The sixteenth century saw the emergence of inexpensive instruction manuals for aspiring gardeners. These manuals were not printed in Latin. Instead, they were printed in the vernacular which enabled their dissemination to a much wider audience than before.

In the late century, these guides became more informative and included instructions on the use of the abundant array of tools available to the gardener. The frontispiece to this volume shows a selection of these tools, mostly based upon a simple billhook design adopted from the tools used by vineyard workers in ancient Rome.

Entry adapted from 'Painting Paradise' London 2015.