interesting survey of some of the important characters of English gardening in the 18th century and, therefore , of world gardening and history. Like so many, she laid into Linnaeus, whose vainglorious boasts seems to prevent him from getting the credit he is actually due. Would have liked even more of banks and Solander and of the american gardeners. Interesting focus on trees and shrubs, know they predominated but would have liked a bit more on flowers ( )

Questo libro è davvero fantastico e mi è piaciuto tantissimo! Si presenta come un saggio su come e quando è nata la botanica e la passione smodata degli inglese per i giardini, ma sembra un romanzo.

E' evidente, anche dalle numerosi fonti citate, che l'autrice si è documentata molto per scrivere questo libro e il risultato è entusiasmante. Ogni vicenda, storica o scientifica, viene narrata dal punto di vista dei protagonisti, descritti con cura nella loro passione per la botanica e nelle loro manie (e credetemi, Linneo sta in cima alla lista dei matti).

Interessantissimo vedere come alcune vicende storiche abbiano influito sullo sviluppo della botanica (come la scoperta dell'Australia) e quali storie avventurose ci siano dietro ogni nuova pianta trovata.

Inoltre, l'autrice ha condito la narrazione con numerosi aneddoti, alcuni molto divertenti, che rendono questo libro assolutamente incantevole. Una lezione di storia e scienza che tutti noi avremmo voluto seguire a scuola. ( )

Several times I have been to John Bartram's gardens during the years I lived in Philadelphia, so I was excited that Wulf had written about the man and the start of "botanizing". Wulf is interested in the early days of the natural sciences and her book on Alexander von Humboldt was marvelous.
Here, she examines the sudden onset of desire for American trees and shrubs (later flowers) brought to England, both for recreational purposes, for the gardens of the wealthy, and for study for potential uses, in some cases. Bartram begins, over time, to send 'seed boxes' to the Englishman (and fellow Quaker) Collinson, primarily a merchant, but with an interest in plantlife -- people are agog at the trees and shrubs he nurtures and gradually this hobby becomes far more than that, a livelihood for Bartram and a social success for Collinson and others who catch the bug. Most significantly, several aristocrats become deeply interested in improving their grounds. American trees and shrubs offer color and blooms in many seasons and the myriad evergreens provide green in the winter. Interest expands until a craze for "botany". Linnaeus comes up with a far better way to catalogue plants according to sexual attributes (which has hitherto been fairly random, different systems by different individuals ) and a professional gardener named Miller writes a book that anyone, gardener, earl, or commoner can study for advice about how to grow and care for the new plants.
The problem for me wasn't the information and certainly not Wulf's writing but that the subject itself, frankly, didn't thoroughly grip me. I was always interested, I'm not sorry I read it, but I think a slightly more passionate gardener than I am is required! I did find myself thinking, in our day of hysteria about "native plants" that we spread our bounty out into the world as well -- American plants more or less infest Europe and elsewhere as much as we host many newcomers here. It has been pointed out to me recently, as well, that this hysteria is weirdly akin to the hysteria about human newcomers to our country. Wulf does not bring this up, but I found myself thinking about what WE thoughtlessly export, nonetheless. ***1/2 ( )

Read this for my non-fiction library book group.

Interesting look at how modern English gardens came into existence. Many of the plants found and propagated were from the American colonies. the author also included the fated Mutiny on the Bounty and what caused that mutiny.

The obsession was not only about botany but about how to improve the ENglish economy after the defeat by the American Colonies and setting up new trade and creating new trade in the EAst and West Indies. ( )

The Brother Gardeners by Andrea Wulf outlines the correlation between the American colonies and the rise of modern botany. She does this by following the correspondence and commerce between a colonist and a British gardener. There is also mention of the arrogant but often right Lineas as well as the Bounty's botanical adventure to Tahiti.

At the time I read the book I was in the midst of a difficult but fascinating cataloging course. So my take-aways from the book are based around cataloging. Botany is rooted in classification of plants and flowers. It's a way to describe something that might be shipped as a seed, a cutting, a fruit or dried flowers.

The "new world" was filled with unusual and exotic plants that were in high demand back especially on the British estates that were trying to recreate the colonial wilderness in their stately gardens. Shipping entire living plants was a difficult and expensive venture. Seeds worked better if the garden could be made to mimic the expected climate and soil conditions.

It was an interesting look at a specific time in history. The illustrations are good. The asides are fascinating but sometimes long winded. ( )