The English Flower Garden, of Hardy and Half-Hardy Plants.

Beautiful hand-colouring. A handsome copy of this classic flower book by the distinguished founder of the Thompson and Morgan seed firm, originally published as a magazine beginning in the 1820s. With the bookplate of Sir Thomas Sebastian Bazley, 2nd Baronet (1829-1919).

Author William Thompson (? - 1903) began his career managing a small market garden in Ipswich before founding his own chain of nurseries and successful seed catalogue. He was a top specialist in the cultivation of rare plants, developed friendships with scientists such as Charles Darwin and Joseph Hooker, and was awarded the Royal Horticultural Society's Victoria Medal of Honour.

Reissue; 2 volumes bound in 1, 4to (23.5 x 18 cm); hand-coloured frontispiece and 23 plates, bookplate of Thomas Sebastian Bazely, a few small spots to the title and frontispiece and to the rear endpapers and index; 19th century green half morocco by Winstanley of Manchester, marbled sides, edges, and endpapers, spine elaborately gilt in compartments with floral tools, binding a little rubbed and scuffed with fading of the spine, a very good copy, 187 & 186pp.