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by Advolly Richmond (Author), Sarah Jane Humphrey (Illustrator)
Unravel the extraordinary histories of 60 flowers that shape our gardens.
Have you ever wondered where your favourite garden flowers came from? Where their names derived? Or why some cultivars go in and out of favor? Every flower has a story and in A Short History of Flowers, Advolly Richmond guides you through the most intriguing, surprising, and enriching ones. For example, you'll find stories of:- The 18th-century woman who disguised herself as a man to collect bougainvillea on a global voyage.
- The snowdrop that sparked Victorian mania.
- The daffodil rediscovered after centuries missing from cultivation.
- The lily of the valley that became Christian Dior's lifelong lucky charm.
- The Californian poppy that travelled from Indigenous medicine to royal heraldry.
Featuring specially commissioned botanical illustrations by award-winning artist Sarah Jane Humphrey, each entry highlights the plant and the story it tells, bringing its history vividly to life.
Author Biography
Advolly Richmond is a garden historian, TV and radio presenter and independent researcher in garden, landscape, plant and social history. A regular on BBC Gardeners' World as well as on BBC Gardeners' Question Time, she is also the presenter of The Garden History Podcast, an A-Z. She lectures on garden history from the 16th to 20th centuries, and provides one-day courses for interested historians. She is passionate about promoting garden history in all its branches and likes to encourage people to value their garden and landscape heritage. She is a plant loving practical gardener with probably far too many roses and a collection of snowdrops, which kindly share their space with a range of pre-1900 heritage daffodils. She even has a variety of snowdrops named after her.
