Book Review - Botanic Gardens

If you enjoy visiting Botanic Gardens you will love the beautifully illustrated 'Botanic Gardens: A Living History'. From the comfort of your armchair you can discover the world’s most wonderful Botanic Gardens unearthing their fascinating histories, from the first modern gardens founded in Northern Italy, to the technological achievements of contemporary gardens today.

The first university botanical garden in Europe was the Orto Botanico di Pisa established in 1544. The garden in Pisa, strived to recreate an Eden containing a complete collection of all things created by God. From the late 18th century onwards European botanical gardens began sending botanists all over the world on plant-hunting expeditions so that today we have a wealth of scientific research and learning as well as some stunningly beautiful botanic gardens.

'Botanic Gardens: A Living History' uses excellent photography, architectural plans and drawings, scientific journals and personal accounts to take us on a journey of adventure and discovery. We learn about the key personalities involved in the creation of botanic gardens and are introduced to a host of explorers, scientists, architects, noblemen and botanists as well as the visionaries and dreamers whose money and enthusiasm made it all happen.

This comprehensive and practical guide to the world's foremost botanic gardens has contributions from a wide range of experts including Rosie Atkins (founder of Gardens Illustrated Magazine), Mike Maunder (Director of the Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden), John Parker (Director of Cambridge University Botanic Garden) and Gregory Long (President of the New York Botanical Garden).

There are four essays investigating the history and future of botanic gardens as institutions of conservation and recreation. We are treated to gardens from across the globe, from Argentina, Australia and China to Denmark, Estonia, Britain and Iceland. There are excellent sections on the Chelsea Physic Garden and the New York Botanic Garden as well as The Eden Project, in Cornwall.

If you can’t visit all these exotic gardens for yourself this book is the next best thing. It is lavishly illustrated, weighty and packed with fascinating facts and information. If you have visited some of the botanic gardens illustrated in the book then it will serve to remind you of past pleasures and stimulate you to visit more.