Old Herbaceous

Modern Library Gardening

by Reginald Arkell, Penelope Hobhouse (Introduction)

Back in print after fifty years

Old Herbaceous is a classic British novel of the garden, with a title character as outsized and unforgettable as P. G. Wodehouse’s immortal butler, Jeeves. Born at the dusk of the Victorian era, Bert Pinnegar, an awkward orphan child with one leg a tad longer than the other, rises from inauspicious schoolboy days spent picking wildflowers and dodging angry farmers to become the legendary head gardener “Old Herbaceous,” the most esteemed flower-show judge in the county and a famed horticultural wizard capable of producing dazzling April strawberries from the greenhouse and the exact morning glories his Lady spies on the French Riviera, “so blue, so blue it positively hurts.” Sprinkled with nuggets of gardening wisdom, Old Herbaceous is a witty comic portrait of the most archetypal—and crotchety—head gardener ever to plant a row of bulbs at a British country house.

This Modern Library edition is published with a new Introduction by Penelope Hobhouse, a renowned garden designer and lecturer and the author of numerous gardening books.

Genres: Fiction, Gardening, Classics, Nature, Historical Fiction, British Literature, Cozy

176 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1950

About the author

Reginald Arkell was a British script writer and comic novelist who wrote many musical plays for the London theatre. The most popular of those was an adaptation of the spoof history book 1066 and All That: 1066—and all that: A Musical Comedy based on that Memorable History by Sellar and Yeatman.

He was the author of A Cottage in the Country and the Green Fingers series of garden verse.

Arkell was born on 14 October 1882 at Lechlade, Gloucestershire, England, was educated at Burford Grammar School and trained as a journalist. He married actress Elizabeth Evans in 1912.

During the First World War he served with the King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry and The Norfolk Regiment. Arkell died on 1 May 1959 at Cricklade, England.

Reviews

[Pam · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve read gardening books and even books about gardeners, but never a novel about a garden with an “Old Herbaceous.” I’d never expected this to work out so well.

Old Herbaceous aka Bert Pinnegar remembers his life as a gardener from youth to old age. He weathers all the fashion changes from the high Victorian country garden period through Edwardian times, Great War, between war periods and on through WWII and beyond into his own old age. Difficulties belonged to the whole system not just one crotchety old head gardener.

The novel could appeal to anyone not just gardeners. However, it will make you smile if your favorites are mentioned especially if those favorites are often considered weeds. I love any character who appreciates mulleins.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't know how to review this book, because it was so different from anything I've ever read. It reminds me of so many books: The Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, the Flavia de Luce books by Alan Bradley, Agatha Christie (Miss Marple loved her garden), even the Downtown Abbey TV shows. but it's not like any of those. No murders take place in these greenhouses!
Written in 1951, it has recently been reissued. It's a simple, quiet, quickly read story of the life of this man, Herbert Pinnegar, the head gardener at a manor house in England. The story opens with him at the end of his life, looking back on everything he had gone through.
You will love this if you are an Anglophile, as I am - this couldn't have been more British. If you're a gardener, you will love this book, although I'm just a wanna-be green thumb. If you like delicate narrative, with characters painted with the brush of a humane hand, this book is for you.
I'm lucky to have come across a mention of the reissure of this book - wonderful, wonderful.

[Tania · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of those quiet novels that you sink into and before you know it, it's dark outside, you've got nothing done, and you've finished. I'm already looking forward to re-reading this one.

I'd never heard of this author but it turns out he was local. Born in Lechlade and lived in Cricklade. In the opening chapters he talks about the Thames and Severn canal and what fertile hunting grounds they were for wild flowers, since my early years were spent near Sapperton (very close to the tunnel entrance), at Lock Cottage, which was in the middle of the woods, on the bank of this canal it really struck a chord with me.

[Miss M · Rating 5 out of 5]

The description makes this sound a bit arch, but really it's more of a gentle story...
Available for download at the Internet Archive.

[Lectora Empedernida · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,5 🌟

En esta historia nos acercamos a la vida de Herbert Pinnegar y es de esos personajes que se van a quedar conmigo. Este libro, sencillo y fácil de leer, nos muestra a esta figura que vemos crecer, diferente al resto, cojo y con un fuerte complejo de inferioridad se gana el respeto de los demás como puede. Solitario y enamorado de las flores silvestres encuentra en ellas y en el cuidado de la tierra y los jardines su yo, su vida, su esencia, y se entrega por completo a esta profesión, que es mucho más que eso para él, es su razón de vivir. A ella puede dedicarse gracias a la influencia de dos mujeres que marcan su camino.

El Viejo Yerbas nos transmite mensajes muy interesantes. Se habla de la guerra, de lo antiguo que se va rompiendo con lo moderno, cómo va cambiando la vida con el paso del tiempo y los cambios generacionales que se producen. La jardinería está muy presente claro está, con palabras técnicas y específicas de ese ambiente, pero para nada se me ha hecho tedioso en ese sentido. Me ha gustado mucho leer este libro, me ha emocionado por momentos y lo he disfrutado.

[Leslie · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you should happen to read this lovely book about the life of a curmudgeonly yet charming head gardener of an English country manor house and not be touched, there must be something wrong with you. Perhaps some childhood trauma left you unable to feel; unable to appreciate the graciousness of a noble heart well placed at last after an ignominious beginning. This heartwarming ( I can't believe I used that corny word, but there it is) work of fiction celebrates quietly the better parts of human nature. It is a soothing balm to the world weary among us who, like me, can not even bear the harsh realities of the evening news. It reminded me that there are good people out there. Old Herbacious is an all too short application of cheer on a gloomy winter's day.

[Libros.olvidados · Rating 4 out of 5]

Siglos XIX, XX. Inglaterra. Flores silvestres, narcisos, buganvillas, tulipanes y nomeolvides. Cuando estaba empezando esta reseña, @xpgigirey tuiteó: La clave de todo, en la literatura y en la vida, es dar con personajes memorables. Recuerdos de un jardinero inglés es eso mismo: la vida de costumbres de Herbert Pinnegar, un entrañable jardinero que ahora a sus ochenta años rememora su tranquila existencia. ⁣
⁣
Libro bonito, sencillo y tierno, ¡en los que no pasa nada pero pasa todo! Arkell, hombre de la misma época en la que se desarrolla la novela, nos recuerda que el mundo empezó en un jardín, donde no se puede estar enfadado mucho tiempo. Y le creo cuando dice que si los jardineros pudieran reunirse y aclarar las cosas, se acabarían los problemas del mundo.⁣..
⁣
💐🌿🌺🌸🌻🌾

[Saturn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un libro carino, semplice, rilassante, racconta la storia di un uomo a sua volta semplice e vecchio stile che dedica la sua vita alla sua passione. Una lettura per gli amanti dei giardini.

[Joanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

The writing style was a little modern for my taste (it was written in 1951), but I did enjoy the gentle humor and even gleaned a few ideas for my own garden while reading it. 😊

[Siv30 · Rating 5 out of 5]

לסקירה מפורטת בעברית, קישור לבלוג שלי -

https://sivi-the-avid-reader.com/זיכר...

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

I purchased this original 1950's copy because of the John Minton artwork which is printed in green rather than the usual old black finish for this type of illustration.

A novel about gardening! A good read, uncomplicated and very relaxing. Nothing epic happens it's just a pleasant read that allows one to relax and truely forget the world. A beautiful pastoral pleasure

Would I recommend this? Maybe not it is a very acquired taste, like putting on an old and battered pair of shoes, you know you should get rid of them, but they are so comfortable.

Recommended.

[Pianobikes · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Las flores que cultivas hoy nunca son tan bellas como las que cultivaste ayer y que volverás a cultivar mañana. El jardinero es un ser frustrado para el que las flores nunca brotan en el momento oportuno.” ~ Recuerdos de un jardinero inglés de Reginald Arkell.

Herbert Pinnegar, de mayor conocido como el Viejo Yerbas, contempla el jardín desde su ventana. Ya está retirado y rememora su vida desde niño, su amor por las plantas y sus anécdotas como jardinero de la señora Charteris. Recorremos con él su infancia y su juventud como aprendiz de jardinero de la mano del señor Abbis y su época de madurez como respetado jardinero.

Maravilloso y precioso. Un libro que se lee con una sonrisa permanente. Es una historia llena de ironía, de crítica y de humor pero también de nostalgia, de melancolía y de amor. No sé si hay ni habrá película basada en este libro pero si la hay la veo porque yo, que soy un desastre para las plantas, me encantaría pasearme por ese jardín de la mano de Herbert, así, a distancia, porque yo planta que miro, planta que mato 🤦🏼‍♀️. Un libro que os recomiendo y que nada más acabar estoy deseando volver a leer.

[Alisha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heartfelt, quick read about an old man looking back over his life as head gardener at an English manor house during the Victorian era, the Edwardian era, and two world wars, as well as the comradeship he has with the lady of the house. Very touching.

[Julie Durnell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mr. Pinneger is the epitome of a head gardener in a grand English manor estate. He’s headstrong because he is so knowledgeable but subservient in most ways to Mrs. Charteris, the owner of the estate. Their interactions are the backbone of the book rather than the garden itself; which continues for many decades with a bittersweet ending. Delightful!

[Yolanda Morros · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fue publicada en 1950 y se considera un clásico de la literatura inglesa.
Aunque ya he finalizado la novela, el jardinero Herbert Pinnegar seguirá vivo en mi. Es de aquellas novelas que cuando las acabas piensas: ¡Que bonita! ¿Cómo puede ser que no la haya leído antes?
La definiría como deliciosa, emotiva y entrañable. Un buen libro para leer en verano.

[Katherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jan 2016
I don't know what it is about gardening books that so enthrall me since I'm only a passable gardener myself. I suspect a goodly portion of it is simply that I wish I were a genuinely green-thumbed individual. It's not that I haven't made an effort, starting with small plants I found while camping that I'd attempt to transplant from their native mountain to my home soil. Never successfully. On to taking a horticulture class in college that I well and truly enjoyed. Eventually, at one point, I decided my growing skills were best limited to children (I was blessed to raise five), roses which I dearly love, and herbs which are somehow able to thrive in poor soil with very little care once they are established.

My three cultivating loves are still in that particular order: my children, roses, and herbs. And every so often, with expected regularity, I feel compelled to read yet another gardening memoir or novel, perhaps more for the dreaming, or wishing, element it provides than from any real improvement in my skills. Yes, this was still another gardening book of that sort, the kind that calls to me and allows me to fall under its spell and enjoy the fantasy that in another place and time, perhaps another life, my dream might have been realized.

A delightful novel of a young boy taken under the wing of the lady of the manor and who eventually grows up to be not only her head gardener, but her friend as well. Sometimes laugh aloud funny and other times touchingly poignant. A wonderful fiction selection for any gardener, or gardener wannabe like myself.

Sept 2024
Still delightful. The only distraction the abrupt, rather strange, ending.
Definitely recommended. 4 stars

[Sylvester (Taking a break in 2023) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am becoming more and more fond of books about gardeners. I will probably always be looking for another "Henry", and never find him, but that's alright as long as I keep coming upon fellows like Old Herbaceous.

Chock-full of charm - how else to describe it? A story about the rise of a misfit boy to head gardener of an estate.

[Federico García · Rating 5 out of 5]

Esta novela relata con afabilidas la trayectoria vital de un típico personaje de la campiña británica a mediados del siglo XX. En su simplicidad, las peripecias del protagonista con las plantas y las relaciones con los propietarios y ayudantes configuran una narración optimista que se lee con placer.
Para el que le gusten los jardines es una obra altamente recomendable y bien escrita.

[Chari · Rating 5 out of 5]

4,5

[Tamara York · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightful, quiet novel about an old gardener looking back over his life (from late 1800’s through WWII) working at a manor house. Clever and witty writing.

[Reggie · Rating 4 out of 5]

«Nada más empezar tuvo que aprender la lección que aprende todo jardinero: las flores nunca salen todas al mismo tiempo. O llegas demasiado tarde o llegas demasiado pronto. Las flores que cultivas hoy nunca son tan bellas como las que cultivaste ayer y que volverás a cultivar mañana. El jardinero es un ser frustrado para el que las flores nunca brotan en el momento oportuno. En todo lo que lo rodea ve cambio y descomposición. Es todo muy triste, y cómo los jardineros consiguen salir adelante ante tales adversidades es una de esas cosas que nadie entenderá nunca.»

[Bettie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Free download: https://archive.org/details/oldherbac...



The mists be on the river bed,
The roses all be gone;
And here be I, about to die,
With Harvest coming on.
Dear Lord, I've traipsed some weary miles,
I'll be main glad to rest awhiles.
The folk'll soon be in the fields
A-getting in the grain;
For most of those, the time You've chose
Be awkerd in the main.
Though not so bad, 'tis sure, for they
As be a-workin' by the day.
September be a better month
For all the carter men;
And when I die don't signify,
So let I bide till then:
The wagons'll be standing by,
And there'll be time to bury I.
(from green FingersAgain

Opening: It was one of those mild autumn mornings when early mist had turned to soft rain and water dripped from everything. No real touch of winter yet; just a soft pause between the seasons, giving you the best of both. Not too warm, as it had been; not too cold, as it would be. . . .

This was the time of year and the time of day that the old man loved best. He couldn't get around so much now, but they had made up his bed by the cottage window, and there he would sit, half waking and half sleeping, dreaming of this and that.

From where he sat, propped up among his cushions, he could see into the Manor gardens. Not what they were—not by a long chalk. . . . Mind you, it was only fair to admit they were still a bit short-handed, and you had to take the dry summer into account, but these young fellows ought to have made a better job of it than that. . . . When he was a young chap, he had to move at double their pace. No slipping off when the clock struck for him. Hours he'd spent watering when the sun was off the borders. . . . But not to-day. That meant overtime, and where was the money to pay for that? So the old garden wasn't what it had been when he was in charge.

[Georgiana 1792 · Rating 5 out of 5]

La storia della vita di Hubert (Bert) Pinnegar, a cominciare da come è cominciata la sua passione per i giardini (lui è un piccolo orfano, ma non ha intenzione di diventare contadino, anzi, per i contadini prova una sorta di timore/antipatia), e di come il suo amore per le piante lo abbia portato a essere il favorito della sua padrona (che è stata la prima a stimolarlo a diventare un giardiniere, proponendogli di lavorare con lei dopo un concorso floreale), tanto da nominarlo capo giardiniere e poi, in conclusione della sua vita, eleggerlo come uno dei suoi più cari amici.
Molto bello, e ho trovato tantissime somiglianze nello spirito tra Bert e il giardiniere senza nome di Giardino sul mare, un altro romanzo che ho adorato.

[Talia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Davvero un libro delizioso! Viene narrata l'intera vita di Bert Pinnegar, orfano cagionevole di salute che, spinto dalla propria passione per i fiori (che non lo abbandonerà mai per tutta la vita) comincia a lavorare come giardiniere, arrivando a raggiungere traguardi importanti. Davvero un bel libro...Bert è un personaggio burbero ma al tempo stesso capace di battute divertenti e la storia della sua amicizia con la proprietaria del giardino in cui lavora è tenerissima.
Una bella lettura, senz'altro da consigliare.

[Pau · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un libro muy bonito, recomendado para los amantes de la jardinería y para cualquiera que necesite una historia tierna, amena y que te haga sonreír. Muy bonita la relación a lo largo de los años del protagonista Herbert Pinnegar con la señora Charteris, la dueña de la casa. El final me ha gustado mucho, muy emotivo.

[Maria Pamela Menale · Rating 4 out of 5]

"La signora Charteris sosteneva che se passassimo il tempo libero a curare dei fiori invece che a dire delle grandi sciocchezze, al mondo si starebbe molto meglio."

[Relyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an old-fashioned book (published in 1951) about a gardener and the garden he loved. It is, at times, funny, always sweet, and has such a perfect ending that I got a little teary.

[Ximena Béjar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pues si, le he dado cinco estrellas por el buen sabor que me ha dejado. Es una historia sencilla con un personaje entrañable que me ha sacado un par de lágrimas de emoción porque es agradable que una historia termine bien ¿por qué no? Un poco de justicia poética fortalece la esperanza. Entregar la vida a un jardín es darte vida cuidando vida, el trabajo y dedicación a la horticultura debe ser hermoso. El libro se lee con fluidez, es agradable y sencillo pero no por ello simple, hay esa profundidad de apreciar lo cotidiano, la riqueza de amar lo que uno hace, de la entrega total a lo que le apasiona a una persona. ¿Te imaginas dedicar tu vida a aquello que amas y además ser recompensado por ello de todas las formas posibles? Con paga, reconocimiento, admiración, respeto y amor. Eso, para mí es vivir en plenitud. Deseo que todos encontremos nuestro camino y lo sigamos con lealtad, entrega y satisfacción de la labor cumplida.

[Almudena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cortito, amable y delicioso. Con un personaje principal (el viejo Yerbas) al que le darías un coscorrón en algún momento pero al que adoras profundamente por su capacidad de entrega y amor a un jardín.

[Teri-K · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charming story of the life of a young boy whose interest in flowers leads to a job as a gardener at the manor house. Working his way up to head gardener, the reader is treated to vignettes of his life. It's a lovely, simple story of a life long past, similar to The Remains of the Day. I can't believe I stumbled onto it in Overdrive. I was enchanted.