Pictorial end-papers; Title pages; list of manufacturers, designers & suppliers; & introduction to front. The author of this text sets out to demonstrate that a form of art is frequently to be encountered in terms of the design, innovation and imagination embodied within these garden items. As a collecting area it is in its infancy but contains all the ingredients a potential collector would choose. There is history, geography, economics, workmanship and engineering. There are makers' marks and trademarks, common, scarce and rare varieties. There are collecting areas within areas and satisfying, attractive objects of varying sizes in various materials. From asparagus forks to water barrows and bark peeling spades to thistle tongs, this book includes details and illustrations to make the reader aware of a lesser known aspect of gardening history. The comprehensive coverage includes not only decorative garden antiques - pergolas and furniture, fountains and jardinieres, but also more down-to-earth items without which a garden cannot be made - tools and watering systems, mowing machines and wheelbarrows. Sections on garden games and garden ephemera are also included. The strong illustrative content, much of it contemporary source material, highlights our rich gardening past and in so doing makes the book an invaluable research tool for students of garden and art history, as well as for collectors of 'gardenalia'.