully illustrated in Poisonous, noxious and suspected plants of our fields and woods by Anne Pratt (London: SPCK, 1914).
The beech tree, instructively drawn in The Herball Or Generall Historie of Plantes by John Gerard (London, 1633).
We hope you all stay safe and keep well, and look forward to welcoming you to our wonderful green campus when we are back in the office.
