THE EDWARDIAN DECORATIVE HORTICULTURE PAIR - THE CHILDREN'S BOOK OF GARDENING & THE IDEAL GARDEN

1. THE CHILDREN'S BOOK OF GARDENING.
xi, 235pp + 12pp publisher's catalogue. 8vo. Publisher's original highly ornate dark green cloth boards featuring crisp gold foil title lettering to the front upper board and spine, framed by elaborate gilt and blind-stamped floral climbing borders. Front board features an inlaid color pictorial paste-down vignette depicting a young girl in a sun hat walking down a blooming garden path. Fully complete with 12 brilliant full-page illustrations in color reproduced from original drawings by Mrs. Cayley-Robinson. Cloth corners show some light bumping and shelf edge wear. Underlying cloth binding remains firm, square, and strong. Edges uncut, gilt to top edges. Mild, localized age-foxing spots present on the preliminary leaves and early pages, but all 12 color plates remain clean and bright.

2. THE IDEAL GARDEN.
xii, 276pp. 8vo. Publisher's original olive-green cloth boards featuring an ornate Art Nouveau / Arts & Crafts stamped pictorial cover design. The front board and spine panel feature a detailed gilt, cream, and sky-blue illustration forming a classic garden arbor gateway looking out into a towering, colorful floral landscape vignette. Features a gilt top edge and uncut paper block margins. Illustrated throughout, featuring 16 colourful tipped in plates affixed to brown card , 96 b/w photographs alongside a large fold-out structural blueprint sheet mapping out 'plans for a garden'. Cloth corners show distinct shelf bumping and minor rubbing to the spine edges. Tightly bound with a strong, secure text block. Characterized by noticeable age-foxing spots throughout the preliminary leaves and internal pages, but all plates remain fully intact and clean.

A visually stunning two-volume collection of late Edwardian horticultural literature celebrated for its exquisite publisher's decorative trade bindings. The first volume is a beautifully preserved true first edition introducing young readers to seasonal kitchen gardening and floral borders. The second volume stands as a landmark manual by the legendary Windsor Castle horticultural authority and RHS Victoria Medal of Honour recipient, offering a practical yet highly stylized layout guide for paved gardens, Dutch features, and structural planning.