by Advolly Richmond
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Explore the untold stories of 60 flowers that have shaped our gardens and lives. Garden and social historian Advolly Richmond, featured on Gardener's World, reveals surprising historical connections and cultural significance behind the blooms we cultivate today.
This book is the subject of an upcoming Ashmolean Museum Book Talk with Advolly Richmond, OBE, Historian/Presenter and Author, to find out more about this event, please click here.
Have you ever wondered where your favourite garden flowers came from? Where their names derived? Or why some cultivars go in and out of favour? Every flower in your herbaceous border has a story, and in this book Advolly Richmond takes you on a tour of the most intriguing, surprising and enriching ones.
Tales of exploration, everlasting love and bravery bring these beautiful flowers to life. Advolly has dug down to uncover the royalty, scholars, pioneers and a smuggler or two that have all played a part in discovering and cultivating some of our favourite species. From the lavish and exotic bougainvillea, found by an 18th century female botanist in disguise to the humble but majestic snowdrop casting a spell and causing a frenzy. These plants have played pivotal roles in our societies, from boom to bust economies, promises of riches and making fashion statements. These unassuming blooms hold treasure troves of stories.
With specially commissioned artworks from award-winning botanical illustrator Sarah Jane Humphrey, which sumptuously bring each flower to life – this is a beautiful compendium for every garden lover.
Advolly Richmond is a Plant, Garden and Social Historian, Author and Gardener's World TV Presenter as well as a columnist for The Garden Collective. She is an independent researcher in the history of plants, gardens and their importance in society. Based in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, she is an ambassador for the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, a Fellow of the Linnean Society and teaches Garden History at the Oxford Lifelong Learning at the Department for Continuing Education.
Hardback
Book contains 208 pages
Dimensions: 15.8 x 2.5 x 21.8 cm
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