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Old Herbaceous: A Novel of the Garden
Old Herbaceous: A Novel of the Garden | Reginald Arkell
11 posts | 7 read | 13 to read
Back in print after fifty years "Old Herbaceous" is a classic British novel of the garden, with a title character as outsized and unforgettable as P. G. Wodehouse s immortal butler, Jeeves. Born at the dusk of the Victorian era, Bert Pinnegar, an awkward orphan child with one leg a tad longer than the other, rises from inauspicious schoolboy days spent picking wildflowers and dodging angry farmers to become the legendary head gardener Old Herbaceous, the most esteemed flower-show judge in the county and a famed horticultural wizard capable of producing dazzling April strawberries from the greenhouse and the exact morning glories his Lady spies on the French Riviera, so blue, so blue it positively hurts. Sprinkled with nuggets of gardening wisdom, "Old Herbaceous" is a witty comic portrait of the most archetypal and crotchety head gardener ever to plant a row of bulbs at a British country house. This Modern Library edition is published with a new Introduction byPenelope Hobhouse, a renowned garden designer and lecturer and the author of numerous gardening books."
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mabell
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Bailedbailed

Friends, I‘m afraid I didn‘t finish this one either. You all gave it such glowing reviews that I was sorry not to complete it. However, I found the beginning so sad that it just wasn‘t making me happy to continue reading. The end of life reflections too troublingly poignant right now. 😕

Looking forward to our next round, though, group! Fortunately, I have a couple of months to work on pulling a few options. 😂

Chrissyreadit I agree it seemed sad at first but it ended up being very satisfying. if you ever want to try it again you know where to find it. 😘 1y
julieclair Different books for different life seasons. This just wasn‘t the right book for you right now. 💙 1y
TheAromaofBooks I definitely found this one to be bittersweet, so I can understand deciding to give it a miss for now. ❤ 1y
mabell @Chrissyreadit @TheAromaofBooks Thanks for understanding, friends! I‘m definitely experiencing the different books for different seasons situation @julieclair ! ❤️ 1y
35 likes4 comments
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Lindy
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Pickpick

Sweet chapter embellishments add to the charm of this nostalgic tale about the course of one man‘s life in rural Cotswold. Bert Pinnegar, like the author, was born at the end of the Victorian era and witnesses the many social changes in England from the viewpoint of 6 decades of employment in the same manor house garden, going from most junior underling to head gardener. Gentle, funny & highly recommended for any reader who loves garden writing.

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Lindy
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Bert Pinnegar never stopped marvelling at the early arrival of an English spring. He had always supposed that nothing happened in a garden until about March, yet here were these jolly fellows in their frilled ruffs putting up as brave a show as a field of buttercups.

Lindy Internet image of aconite blossom 1y
31 likes1 comment
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Lindy
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Soph had a genuine passion for flowers—of the right sort. Not the ordinary kind you found all over the place, like mignonette, sweet williams and silly snapdragons, but the more showy sorts that only grew under glass. She would stand with her nose pressed against the pane of a greenhouse, imagining herself sweeping into a ballroom, smothered in orchids.

27 likes1 comment
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julieclair
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Pickpick

Absolutely charming! Great to keep on hand for when you just need to read something heartwarming and funny and hopeful and lighthearted and relaxing. Great pick for our #LMPBC #HappyFiction group, @Chrissyreadit ! 👍
@mabell @TheAromaofBooks @suvata
#192025 (1950) @Librarybelle

mabell Love your description! I‘m looking forward to reading it! 1y
Librarybelle Sounds lovely! 1y
Chrissyreadit Yay!!!! 1y
26 likes3 comments
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TheAromaofBooks
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#BookReport - Absolutely lovely, relaxing week with my husband off. We've puttered, gotten the porch set for summer, done a bunch of gardening, had a canoe adventure (my phone is now at the bottom of a river 😂), helped Grandpa with some projects, played video games, and of course done some reading. And the weather has been PERFECT!! Down to the long weekend now, so sad to see vacation ending!!!

@Cinfhen

Cinfhen So glad you had a wonderful week with your bestie (aka - hubby) sorry about the phone 📱🤪 1y
AshleyHoss820 The phone! Oh no! I haven‘t been on a canoe in forever, but tubing and tanking down the river we‘ve lost so much stuff! 😂 It sounds like you‘re off to a fantastic summer!! ☺️ 1y
Bookzombie It sounds like a wonderful week, even with the loss of phone. I hope your weekend is great too. 🙂 1y
TheAromaofBooks @Cinfhen @AshleyHoss820 @Bookzombie - My own fault for not putting the phone back in its own specific, secure location 😂 But otherwise we have had a fabulous week, so I'll just have to chalk this up to a lesson learned!! Thankfully the phone was towards the end of its lifespan anyway! 1y
81 likes4 comments
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Lindy
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When he left the village school he was the scrubbiest little scrap of nothing that you ever saw. To match the dignity of his new position, they rigged him up in a pair of corduroy trousers, cut off at the knees and reaching up to his armpits. Not the sort of corduroy affected by Chelsea artists of a later day, but real honest stuff that lasted forever.

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Chrissyreadit
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Pickpick

My heart!!! This is charming in every sense of the word! I‘m so glad it popped up as a recommendation when I was searching for books for this group. I can‘t wait to hear what you think- mailing it today. #lmpbc

TheAromaofBooks Oh and what an adorable cover, too! 2y
julieclair Yay! Can‘t wait to read it! 2y
LeahBergen I‘ve heard such good things about this book! 2y
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Chrissyreadit @LeahBergen It‘s a fast read too- I think you would enjoy it 2y
mabell Looking forward to it! 2y
Aimeesue Great title! 😂 2y
79 likes7 stack adds6 comments
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EvieBee
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Just finished Penelope Hobhouse‘s introduction and I THINK this might be a viable next read! I love this park! We picnicked here yesterday last minute, and decided to come back today with a plan!

BarbaraBB That view! 4y
TrishB Lovely ❤️ 4y
quietjenn Sounds great (and looks swell)! 4y
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EvieBee @BarbaraBB I really love this park! ❤️❤️ 3y
EvieBee @TrishB It was a nice change of pace 🤓🤗 3y
EvieBee @quietjenn Thank you! It‘s my first garden book and I am so enjoying it! 💕💕 3y
quietjenn @EvieBee I‘m a terrible gardener, but I really like gardening memoirs. 🤷🏻‍♀️you might enjoy Beverly Nichols if you‘ve never read him. 3y
EvieBee @quietjenn I‘m kicking myself for not buying a cute copy on bookdepository a few years ago. Seems to be out of print now. 3y
BiblioLitten Gorgeous pic 💚 3y
EvieBee @BiblioLitten Thank you! 💕 3y
44 likes10 comments
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EvieBee
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I wanted to do the #bookspin for April, but I‘m not too sure how it works. I‘ve been scrolling through posts for clues. Can anyone tell me? In the meantime, these are some of the physical books I didn‘t pack with the rest. I wanted to have access to these spring inspired reads in case it takes me longer to unpack than I expected. Got a few rereads sprinkled in! 🤓

FelinesAndFelonies @TheAromaofBooks is the awesome mind behind this fun! 😎 4y
Smarkies Have a read through this thread https://www.litsy.com/web/post/1989556 . It should give you a good idea of what it is all about. 4y
EvieBee @Smarkies @FelinesAndFelonies Okay, awesome! Thank you so much! ♥️♥️ 4y
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TheAromaofBooks It looks like @FelinesAndFelonies & @Smarkies put you on the right track, but please feel free to let me know if you have any questions!! If you decide you want to join, just post your list (or stack!) of 20 books & tag me when you do. I'm drawing April's numbers on Friday!!! 4y
Suet624 I‘m so glad you reached out and asked! 4y
EvieBee @TheAromaofBooks Thanks a bunch! I‘ll make sure to get my final list together stat. ☺️ 4y
EvieBee @Suet624 Yes! Can‘t wait to jump on this. I have decision fatigue and am running out of ways to make it fun to pick the next read. 4y
kspenmoll I am joining in this moth too. I am a mood reader, but enjoy buddy reads- this sounds like a good way to get through some books that have been staring at me- 4y
55 likes2 stack adds8 comments
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Lillelara
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Just got "Old Herbaceous" from the library and I'm so happy that this book is still in a very good condition after more than 50 years.