Botanic Gardens of the World traces forty of the planet's most significant horticultural institutions — from Renaissance Italy to futuristic Singapore — as living archives of scientific inquiry, colonial history, and urgent conservation work.
About This Book
Botanic gardens are rarely just gardens. They are sites where politics, imperial ambition, medical research, and ecological preservation have intersected for centuries. Garden historian Deborah Trentham moves across forty institutions — from Kew and Kyoto to Brooklyn and Buenos Aires, Norway to Morocco, Madrid to Malaysia — excavating the stories embedded in each. What emerges is a history of botanical discovery that is as much about power and knowledge as it is about plants. For anyone serious about landscape history, conservation, or the cultural biography of designed natural spaces, this is essential reading.
Key Features
- 256 pages of photography-led botanical history spanning forty gardens across six continents
- Written by expert garden historian Deborah Trentham
- Notable gardens include Kew, Kyoto, Brooklyn, Buenos Aires, Madrid, Morocco, Norway, and Singapore
- Published by Greenfinch
What You'll Discover
- How botanic gardens functioned as instruments of national interest and scientific authority, not merely as ornamental spaces
- The role of plant exploration and extraordinary botanical specimens in shaping the development of these institutions
- The intersection of medical research and horticultural science across different cultural and geographic contexts
- How contemporary botanic gardens are responding to conservation imperatives and the protection of natural biodiversity
About the Author
Deborah Trentham is an expert garden historian whose work centres on the history and cultural significance of horticultural institutions. Her selection and analysis of forty of the world's most important botanic gardens draws on deep specialist knowledge of botanical history and scientific discovery.
Specifications
- Format: Hardcover
- Pages: 256
- Dimensions: 254 x 198 mm
- Language: English
- ISBN: 9781529428094
- Publisher: Greenfinch
- Publication Date: [Details available upon request]
Perfect For: Landscape architects, garden historians, conservation researchers, and design enthusiasts drawn to the cultural and scientific history of the natural world.