The charms of the simpler, often much hardier, old versions of many plants grown today is the focus of this book. It also looks at others - smaller, simpler, less gaudy flowers than many popular now, which have been neglected for flashy modern hybrids. Primroses, fuchsias, roses, jonquils and tazettas, pelargoniums, small succulents and a wide variety of annuals, biennials and climbers are covered.
The book discusses the evils and delights of the late 19th century passion for carpet-bedding, adding a fascinating historical note on the arrival of pelargoniums in Australia (and the first primrose), advising where to hunt out plant survivors from last century and how to go about identifying them.
