The Ballroom, The Bull Hotel
Speaker Jim Bartos & Ana Pavord
A Special Event for the Friends of the Bridport Literary Festival
You are invited to listen to two talks by highly knowledgeable and interesting horticulturalists:
2.30pm THE ORNAMENTAL WILDERNESS IN THE ENGLISH GARDEN by Jim Bartos
This book was published in 2022 by Unicorn and covers a fascinating subject in garden history. While today we may think of a wilderness as a wild place, unspoiled by human intervention, in the 17th and 18th centuries a garden wilderness referred to a highly cultivated part of a formal garden, a place bounded by trees or high hedges with paths and occasional cultural delights within – statues, fountains or a summer house in the classical style. In its mature form, the wilderness constituted most of the garden and the setting in which all other features were placed. The wilderness was shady and private, a place for retreat as well as social activity, with an apparent naturalness achieved through artifice. Jim’s illustrated talk explores the design and development of the English garden wilderness and its importance in the 17th and 18th century.
Jim Bartos was awarded a PhD in Garden History from Bristol University in 2014. From 2015 to 2020 he was Chairman of the Gardens Trust, a national charity devoted to the conservation of historic parks and gardens in England. He has published in the journals Garden History and Die Gartenkunst. Over the past 25 years he has created a new garden in Dorset.
3.30pm Tea and Cakes
4:00pm THE SEASONAL GARDENER by Anna Pavord
This is an inspirational book which provides ideas and information for even the most experienced gardener. In it, Anna selects 60 ‘star plants’ and pairs each one with 2 perfect partners – whether they be shrubs, herbaceous perennials, bulbs or annuals. The result is a plethora of ideas for grouping plants to create harmonious and stunning displays with interest in every season.
Tickets available from the Tourist Information Centre