Watching the roots of hyacinths grow in water has been a source of fascination for more than 100 years, as this painting by Victorian artist Edward Prentis shows.
It is one of the delightful illustrations in Potted History: The Story of Plants in the Home (Frances Lincoln, £25), by Catherine Horwood, a National Gardens Scheme stalwart who has a patio in Oxford and a roof garden in north London, both packed with pots.
A cultural historian by trade, she blends social history with information about plants and interior design to great effect, starting with sweet smelling herbs in the Middle Ages, moving through orangeries such as the one at Blenheim Palace, and ending in the 20th century with Terence Conran and the ubiquitous supermarket moth orchid, once a hothouse rarity for the upper classes. As she says, few of those given as Christmas presents will survive to flower another year.
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