A fascinating history of Britain's plant biodiversity and a unique account of how our garden landscape has been transformed over 1000 years, from 200 species of plant in the year 1000 to the astonishing variety of plants we can all see today. Thousands of plants have been introduced into Britain since 1066 by travellers, warriors, explorers and plant hunters - plants that we now take for granted such as rhododendron from the Far East, gladiolus from Africa and exotic plants like the monkey puzzle tree from Chile.Both a plant history and a useful reference book, Maggie Campbell-Culver has researched the provenance and often strange histories of many of the thousands of plants, exploring the quirky and sometimes rude nature of the plants, giving them a personality all of their own and setting them in their social context. The text is supported by beautiful contemporary paintings and modern photographs in 2 x 8 pp colour sections.
The Origin of Plants tells the fascinating story of how and why Britain's spectacular gardens and private and public collections are home to the widest range of plants of any nation on earth. As the last Ice Age retreated, somewhere between eleven and eight thousand years ago, the British Isles had the smallest range of natural flora of any country in the world. Even by the year 1000 we could boast only a few hundred indigenous plants. But over the last millennium seeds, bulbs, seedlings and cuttings have been brought to Britain by warriors, explorers and plant-hunters. Europe and the Near East, Russia and North America, South America and South Africa, India and the Antipodes, Japan and China, have all yielded a remarkable bounty.
Critically acclaimed, rich in colourful detail and anecdote, Maggie Campbell-Culver's work is also timely. With some of the world's plants under extreme threat in their native territories, Britain's plant collections have become of crucial importance. This is a must-have book for all plant lovers.
'A most welcome and accessible reference work.'
TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT
'Full of facts and legends, this will appeal to both the general reader and the more difficult-to-please scholar.'
PENELOPE HOBHOUSE, GARDENS ILLUSTRATED
