Miss Jekyll’s boots

In London last week I went to Unearthed: the power of gardening, a wonderful exhibition at the British Library. My favourite exhibit was the great garden designer and plantswoman Gertrude Jekyll’s boots, which she wore for 40 years. It’s a poor photo with too many reflections but it’s the best I could do. The exhibition spans centuries of gardening, ranging from food and medicinal plants, to plant collecting and its inevitable companion slavery, to Dig for Victory campaigns and the role of 21st century community gardens in cities.

The extras showed my second favourite exhibit, the first manual for amateur gardeners dating from the 1500s I had no idea there was such an early one.