I love this book and would love to purchase for myself and my parents since they love flowers as well. I am learning so much about flowers and their history. I appreciated the author including an index so you can quickly see all the information on whatever flower you are interested in. Each flower has so many details from the scientific name down to where it was found and even who found it! I feel like I have a new favorite flower after reading the book!

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the opportunity to read and review this book. I received a copy of the ebook in exchange for my honest review

I appreciated that out of the 60 flowers in this book, there were ones that I had never heard of. The various stories are interesting, some more than others. You can tell that the author did a lot of research for each flower. It’s a good pick-up book if you want a quick read - each story is only a few pages long. I found the stories of the Bougainvillea, English Bluebell, Poppy Anemone, and Bearded Iris the most memorable. The illustrations were nice, but I found that I wanted more from them.

An interesting look in flowers history perfect for anyone who is usually not a big non fiction reader. The details are kept short and easy to read which makes for a quite educational and productive reading experience. Overall I absolutely recommend as the historical facts chosen and the way they are written is easy to digest.

Growing up in small towns, we always had flowers all around. My mom and grandmothers always had plants and flower beds. This book was like taking a trip back to childhood. Learning a little about the history and folklore of some all to familiar plants and many new ones. Thank you Netgalley for this.

wow! this book is genuinely the definition of a passion project. when i tell people “i hope i find something that i care about enough that i would write a book about it,” THIS IS WHAT I MEAN! i found this book so charming and easy to understand. it was a quick, segmented read with every “chapter,” or description of each flower’s history, being only a page or two of text plus gorgeous illustrations of all of the flowers.

this book takes a deeper dive into the history of 60 well-known flowers, sharing the stories behind their rise to fame. some of these flowers have well-documented histories that go back thousands of years, others came up as recently as last year, and some remain clouded with a bit of uncertainty. the stories were so variable and constantly grabbed my attention. they included topics of discovery, species naming (there are a surprisingly large number of flowers named after people’s wives), royal families, art history, war, mythology, world travel, and more. my absolute favorite story was a short, but memorable one of a variant flower color that played the ultimate prank on a breeder by refusing to appear for him, but popping up randomly in the garden of an angry customer.

you may like this book if you enjoy books about
1.) nature
2.) botany
3.) history

thank you to NetGalley and Advolley Richmond for early access to this book, plus a huge kudos to Sarah Jane Humphrey for the beautiful illustrations. it was all very lovely :)

I received this DRC from NetGalley.

Includes historical and sometimes scientific information about a number of plants. I like that it includes both the updated and older full scientific names. Plus, the artwork is nice. Color illustrations of each flower are included as well as some simple supplementary illustrations to accompany the information.

This is a fascinating mini compendium!

This book is great for any gardener, botanist, or general lover of flowers who wants to dive a little deeper into the origin of a collection of sixty flowers. I was looking for lilacs because I'm particularly fond of them, and I was not disappointed. An interesting fact that I learned was that when lilacs are flowered out of season in the dark, no matter what color they're supposed to be, they will always bloom white. How cool!

Each flower has its own gorgeous portrait, generic name, and history from when it was first recorded. The passages include important dates and the areas where it was cultivated historically, as well as the people who helped by acquiring them, and whether or not they hybridized the flower. I really enjoyed the humor sprinkled throughout. This book is definitely something to display or set on my coffee table - it would make a wonderful gift too!

This captivating compendium brings to life the rich stories behind some of our most beloved flowering plants, from their discovery by intrepid explorers and scholars to their enduring prominence through generations. With its mix of science, history, and biography, garden lovers will adore this gorgeously illustrated book.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

Great coffee table book! Beautiful illustrations paired with intriguing stories about each flower. There was a nice mix of familiar flowers and ones I've never heard of.

This is such a beautifully designed book! The illustrations are stunning and I love that the background information is informative, but not terribly long. The included text is informative, but in a short, accessible way!

I cannot wait to dive into this book more and learn more about the history of flowers!

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for providing an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The gardening community has always felt inaccessible to me. Sure, I grew up watering gardens with my gran and my parents (all green-fingered), but when it came to visiting nurseries when I am older, with my own garden, and asking for advice on certain plants or their care, I’ve always felt like the (mostly older) gardening aficionados didn’t think I deserved their advice, didn’t think I might be a “real” gardener. Whether that aloofness was real or imagined, it was certainly perceived.

So anyway. I find myself talking plants with friends and family, reading modern gardening books, and trying to dispel this odd kind of gardening impostor syndrome.

Enter: A Short History of Flowers - a book that just-just tickled my interest. I suspected that as a South African, I might not really know most of the plants mentioned in the book. That I might not quite… relate.

I’m probably familiar with about half of the plants, but the real beauty is the fascinating histories - and perspectives - unearthed by the author. Colonial histories are interrogated. The results of transcontinental transport of plants are discussed. The exclusion of non-white, non-traditional gardeners and botanists and naturalists is highlighted, and many of those finally find a place where their names are honoured.

I enjoyed A Short History of Plants so much more than I expected, and I fully intend to purchase it for my coffee table.

What a perfect book to review when it’s below freezing outside and everything is covered in snow! Author Richmond has done an incredible amount of research on 60 mostly well-known flowering plants, following their origins, their original uses in herbology (if any), their ultimate travels to the UK and beyond, their crazy names before Latin taxonomy was utilized and their sometimes strange stories and literary references. I never knew my snapdragons had supernatural powers.

I think every gardener looks at a flower and thinks of the personal relationship she has with the plant: that her grandmother grew it, or a neighbor claims these irises were transported by pioneers from English estates, or where she bought it from, or whether it has flourished where she used to live but no longer in this current climate. Richmond’s book adds more stories and depth to each flower and as well how cultivation has made some the bane of some gardeners (flourishing too well and getting put on Schedule 9 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act or the American States’ individual Toxic Plant lists). Looking at you, Nepeta — my weed, your flower; or Rhododendron an English villain that I wished I could get to survive in my soil.

There’s an easy to use index so you can find a particular familiar plant immediately and then read through the stories of the others. I was amazed that the protea, an exotic plant known currently in Hawaii and South Africa, was an exclusively popular plant in Northern Europe, gifted to only royalty before interest (and the adapted species) died out. References are primarily to United Kingdom stories, but an educated American gardener will still recognize each species and the flowers that have crossed the pond, like American wisteria.

The botanical illustrations by Sarah Jane Humphrey are beautiful and yet simple enough to show the most recognizable samples. A selected bibliography will add to your journey among this garden and the index highlights the botanists and horticulturalists mentioned.

This will make a beautiful gift to any gardener who also loves to read about the history of floriculture. 5 stars!

Thank you to White Lion/Quarto Publishing and NetGalley for a free advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review!

This is just a delightful read - what my mother would call a "dip in, dip out of" book. I loved learning about the different plants and their histories or the backgrounds of their names. I really warmed to the author's writing voice who I love on gardening tv. The illustrations are very beautiful and I'll definitely be getting myself a "proper" copy in the near future.

I admit that I do not know half of the flowers herein, but reading and learning about their history made this such a treat. It was a treat reading about the common jasmine, lillies, tulips and also the marigold which I have seen in our gardens mostly.
Thanks Netgalley for the eARC.

A delightful little book with beautiful illustrations. I loved Advolly’s chatty, humorous writing style, especially the story of the stolen anemone seeds! Would make a wonderful gift for any gardener.

Thank you Netgalley, Advolly and Quarto publishing for this ARC.

A Short History of Flowers is the perfect book for those wanting to know a little bit more about the flowers found both commonly in their gardens and rarely in florists.

Each flower comes with a beautiful illustration and has around 1-3 pages dedicated to it. Here you get to dive into the flower's history - from when it was discovered to its uses (pharmacological to culinary to cleaning). I loved also reading about how some flowers have bloomed (haha) in mythology and folklore.

Overall this book was a nice, easy read. Now, whenever I see flowers, a little voice in the back of my head stirs and begins to wonder what history this flower had. Was it gifted to medieval queens or maybe its thought to bring luck to brides carrying it in a bouquet?

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a ARC copy of this book.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book.

“A Short History of Flowers” offers readers an enlightening exploration into the stories that are embedded in the origins of plants. Advolly is a renowned garden historian, and this comes across throughout the book, which is well-researched and utterly absorbing. “A Short History of Flowers” makes botanical history approachable for everyone, and the illustrations throughout are beautiful. The organisation of the book by Latin taxonomical names might make this book a little more difficult to access for someone who wants to look for a specific plant but doesn’t know its Latin name, but other than that, this book is very good.

Entries about the flowers themselves are illuminating, revealing interesting facts about how plants came by their names, interesting stories and historical facts linked to the plants, and how the flowers have been used and viewed throughout history. No section ever feels too long, and each section managed to hold my interest, throughout the entire book.

I would highly recommend "A Short History of Flowers" to anyone interested in history, botany, or cultural studies. It's a compelling read that offers a unique lens through which to view our world and its past. Its accessibility makes it suitable for both casual readers and those with a more academic interest in the subject.

Overall, "A Short History of Flowers" is a testament to Richmond’s skill in bringing to life the vibrant and often overlooked history of flowers. It's a book that not only educates, but also inspires a deeper appreciation for the natural world and its enduring influence on our history.