A really interesting dive into the gardens of Medieval times. Very different styles and purpose from what we are used to today.

I’m really not much of a gardener beyond growing the odd herb plant and green leaf veggies, but this book did look interesting. It was: imagine a Medieval version of Gardener’s World with helpful introductions and everything you need to know. There were a couple of interesting facts I didn’t know. Apparently, Henry V had a pleasure garden created for him at Kenilworth Castle in 1414.

“the area had previously been a wild, wasteland of briars and thorns that was inhabited by foxes. The site was cleared and a timber framed banqueting house was built within a walled courtyard. Encircling moats were dug to ensure privacy”.

Gardens were fashionable in the 15th century, even for famous warrior Kings: and their retired physicians apparently. One of Henry’s former physicians had a garden at the Prebendal Manor in Nassington in Northamptonshire.
The later chapters about creating your own Medieval Garden will be more useful to others, but the parts about different plants, their uses and the social history surrounding gardens was very interesting.
I understand this same author has a book on Medieval plants and their uses, which should keep this Cadfael fan happy. This one is a lovely summary of the subject with some great photos and illustrations. I might take this with me next time I go to Weald and Download Museum which gets a section devoted to the 2 recreated Medieval gardens there.

Thanks to Pen and Sword for approving me for this title on Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions expressed are my own.

Enjoyable and insightful, perfect for those who love both gardens and the medieval period.
I liked how easy this is to read, the chapters are well constructed and laid out making it very easy to jump in at any time. Some beautiful illustrations fit well with the writing and give a greater insight into the subject covered.
I really liked this one, I have a fondness for walking around old gardens and I was surprised just how the medieval era has impacted today's gardens.
A definite must-read for gardeners, garden lovers, and readers who love history and the medieval period, this will be a winner for everyone.

The book is very interesting, well worth reading. I liked the details about the tools and the garden features. I did not realize how much there was to learn.

A fascinating guide to medieval horticulture including information and pictures unseen before. It included all aspects such as the garden design & layout including limited plants & tools used.
The meaning of the gardens was explained, inspired through symbolism either religious or secular.
A comprehensive guide is included of gardens to visit & the inclusion of drawings and photographs made it easy to imagine what some in the past were like.
A very interesting read for anyone interested in history & horticulture.
My thanks go to the publisher, author and Netgalley in proving this arc in return for a honest review.

Loved this book. It was very interesting to read the history of these gardens. There was enough information and illustration for me to have a go myself at recreating a mediaeval garden.

As a lover of medieval history and gardens, I could not help snatching up a book that was devoted to both, by a person who brought to life a medieval garden. I was unsure of what to expect, but I anticipated whatever was to come.

A Guide to Medieval Gardens opens with an introduction to the author, his research, and an overview of the Medieval English world that explained the significance of what archeologists and researchers have discovered pertaining to gardens of that period. Gardens were for upper class pleasure and status symbols, but they were also as practical as could be providing for the household and those who lived in the castles, villages, and monasteries.

The book ‘visited’ several fine examples, mostly around England of what was left of medieval gardens, some archeological finds, and in archival pages the plottings of those gardens of the past and what could be found in them. It was fascinating to know what was grown in those gardens and ponds, but also how they were laid out and who used them. It is interesting to see the connection our modern gardens have to those in the past and what parts of our landscaping choices hail from that period.

There were some lovely graphics of pictures, drawings, and more liberally scattered through the book and a great deal of fascinating background not just on the gardens, but medieval life in general both secular and monastic. It was so vividly described I felt I was indeed on a guided tour as the title of the book suggests. I thought it was well researched and obvious the author knew of that which he was writing. I can definitely recommend this quick and easily read book to gardening and/or historical enthusiasts.

I never thought there was so much to learn about Medieval gardens and how fascinating it could be.
This is a fascinating book, a treat if you love garden and history.
It's well researched, informative and an excellent introduction to this topic.
I strongly recommend it.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Loved this book! It took two of my favorite things, gardening and history, and combined them masterfully. If you ever found yourself working in your garden, and wondered about why you were doing it the way you were, you might be surprised to learn people did the same tasks, the same way, hundreds of years ago!
The book had chapters on different types of medieval gardens, and the features you might find in each one. This was interesting.
But where the book really shined was in the description of gardener's tools and techniques. I found it fascinating. Along with how medieval gardeners used the calendar, tips on how they grafted and cultivated, and what plants they used.
There is one part that I would like to share from the book. "Sometimes, a little divine intervention may be required to keep pests under control. One of the most terrible things that could happen to a medieval person was to be excommunicated from the protection and comforts of the church. This punishment was not just reserved for people, it could also be used to clear pests". Bishops have excommunicated caterpillars, field mice, and snails. Why didn't I think of this? Going to put in a call to the minister to come over and excommunicate the darned slugs in my garden!
This is an interesting, informative, and fun read. If you like gardening, I think you will enjoy it.

A beautiful combination of two of my greatest joys - gardens and all things Medieval. I've never come across a book that focuses on Medieval gardens alone before, so this book was a winner even before I'd opened it.

The book is broken down into sections such as the European influence, tools used in Medieval gardening, water features, the plants chosen, and the evidence used to identify Medieval gardens. The book concludes with two of my favourite things: the Medieval gardening year and how to create your own Medieval garden. The list of jobs is, of course, very similar to gardening jobs now, but in Medieval times it took on rituals aligned to the whole village.

Throughout, the book is illustrated with paintings and tapestries from the period, as well as beautiful photographs of gardens today, so if you have the choice, buy the hardback version so the pictures can be truly appreciated. These images though have been painted or created in Europe so there is some speculation or perhaps romanticism about the features of the gardens in Britain, especially considering that the flowers are shown flowering out of season.

There is a great mix of history and horticulture in this book. It is written in a very accessible way so the reader doesn't have to be a specialist in either field to thoroughly enjoy the read. Personally, I enjoyed reading about the castles I have visited and learning about the gardens that were there, like Tintagel Castle in Cornwall. So the book could serve as a traveller's guide too. As Medieval England was a deeply religious time, many gardens were created to honour the garden of Eden and contained much symbolism, so the gardens of abbeys, monasteries and churches are particularly fascinating.

A well-researched and informative book that will look good on anyone's shelf. Highly recommended to everyone interested in Britain.

*4.5 stars*

Leisurely stroll down the garden path…

For me, a casual gardener at best but an avid historical buff, I walked that path with pleasure. The author had created/built/brought to life his own interpretation of a medieval garden so who better talk on the subject. Broken into distinct topics – from historical to the present – it was part sleuthing and very much an ode to the enjoyment of gardening.

There was (and is) so much that makes up a garden. This book reflects that range as it talks about cultural and religious influences, architectural and design choices as well as the flowers, grasses, and trees (of course!). Included were sketches, purchasing records and anecdotal comments pulled from history and incorporated into this volume. Digesting these varied facts and influences fed into the author’s own modern and real-life interpretation of what a medieval garden might have been.

Presented in an easy, conversational way, this was informative as well as a very enjoyable read.

A Guide to Medieval Gardens: Gardens in the Age of Chivalry by Michael Brown

Pros: lots of photographs, interesting information

Cons: superficial, some chapters could have used more depth

This is a general guide on medieval gardens, specifically in England, that consists of 13 chapters, a conclusion and a quick listing of medieval gardens in England that can be visited. The chapters are all fairly short and to the point. They are: Evidence of Medieval Gardens, Influences of European Medieval Gardens, Monastic and Sacred Gardens, Secular Gardens, Medieval Garden Features, Water in the Garden, Parks and Pleasure Parks, The Plants of the Medieval Garden, The Medieval Gardener, The Gardener’s Tools and Equipment, Cultivation Techniques, The Medieval Gardening Year and Making your own Medieval Garden.

The first few chapters give background on how we know what little we know, and what types of gardens were grown. I enjoyed the later chapters more as they got more specific regarding the types of plants you could find and going over individual tools that gardeners used.

I wished some of the sections were fleshed out more. It felt like just as you got into a topic and wanted to know more of the deeper details the chapter ended. I can understand that there’s limited information but the author worked on medieval gardens at the Prebendal Manor and I would have enjoyed hearing more about things he learned from practical experience trying out medieval tools and techniques. For example, the chapter on making your own medieval garden simply mentions having a water source and gives some general advice. There’s no sample layout with ideas of what plants fit well together. I’d have loved to see a few photos from the gardens he maintained, including what he chose to grow where).

There is a good number of colour photographs illustrating what the author is discussing. I enjoyed the mix of the author’s photos and images from medieval sources, misericordes and manuscripts. Not every tool got an image, and in some cases, like the spud, I would have appreciated a photo to better understand the tool as I’ve never heard of it before and the description left me somewhat unsure of what it looked like.

If you’re new to medieval gardens this is an excellent primer that goes over the basics and then some. If you’ve read a couple of books on the topic already, some of the later chapters may still hold useful information for you.

A Guide to Medieval Gardens is an inspiring memoir and historical retrospective about garden design by Michael Brown. Due out 30th March 2022 from Pen & Sword on their White Owl imprint, it's 172 pages and will be available in hardcover and ebook formats.

This is a well written and illustrated layman accessible book. The author provides a good overview over the (scant) extant historical records for the locations and aspects of medieval gardens associated with castles and monasteries in Britain and surrounding areas. It's well organized and easy to understand. The chapters are arranged thematically: historical records of medieval gardens, cultural influences, monastic and secular gardens, design, water features, parks, plants, gardeners, period tools, cultivation techniques, the gardener's seasonal calendar, and a very short tutorial guide with inspiration for modern gardeners to incorporate medieval features into their modern gardens.

The book is peppered throughout with drawings, facsimile historical documents, illustrations from period illuminated books, and modern photographs of recreated gardens - many of which have historical recreators in period dress. The photos especially added a lot for me and made it easy to imagine what the original gardens must've been like.

This is a good general introduction. It's not a scholarly work, so there aren't any chapter annotations, but the author has included a fair number of website resources and period gardens and resources which are open (at least part time) to the public. There's an abbreviated bibliography which will also provide opportunities for further reading.

Four stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Gardening is difficult to imagine on this brutal -36C winter day. Nonetheless, this book transported me immediately to the beauty and practicality of gardening, namely in the medieval period. As a master gardener I look at many aspects of gardens yet had not thought enough about the the whys of depictions of gardens and plants through ancient art, such as idealized landscapes on tapestries. Fascinating information and gorgeous and compelling photographs abound in this book. The author also includes places where some gardens can be seen. I have had the fortune to visit some of them (Bodiam, Kenilworth, Tintagel) plus others outside of the UK. Well worth seeking out!

Gardens can be public and private, practical and strictly for pleasure. In this interesting look into history which begins with Biblical Eden the author describes the roles of fish ponds, deer parks, dovecotes and fountains in gardens and explains monastery gardens with their cloisters, decorated shrines and wells. Plants were...and are...used in creating colours and textiles. Evidence is not only found in art but also in documents and plans such as state expenses and pollen analysis.

This book is packed with details about garden tools used then, willow withies (which I see in the Mediterranean), pest control, fertilizers and an intriguing story about Constantine IX. Tree arbours, pattens, vineyards, moats and turf seats are detailed. But there is so much more.

Gardeners and historians alike have reason to fall in love with this gorgeous book but you needn't be either to appreciate it.

My sincere thank you to Pen & Sword and NetGalley for the privilege of reading this fabulously rich and educational book! It has changed the way I will view art and literature in this manner from now on.

Informative book. I was familiar with coppiced trees, but had no idea they dated back so far. Also, turf seats sound so interesting. I always assumed gardens were only kept for food and herbs and decorative gardens didn't develope until the 18th century. It was amazing to learn that topiaries developed so early in history. Quite a bit of research went into writing this book and as a gardener, I enjoyed reading about the discoveries. Gardeners will ikely enjoy this book, it's not too technical and the history of gardens is always of interest!

Some people enjoy gardening and some people enjoy visiting gardens. I hate gardening and the only reason I have for visiting a garden is to check out the cake in the café. No café = no visit. I am possibly not the ideal reader that the publisher had in mind when hoping for a review of Michael Brown’s A Guide to Medieval Gardens then...

However, I was highly, highly impressed. I am obviously not going to admit that I enjoyed the book because that might lead to “If you enjoyed READING about gardens, maybe you’ll enjoy having a go yourself. Why don’t you try some gardening today while it’s sunny?” Then, before I know it, I’ll be expected to do terrifying unsupervised tasks like decide whether a plant is a weed or not (that ended badly last time); and how much to prune the bushes (ditto). That said, I read A Guide to Medieval Gardens from cover to cover. It’s obviously written by an expert who is also a practitioner; and experts who can write well are always worth reading, whatever the topic – and the photos are stunning.

Michael Brown’s experience shines through with throwaway comments such as this one about using onion skins to dye cloth, “[…] an iron dye-pot will produce a much darker colour than an earthenware one.” His humour is less obvious, but it’s worth paying attention to enjoy sentences like “The process to extract the blue dye from the leaves involved fermented human urine and caused the dyers to smell and have blue hands, so the dye families had to inter-marry as nobody else would have them.”

Brown writes about the gardens’ design and the plants they would have contained, as well as how the gardener would have worked them. There are chapters on tools and cultivation techniques; the medieval gardening year; water and other garden features. Finally, there is a chapter on making your own medieval garden that concludes with Brown’s best advice: “One thing is important, make the time to sit in your garden to enjoy the scents and sounds.”


#AGuidetoMedievalGardens #NetGalley

Michael Brown created the largest medieval gardens in Europe featuring a tunnel arbor, a vineyard, a vegetable garden, a coppice and many other decorative features. He shares his historical research of medieval gardens here, telling readers about the symbolism, the Islamic influence, the influence of chivalry and other factors involved in creating a beautiful garden. He also tells fascinating anecdotes about Kings and Queens, garden saints and the meaning of flowers.

Stunning pictures enhance the book's extensive coverage. This will be extremely useful for passionate gardeners and historical researchers.

I received this free ebook from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

EDITION Hardcover

ISBN 9781526794543

PRICE £25.00 (GBP)

This comprehensive text covers several aspects of medieval gardens including layout, techniques, plants used, locations, tools, eradication of pests, etc. Advice on those endeavoring to set up their own garden is included along with a list of modern medieval-styled gardens to visit and the optimal visiting times. Bibliography is provided for further reading. An interesting read for any avid gardener and lover of history.

When I first came upon this book I knew that I wanted to read it, as it combines two of my favorite things - history and gardening.

This book is just wonderful, with illustrations and full color photos. There is so much information within, and I came away having learned quite a bit about medieval gardens -different types, different plants, plans, yearly tasks broken down by month, vineyards, orchards, etc. There really is a lot here.

Recommended.

What a beautiful book! The book has a great flow from one topic to the next. The artwork and photography are breathtaking. I love the attention to detail with everything pertaining to gardens instead of just the plants. Discussing the different tools used was very interesting. Would love to have this showcased on my coffee table.