In Brief
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.” ---from the Foreword by Brian Mathew.
Critical Acclaim of The Plant Hunter's Garden
"Ward is a knowledgeable plantsman, and here he proves himself an accomplished hunter of plant hunters. "
—Michael Cunningham, Horticulture, April 2005
"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
"What is truly appealing about this book is that there are more than 200 mouthwatering, full-color pictures of these plants. And then there are hundreds of irresistible (at least to the plant obsessed like me) text descriptions of other plants."
—Patricia A. Taylor, Trenton Times, December 19, 2004
"The book has enough plants to keep a gardener's wish list full for a long time, and the plants are made all the more fascinating by Ward's stories about the people who introduced them."
—David Bare, Winston-Salem Journal, December 18, 2004
"This is a fasctinating book on many levels ... Spectacular photographs and descriptions of an amazing spectrum of new plants are covered with insightful individual essays. "
—Ann Bartlett, American Penstemon Society Bulletin, December 13, 2004
This treasure trove of new and exciting plants will delight any gardener who likes to know what's new in the horticultural world and is eager to go beyond the tried and true offerings found at local garden centers."
—Ethel Fried, Manchester (CT) Journal Inquirer, December 4, 2004
