For my birthday this year I received the ultimate present - money to buy gardening and nature books. Matthew Biggs' The Secrets of Great Botanists was one of the books I bought and it turned out to be an excellent choice... From Pedanius Dioscorides’ seminal work De Materia Medica to Patrick Blanc’s modern, innovative mur … Continue reading Book Review: The Secrets of Great Botanists
Published earlier this month, Dahlias: Beautiful Varieties for Home and Garden is a captivating celebration of the dahlia combining Georgianna Lane's sublime photography of single cultivars and mixed arrangements with Naomi Slade's lyrical and engaging text. I've been looking forward to reading Dahlias since May, when Naomi mentioned the new book she'd been writing. Having been kindly sent … Continue reading Book Review: Dahlias by Naomi Slade and Georgianna Lane
On Tuesday evening, David's Bookshop in Letchworth hosted a talk by botanist, writer and broadcaster James Wong on his new bestselling book. As usual James gave a lively and interesting talk in which he demonstrated a broad knowledge of the scientific data behind the ideas in the book. How To Eat Better is a cookbook with a difference. … Continue reading Book Review: James Wong’s ‘How To Eat Better’
Biography, art history, botanical study - none of these terms do sufficient justice to Molly Peacock's expansive, lyrical and thoroughly readable account of the life of Mary Granville Pendarves Delany (1700-1788). Over a period of ten years, Delany created nearly a thousand cut-paper botanical images of flowers from all over the world. Living in a period of intense botanical … Continue reading The Paper Garden: Mrs Delany [Begins Her Life’s Work] at 72