The English Garden is the universal measure of all things related to garden design. It is in the UK that the great garden designers live and work and where a major gardening movement has developed over the last few decades, influencing the rest of the world with its ideas and vision. This book introduces the “grandes dames” of contemporary English garden design and includes the great names of the garden world which have emerged since the 1950s, from Vita Sackville-West and Beth Chatto to Beatrix Havergal. It also presents outstanding women gardeners of the present-day who have likewise had a substantial influence on the development of contemporary garden design. Heidi Howcroft has discovered these women’s gardening secrets and writes sensitively and informatively about the individual women and their influence on the English country garden. The individual gardens' charm and design are captured in photos by Marianne Majerus.

Examines United States Presidential First Ladies through 2003.

Have you ever wondered about the lives of the Presidential wives? Much attention has been focused on the Presidents, often ignoring the women who accompany them to the White House. Now it’s time we turn the spotlight on the First Ladies, whose lives give fascinating insight into the history of our country. In this trivia lover’s paradise, no stone is left unturned. You will learn which First Ladies lived the longest, which were the best educated, which had the most children, and which were on the other end of the spectrum. You will also discover which women married their way into the White House, which causes and projects the First Ladies pursued, and so much more. Other family members, including Presidential children, are also described by the numbers; there is even a section on Presidential pets. Brimming with lists, anecdotes, and more, Ranking the First Ladies is a treasure trove for history lovers of all stripes.

The perfect bedside read from the world's best-loved, best-selling writer of the Expert gardening books. There are times when we simply wish to read about our hobby and not be badgered by advice. If you enjoy reading about plants whether or not you can grow them, or enjoy discovering gardens you may never visit and could never hope to match, or are keen to learn how people gardened in the past and what they have contributed to our gardens today, then this is the book for you. It includes sections on the great gardeners in history; extraordinary and surprising plants; remarkable gardens around the world; key gardening moments in history; the wildlife in our gardens; things for the plant lover to do indoors, and other 'this and that' trivia, statistics and fascinating things you never knew, all illustrated with charming line drawings. The Bedside Book of the Garden is a gardening book to be read at leisure, which will never tell you that you have to go outside, and which will not only make you a better gardener but will open your eyes to the magic of gardening.

Betty Boyd Caroli's engrossing and informative First Ladies is both a captivating read and an essential resource for anyone interested in the role of America's First Ladies. This expanded and updated fourth edition includes Laura Bush's tenure, Hillary Clinton's 2008 presidential bid, and an in-depth look at Michelle Obama, one of the most charismatic and appealing First Ladies in recent history. Covering all forty-one women from Martha Washington to Michelle Obama and including the daughters, daughters-in-law, and sisters of presidents who sometimes served as First Ladies, Caroli explores each woman's background, marriage, and accomplishments and failures in office. This remarkably diverse lot included Abigail Adams, whose "remember the ladies" became a twentieth-century feminist refrain; Jane Pierce, who prayed her husband would lose the election; Helen Taft, who insisted on living in the White House, although her husband would have preferred a judgeship; Eleanor Roosevelt, who epitomized the politically involved First Lady; and Pat Nixon, who perfected what some have called "the robot image." They ranged in age from early 20s to late 60s; some received superb educations for their time, while others had little or no schooling. Including the courageous and adventurous, the emotionally unstable, the ambitious, and the reserved, these women often did not fit the traditional expectations of a presidential helpmate. Here then is an engaging portrait of how each First Lady changed the role and how the role changed in response to American culture. These women left remarkably complete records, and their stories offer us a window through which to view not only this particular sorority of women, but also American women in general. "Impressive...Caroli's profiles and observations of American first ladies and their relationship to the media are intelligent and perceptive." --Philadelphia Inquirer

Women and Museums is a comprehensive directory of museums for, by, and about women, providing information about interpretive themes, historical significance of collections, and cultural and social relevance to women, along with programming events and facility information. Useful cross-reference guides and accessible format provide quick and easy ways of finding information on America's women-related museums. Visit our website for sample chapters!

A compelling study of the sea change brought about in politics, society, and gender roles during World Wars I and II by campaigns to recruit Women's Land Armies in Great Britain and the United States to cultivate victory gardens. Cecilia Gowdy-Wygant compares and contrasts the outcomes of war in both nations as seen through women's ties to labor, agriculture, the home, and the environment. She sheds new light on the cultural legacies left by the Women's Land Armies and their major role in shaping national and personal identities.

As friends began “going back to the land” at the same time that a health issue emerged, Kathleen Alcalá set out to reexamine her relationship with food at the most local level. Remembering her parents, Mexican immigrants who grew up during the Depression, and the memory of planting, growing, and harvesting fresh food with them as a child, she decided to explore the history of the Pacific Northwest island she calls home. In The Deepest Roots, Alcalá walks, wades, picks, pokes, digs, cooks, and cans, getting to know her neighbors on a much deeper level. Wanting to better understand how we once fed ourselves, and acknowledging that there may be a future in which we could need to do so again, she meets those who experienced the Japanese American internment during World War II, and learns the unique histories of the blended Filipino and Native American community, the fishing practices of the descendants of Croatian immigrants, and the Suquamish elder who shares with her the food legacy of the island itself. Combining memoir, historical records, and a blueprint for sustainability, The Deepest Roots shows us how an island population can mature into responsible food stewards and reminds us that innovation, adaptation, diversity, and common sense will help us make wise decisions about our future. And along the way, we learn how food is intertwined with our present but offers a path to a better understanding of the future. Watch the book trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFG8MpTo_ZU&feature=youtu.be

First Lady from Plains, first published in 1984, is Rosalynn’s Carter’s autobiography, covering her life from her childhood in Plains, Georgia, through her time as First Lady. It is “a readable, lively and revealing account of the Carters and their remarkable journey from rural Georgia to the White House in a span of ten years” (The New York Times).