The Botanic Garden is the latest offering from award-winning writer and garden historian Ambra Edwards and – like all her books – it does not disappoint. Blending history, science, plants and people, it is both absorbing and instructive. Despite its large format and lavish production, this engrossing book is more than a beautiful, coffee-table tour of the world’s most amazing botanical gardens. Edwards delves into their diverse histories and various uses – as medicinal hotbeds, botanical training grounds, living cabinets of curiosities and agents of Empire.
If you were expecting a purely historical account, you may be surprised to learn about the vital role botanical gardens play today, not just individually but together as a global network of shared materials, knowledge and research. Forty per cent of the world’s plant species are threatened with extinction and the combined work of our botanic gardens is crucial to their survival. As Edwards explains, these gardens were never simply places of horticultural escape and plant theatre; they have always served a higher purpose and their role today is critical.
Denne historien er fra September 2024-utgaven av Gardens Illustrated.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Denne historien er fra September 2024-utgaven av Gardens Illustrated.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
WORLD OF POSSIBILITY
This superb tour of the world's botanical gardens highlights their vital role in saving the planet's flora, says Claire Masset
THE FEMININE TOUCH?
Does your garden have masculine or feminine style, and does it even matter? Head gardener Benjamin Pope unpicks gardening's gender stereotypes
'If you emulate nature, you're on to a winner'
Gardener, television presenter and author Carol Klein talks about her new book, the books she loves, her current challenges and what she's up to next
FRIENDLY ADVICE
When tasked with creating a garden for her friends, designer Neive Tierney found the project came with challenges - not least the need to include a wheelchair ramp and squeeze in a saltwater swimming pool
Passing the baton
The celebrated nursery and garden at Marchants Hardy Plants in East Sussex is now being managed by a new team, who continue to inspire visitors with innovative planting
My sweet gourd
Clark Lawrence, an American living in the heart of Italy's pumpkin province, loves growing different cultivars of pumpkins and ornamental gourds for their sweet flavours and fabulous looks
ANDY JASPER
The new CEO of the Eden Project on his excitement about a new chapter, the legacy he's left at the National Trust and his joy at heading home to Cornwall
Bedding in
In just under nine years, the owners of Arvensis Nursery in Wiltshire have created a mature garden that displays their high-quality perennials
Late summer dreams
From cool pastels and foliage to hot colours, designer Jo Thompson creates three stylish container combinations for autumn
A SIGN OF THE TIMES
Inspired by the historic house and setting at Park House in Cambridgeshire, landscape architect Robert Myers has woven together traditional and contemporary design elements to create a haven for people, plants and wildlife
