A Short History of Flowers

In A Short History of Flowers, Advolly Richmond of Gardeners' World explores the exciting stories behind the most popular garden flowers.

Garden and social historian Advolly Richmond (of Gardener's World) unravels the surprising histories of 60 flowers that shape our gardens. Have you ever wondered where your favourite garden flowers came from? Where their names derived? Or why some cultivars go in and out of favour? Every flower in your herbaceous border has a story, and in this book Advolly Richmond takes you on a tour of the most intriguing, surprising and enriching ones. Tales of exploration, everlasting love and bravery bring these beautiful flowers to life. Advolly has dug down to uncover the royalty, scholars, pioneers and a smuggler or two that have all played a part in discovering and cultivating some of our favourite species. From the lavish and exotic bougainvillea, found by an 18th century female botanist in disguise to the humble but majestic snowdrop casting a spell and causing a frenzy. These plants have played pivotal roles in our societies, from boom to bust economies, promises of riches and making fashion statements. These unassuming blooms hold treasure troves of stories. With specially commissioned artworks from award-winning botanical illustrator Sarah Jane Humphrey, which sumptuously bring each flower to life - this is a beautiful compendium for every garden lover.

About the Author

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.Sarah Jane Humphrey is an award-winning botanical artist who has won four RHS Medals, including the 2023 Gold medal for her collection of seaweed paintings. Much of her work is published in books and magazines and she has an array of high-profile clients, including the Royal College of Physicians, BrewDog, the Eden Project, the Duchy of Cornwall and Jo Malone.