A Little Book of Latin for Gardeners

Those looking for an excuse to break off from weeding or deadheading by a sudden desire to know why the Latin name for the foxglove is digitalis, or what delphiniums have to do with dolphins, will find themselves still reading an hour later, unable to break away from the fascinating mixture of history, literary allusion, anecdote and occasional gardening advice. The effect on the reader is sometimes that of being led round an English country garden by a charming plantsman * Times Literary Supplement * Parker writes fluently, delving into fascinating details that immediately absorb the reader – Penelope Hobhouse * Oldie * Lively and informative … This is a book to delight any gardener kept indoors by dark winter days * Church Times * A snip at the price for an elegant, and not so little, hardback … Witty, comprehensive and uncondescending … will become classic – Victoria Glendinning * Literary Review * Offers something memorable on every page … Parker’s book is filled with piquant little facts … It should be on every gardener’s bedside table – Jane Powers * Sunday Times (Ireland) * Parker makes a convincing case that a little bit of Latin goes a long way towards enhancing gardeners’ knowledge and enjoyment of what they grow … an entertaining and invaluable resource – Ian Critchley * Sunday Times *

Peter Parker was born in Herefordshire and now lives and gardens in London’s East End. He is the author of two books about the First World War, The Old Lie and The Last Veteran, biographies of J. R. Ackerley and Christopher Isherwood, and Housman Country: Into the Heart of England. He has written about plants and gardens for HORTUS and the Daily Telegraph, and is a former Chair of the Royal Horticultural Society’s Lindley Library Advisory Committee.