Advolly Richmond’s beautifully illustrated talk highlights some of the flowers featured in her upcoming book, A Short History of Flowers. Many of the plants we love and grow as ornamentals first appeared in early herbals for medicinal and culinary use. But how often do we stop to think about how these beautiful flowers ended up in our tiny corner of the world?
Flowers have played pivotal roles in societies for centuries, from the wild fuchsia hedgerows of Ireland, to the lily of the valley bringing luck and making a bold fashion statement in Paris. All of these blooms hold a treasure trove of stories. Have a giggle, shed a tear, but most of all, enjoy the tales of exploration in disguise, enduring love, cultural appropriation, and hybridization that Advolly will bring to life in this webinar. You will also get a glimpse of some of the gorgeous, specially commissioned botanical illustrations which appear in the book. Advolly Richmond is a plants and garden historian, TV and radio presenter, and independent researcher in social history based in England. She lectures on garden history subjects from the sixteenth to twentieth centuries, contributes garden history features on BBC Gardeners’ World, presents plant history profiles for BBC Radio 4’s Gardeners’ Question Time, and produces The Garden History Podcast.
$5 for Garden Conservancy members, $15 for nonmembers. A recording of this webinar will be sent to all registrants a few days after the event. We encourage you to register, even if you cannot attend the live webinar. Register at https://www.gardenconservancy.org/education/education-events/virtual-talk-a-short-history-of-flowers
