A Short History of Flowers: The Stories That Make Our Gardens - Hardcover

by Advolly Richmond (Author), Sarah Jane Humphrey (Illustrator)

Unravel the extraordinary histories of 60 flowers that shape our gardens.

• 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.