The Secrets of Great Botanists: And What They Teach Us About Gardening

by Matthew Biggs

Overview

Botanists have been the trailblazers in discovering how plants work to benefit our species, collecting many of the plant-species we find in our gardens today from all around the world. This informative and beautiful guide presents the stories and reveals the secrets of 35 of these botanists, plant collectors and gardening pioneers of the past and present.
This includes Joseph Banks, Asa Gray and Marianne North, highlighting the qualities that brought them success. Every botanist included in The Secrets of Great Botanists was, or is, passionate about their particular specialty. Whether they were searching for plants in wild places, prescribing herbal medicines or forming new structures of plant classification, they were driven by an insatiable desire to learn and discover, so that we, as humans, might benefit from improved crops, medicines or gardens.
Through the vibrancy of botanical photographs and beautifully illustrated period botanical watercolours, this book aims to teach readers about the observations, ideas, secrets and discoveries of these ground-breaking botanists. Their influence on gardening and the wider world will provide inspiration and practical guidance for budding gardeners of all levels and inspire readers to try these plants and tips at home.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781923011038
Publisher:	Exisle Publishing
Publication date:	10/15/2024
Pages:	224
Product dimensions:	6.75(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Matthew Biggs trained at The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, has presented numerous TV gardening programs and is a regular on UK radio. Author of and contributor to several books and magazines, Matthew is also a highly regarded lecturer. He has travelled widely and is fascinated by global gardening.

Table of Contents

- Introduction 6
- Pedanius Dioscorides c. ad 40–90 8
- Leonhart Fuchs 1501–1566 14
- William Turner c. 1508–1568 20
John Ray 1627–1705 26
- Mary Somerset 1630–1715 32
Henry Compton 1632–1713 38
- William Dampier 1651–1715 44
- John Bartram 1699–1777 50
- Carl Linnaeus 1707–1778 56
- Jeanne Baret 1740–1807 62
- Joseph Banks 1743–1820 68
- James Edward Smith 1759–1828 74
- Philipp von Siebold 1796–1866 80
- John Lindley 1799–1865 86
- Anna Atkins 1799–1871 92
- Georgiana Molloy 1805–1843 98
- Asa Gray 1810–1888 104
- William Colenso 1811–1899 110
- Joseph Dalton Hooker 1817–1911 116
- Gregor Mendel 1822–1884 122
- Marianne North 1830–1890 128
- Luther Burbank 1849–1926 134
- Henry Nicholas Ridley 1855–1956 140
- Charlotte Wheeler-Cuffe 1867–1967 146
- George Forrest 1873–1932 152
- Ernest Wilson 1876–1930 158
- Francis Kingdon-Ward 1885–1958 164
- Nikolai Vavilov 1887–1943 170
- Carl Rudolf Florin 1894–1965 176
- E. K. Janaki Ammal 1897–1984 182
- William Stearn 1911– 2001 188
- Richard Evans Schultes 1915–2001 194
- Mikinori Ogisu Born 1951 200
- Bleddyn & Sue Wynn-Jones Born 1948 (Bleddyn) and 1952 (Sue) 206
- Patrick Blanc Born 1953 212
- Bibliography 218
- Index 220
- Credits 224

Editorial Reviews

"Every time I open the book, I see a page that just invites me in."
- Bob Tanem In The Garden with Edie Tanem, KSFO, Cumulus Radio Station Group


"Those people who love a beautifully illustrated book which is informative, interesting and a joy to browse will not be disappointed." 
- Blue Wolf



"Beautifully and profusely illustrated throughout with full color photography and museum quality artwork, "The Secrets of Great Botanists: And What They Teach Us About Gardening" is informatively enhanced for the reader's benefit with the inclusion of a two page Bibliography and a four page Index. Informed, informative, exceptionally well written, and thoroughly 'reader friendly' in organization and presentation, "The Secrets of Great Botanists: And What They Teach Us About Gardening" is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, and college/university library Gardening instructional reference collections." 

- Midwest Book

"Organised chronologically, each botanist is profiled with their life story, specialty, discoveries and secrets, providing inspiration and practical guidance to gardeners of all levels." 

- Gardening Australia

"It's both an inspiration and a guide to how we can use [great botanists'] knowledge in our gardens today." 

- Better Homes and Gardens Australia

"This stunningly illustrated book would make a lovely gift for a garden lover." 

- Grass Roots

"The extraordinary stories compiled by Biggs in this remarkable collection, which celebrates a great deal more than the worthy science of botany. It is a wonderful book to dip in and out of."

- New Zealand Booklovers

From the Publisher