Join us to celebrate Fiona Davison’s aclaimed book An Almost Impossible Thing. The book follows six convention-busting women gardeners in the years before the First World War, examining their lives in the context of suffragism, collectivism and Empire.
‘Gardening, taken up as a hobby when all the laborious work can be done by a man, is delightful, but as a life’s work for a woman, it is almost an impossible thing.’ Sir Joseph Hooker, 1817-1911.
While working at the Royal Horticultural Society, Fiona Davison came across a cache of letters from a young gardener who was denied a fellowship because she was a woman. Appalled, and intrigued to discover what became of Olive, Fiona began researching the wider story of early female professional gardeners whose struggles changed forever the rights and opportunities for women gardeners.
Gardens are seen as a place to escape the troubles of the world but this book looks back to a period were an arena for radical and far-reaching experiments.
A Gardens Illustrated Top Ten Book of the Year, and a Book of the Year, RHS Garden.
Information
Tickets: Pay What You Can (£14 / £10 / £7)
Recommended price £10
Running time: 60 minutes
If viewing on a phone please scroll to the bottom of the page to book.
Fiona Davison is Head of Libraries and Exhibitions at the RHS. She is also the author of The Hidden Horticulturalists.
Pay What You Can
We are offering a Pay What You Can Scheme for these workshops to make them accessible to everyone. We know that ticket price is a huge barrier for some, and this Pay What You Can model offers people who can afford to pay a bit more the chance to support others who can’t.