Plant Lover's Companion: Plants, People and Places

None

The number of cultivated plants in an average garden could run into hundreds. Tens of thousands can be found in nurseries and garden centers. Each of these plants has a story to tell. Some were first found in the wild, perhaps hundreds of years ago - in Turkey, South Africa or Siberia. These plants or their seeds travelled thousands of miles to reach gardens, often amid hair-raising tales of danger and hardships from those who found them. Other plants were systematically bred from their wild ancestors by dedicated and sometimes eccentric nurserymen in many countries. Others still were chance discoveries in gardens or in the wild: naturally occurring hybrids or variants that were noticed, preserved and propagated by their finders. Every one of these plants has a unique botanical name, and their names are often a clue to their stories. The Plant Lover's Companion provides answers to many of these clues. Over 700 entries spotlight the plant hunters, botanists, breeders and growers - as well as the countries, nurseries and gardens - that feature in the history of the plants we grow today. From Abbotsbury to Zwanenburg, and from Clarke Abel (Abelia) to Johann Zinn (Zinnia), The Plant Lover's Companion brings a new dimension to the world of gardening. Book jacket.