Many gardeners are vaguely aware of the "greats" of plant exploration, such as E. H. Wilson, George Forrest, or John Tradescant. Fewer may know the names of today's plant explorers or recognize the makings of a new golden age of plant discovery. Nonetheless, a quick visit to almost any nursery will reveal the bounty of these intrepid plant collectors, whose handiwork enriches gardens everywhere. The Plant Hunter's Garden profiles 32 of today's more prolific plant hunters. From the Czech Republic to the Rocky Mountains, Bobby Ward has sought out those explorers in the private sphere who are collecting plants specifically for horticultural introduction. While providing interesting details on the lives and careers of these new explorers, the real focus of the book is on the plants themselves. Ward asked each of the hunters to choose the very best treasures from their years of collecting, and has sumptuously illustrated these jewels in stunning photos. Many plants in these pages became bestsellers quickly after introduction from the wild, but hundreds more underappreciated gems are sure to entice and surprise any reader of this book. From the comfort of the armchair or the potting-shed table, readers of The Plant Hunter's Garden can embark on their own voyages of discovery in these delightful pages.
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Editorial Reviews
From Booklist
Ward profiles a rare group of individuals who are following in the footsteps of intrepid explorers of long ago who brought gardeners many of the plants that appear in today's gardens. And like those of the past, these modern plant hunters are discovering treasure troves of new species and varieties in remote regions of China, South Africa, South Asia,and even the U.S. Ward writes delightfully engaging portraits, introducing readers to folk such as Jim and Jenny Archibald, who produce a newsletter seed list from their base in Wales. And where would plant fanatics in this country be without the likes of Dan Hinckley, plantsman and explorer extraordinaire who created beautiful Heronswood Nursery? It's there that many of his discoveries are eventually made available to the public. All 32 plant hunters profiled are worthy of attention. Homebodies who love to garden will savor reading about vast realms of uncommon plants, the unique people who set out to find them, and the magical places where plants do, in fact, reign supreme. Alice Joyce
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Review
"An engaging account of the travels and travails of thirty-two modern-day plant collectors."
—Pacific Horticulture, Summer 2005 (Pacific Horticulture )
"All 32 plant hunters profiled are worthy of attention. Homebodies who love to garden will savor reading about vast realms of uncommon plants, the unique people who set out to find them, and the magical places where plants do, in fact, reign supreme."
—Alice Joyce, Booklist, July 22, 2005 (Booklist )
"Ward is a knowledgeable plantsman, and here he proves himself an accomplished hunter of plant hunters."
—Michael Cunningham, Horticulture, April 2005 (Horticulture )
—Pacific Horticulture, Summer 2005 (Pacific Horticulture )
"All 32 plant hunters profiled are worthy of attention. Homebodies who love to garden will savor reading about vast realms of uncommon plants, the unique people who set out to find them, and the magical places where plants do, in fact, reign supreme."
—Alice Joyce, Booklist, July 22, 2005 (Booklist )
"Ward is a knowledgeable plantsman, and here he proves himself an accomplished hunter of plant hunters."
—Michael Cunningham, Horticulture, April 2005 (Horticulture )
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Must Read,
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This review is from: The Plant Hunter's Garden: The New Explorers and Their Discoveries (Hardcover)
This is a great book for someone wanting to read about how and where different plants come from. Ward takes you on a journey of exploration making each of the entries in this book an adventure. I really enjoyed reading about the Sargents and Wilsons of our time and the great plants they have contributed to. I have already found some plants that I can't live without.
The photography is first rate making each plant stand out at you with its vibrant colors. This book may not be for everyone, but is well worth a look from master gardeners and those curious about the evolution of plants.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Expanding your horizons,
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This review is from: The Plant Hunter's Garden: The New Explorers and Their Discoveries (Hardcover)
Great book--both for armchair explorers and for those curious about the origin of stock from the collectors' nurseries.
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Front Cover | Front Flap | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Flap | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Inside This Book
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First Sentence:
I once spent a long weekend poring over forty years of back issues of Jim and Jenny Archibald's newsletter-seed lists. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
contemporary plant hunters, promoted follow, plant exploration, inner sepals, camellia forest, rain lilies, rock gardeners, seed collectors, seed list, rock garden plants, plant hunting, rain lily, nursery owners, nursery specializing, plant explorers, invasive plants, nursery industry, specific epithet, collecting trips, cold hardy, plant introductions, seed business, bulbous plants, solitary flowers, part shade Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
United States, North Carolina, North America, United Kingdom, South Africa, Dan Hinkley, Piroche Plants, Yucca Do Nursery, New Mexico, Plant Delights Nursery, Raulston Arboretum, Alpine Garden Society, Don Jacobs, Mount Emei, British Columbia, Denver Botanic Gardens, Thad Howard, New Zealand, Peckerwood Garden, Cape Town, South America, South Carolina, South Korea, Josef Halda, New York New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Front Flap | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Flap | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
I once spent a long weekend poring over forty years of back issues of Jim and Jenny Archibald's newsletter-seed lists. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
contemporary plant hunters, promoted follow, plant exploration, inner sepals, camellia forest, rain lilies, rock gardeners, seed collectors, seed list, rock garden plants, plant hunting, rain lily, nursery owners, nursery specializing, plant explorers, invasive plants, nursery industry, specific epithet, collecting trips, cold hardy, plant introductions, seed business, bulbous plants, solitary flowers, part shade Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
United States, North Carolina, North America, United Kingdom, South Africa, Dan Hinkley, Piroche Plants, Yucca Do Nursery, New Mexico, Plant Delights Nursery, Raulston Arboretum, Alpine Garden Society, Don Jacobs, Mount Emei, British Columbia, Denver Botanic Gardens, Thad Howard, New Zealand, Peckerwood Garden, Cape Town, South America, South Carolina, South Korea, Josef Halda, New York New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Front Flap | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Flap | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 94
books:
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- Glencoe (IL) (Images of America) by Ellen Kettler Paseltiner on 5 pages
- Smoke That Thunders by Ernest Wilson on 4 pages
- Flowers of the Himalaya (Repr of 1984 ed) (Oxford India Paperbacks) by Oleg Polunin on page 61, page 64, and Back Matter
- Flora of Turkey, Volume 7: Flora of Turkey and the East Aegean Islands, Vol. 7 by P. H. Davis on page 122, page 290, and Back Matter
- English Rock Garden by Reginald Farrer in Front Matter, page 63, and Back Matter
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