An interesting introduction to the celebrated Victorian plant hunters ( )

For the curious gardener this would make a fine introduction to the history of these men who brought so many of the plants we take for granted into our gardens. It covers 10 of the most prominant plant hunters/explorers in roughly chronological order. Musgrave is an enteretaining and knowledgable author and his own passion for plants come through. Each chapter covers a specific character, not only with a biography, but also with some context of the times during which the expeditions were undertaken. My only complaint is that the maps are rather poor. There is also a brief description of each of their most popular introductions. Definately a book to whet the appetite and encourage further reading. ( )

Many of the plants which we take for granted in our gardens originate from remote parts of the globe. They were discovered and brought back to Britain by a few remarkable and intrepid men who ventured into those parts to seek new and exotic species. This book covers the journeys of discovery of ten significant plant hunters, from the C18th to the 1950s, who brought us everything from Tea to the Douglas Fir and Clematis.
A fascinating book well illustrated. ( )