Gifts from the Gardens of China

the long version

"The Chinese had been skilfully cultivating their gardens for hundreds of years before anyone from the West had ever seen magnolias, camellias, hydrangeas, tree peonies, wisteria or even forsythia." "When Jane Kilpatrick found no one knew just how and when her beloved garden plants had arrived from China she set out to find out. Those responsible quickly became her heroes. She visited their families to find letters and portraits and spent long hours in libraries, archives, museums and print rooms gradually piecing together the origins of each and every plant that arrived before the Treaty of Tientsin of 1860 finally opened China to the West." "This is history at its best, complete with maps and fitting illustrations of the main players and plants. For gardeners it holds expert and personal advice, shedding new light on how some of their favourite plants can best be grown."--BOOK JACKET.