The Tree Hunters: How the Cult of the Arboretum Transformed Our Landscape

by Thomas Pakenham

For centuries, English country gentlemen had collected exotic pictures for their saloons and rare books for their libraries. By the end of the 17th century, they had begun to plant nurseries. Within the space of a few years thousands of new plantations enriched the British landscape, and demand was high for the most splendid maples and pines from the American colonies, cypresses and cedars from Europe and Lebanon, oriental plane from Greece and Turkey, with its romantic associations with Plato's Academy.

How did these extraordinary plants make their way to the forests of Britain and Ireland? Who were the scholars and daredevils who combed the new and old worlds in search of green treasure? What crimes did they commit, and what price did they pay, to bring the world's charismatic megaflora to the gardens of home? In this exuberant history, Thomas Pakenham reveals the marvellous tales of adventure, discovery, rivalry and passion that created the modern British landscape.

Genres: Nature, Travel, Nonfiction

366 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 24, 2024

About the author

Thomas Francis Dermot Pakenham, 8th Earl of Longford, is known simply as Thomas Pakenham. He is an Anglo-Irish historian and arborist who has written several prize-winning books on the diverse subjects of Victorian and post-Victorian British history and trees. He is the son of Frank Pakenham, 7th Earl of Longford, a Labour minister and human rights campaigner, and Elizabeth Longford. The well known English historian Antonia Fraser is his sister.

After graduating from Belvedere College and Magdalen College, Oxford, in 1955, Thomas Pakenham traveled to Ethiopia, a trip which is described in his first book The Mountains of Rasselas. On returning to Britain, he worked on the editorial staff of the Times Educational Supplement and later for ,i>The Sunday Telegraph and The Observer. He divides his time between London and County Westmeath, Ireland, where he is the chairman of the Irish Tree Society and honorary custodian of Tullynally Castle.

Thomas Pakenham does not use his title and did not use his courtesy title before succeeding his father. However, he has not disclaimed his British titles under the Peerage Act 1963, and the Irish peerages cannot be disclaimed as they are not covered by the Act. He is unable to sit in the House of Lords as a hereditary peer as his father had, due to the House of Lords Act 1999 (though his father was created a life peer in addition to his hereditary title in order to be able to retain his seat).

Reviews

[Clare O'Beara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent look at how collections of exotic trees hardy enough to survive winters, became popular and were planted in Britain and Ireland.
Plant hunters either went abroad or were already in a country like America and sent back seeds, seedlings and plants. The more exotics that appeared the more popular the chase became, with tree species named after finders and nurseries keen to grow valuable plants.
We also see some of the arboretums that appeared at locations like Kew Gardens and stately homes. Some of the personages, like Fortune, Tradescant, Douglas, and Banks, led exciting lives and are still well remembered, but the people financing the expeditions may not be so well known.
Once trees had been acquired and named, how to lay out the plantings? We read of forests being felled for timber, a village and main road being moved, iron-framed greenhouses being made, where money was no object and space was needed.
What we don't get told is why today some of the arboretums are no more; I suspect the reason lay in the need for timber during two World Wars. After the was ended, fast-growing building timber was required and planted.
This is a lively read, with photos and other illustrations. I spotted just one typo; on p. 340 a silver fir - Abies - is called Acer, a maple, which I mention so it can be corrected in next edition. I would have liked more mention of women, of course, but they are largely confined to families of plant hunters. Given the tribulations of these men, some of whom came to sticky ends, it may have been just as well.
Notes and index, p. 350 - 376.
This book would combine well with The Wood Age / The Age of Wood by Roland Ennos.

[Dylan Vieites Glennon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had failed to realise that this book was written by the 8th Earl of Longford until writing this review having read a fair amount about his father. Thomas Pakenham's The Tree Hunters offers a captivating historical account of the introduction of exotic tree species to the British Isles. The book chronicles the endeavors of plant hunters, these were individuals who undertook arduous and often perilous expeditions to procure novel specimens from diverse regions of the globe. These narratives of exploration and discovery form the core of Pakenham's work, detailing the challenges and triumphs of those who sought to enrich Britain's arboreal landscape.

Pakenham portrays the plant hunters as driven by a combination of scientific curiosity, personal ambition, and a genuine passion for the natural world. He recounts their experiences in vivid detail, from the dangers of navigating unfamiliar territories to the excitement of encountering previously unknown species. Though, simultaneously, he is especially useful for presenting the context of the time in which these people hunted for trees and why this brought about certain occurrences both in Britain and in the places they went. He touches upon the development of nurseries, the growing popularity of arboretums, and the evolving aesthetic preferences that influenced the selection and cultivation of trees. Similarly, he develops the challenges and ramifications of Britain's relationship with other countries especially China and how these changes affected access for collectors. However, the book's focus remains primarily on the plant hunters themselves and the establishment of notable collections.

It was a thoroughly enjoyable book which caused me to consider my own plants, where they originated, and the difficulties faced first bringing them to the U.K. One aspect I guess I was disappointed by within this book was the perspective it came from. For example, this focus on "new discoveries" meant there was not particularly any focus on the fact these trees would in some(?) cases have been known and used by local populaces. One of the few examples I recall was discussing in relation to one tree in China and its medical qualities to the locals and, therefore, why it was valuable for Britain's to collect. Then again, the focus was primarily on the aesthetic uses for the garden.

[Paul Wood · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whips along at a fair old pace and very interesting if trees are your thing. They are certainly mine.

[Nicholas Dominic · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this a little while ago so cannot remember the book in detail. Nevertheless, many of the stories of the plant hunters have lingered with me, of which several were much more exhilarating than I had expected. Whenever I see a Monkey Puzzle I now recall the incredible chance manner of its discovery.

The book inspired within me a new passion for trees and an appreciation for their variety. As I imagine was Thomas Pakenham’s intention, I now aspire one day to plant an arboretum of my own and, whilst I’m young, to get as many interesting trees in the ground wherever I can!