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Botanical
Snowdrop
Now in paperback, a beautifully illustrated guide to the white and green sign of spring.
Elegant flowers dressed in simple white and green, snowdrops look far too fragile to deal with wintry weather. But that’s just what they do, and they have become treasured by horticulturalists for their ability to flower in the earliest parts of the year. In this book, Gail Harland explores the role snowdrops have played in gardens and popular culture alike, as a treasured genus for enthusiast growers and an important symbol of hope and consolation.
Harland explores a variety of cultural meanings for the deceptively petit flower. In Victorian England snowdrop bands encouraged chastity among young women. They have been favorite subjects in paintings in many different eras, and today they are the iconic symbols of several hope-giving charities. Poets and writers have written extensively about them, as have pharmacists, who have used their chemical, galantamine, in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. Today some of their rarer bulbs can fetch record-breaking sums, and annual festivals that celebrate them draw people from all over the world. Walking among their brilliant white beds, Harland offers an ideal companion for any plant-lover who has ever eagerly awaited this treasured sign of spring.
Elegant flowers dressed in simple white and green, snowdrops look far too fragile to deal with wintry weather. But that’s just what they do, and they have become treasured by horticulturalists for their ability to flower in the earliest parts of the year. In this book, Gail Harland explores the role snowdrops have played in gardens and popular culture alike, as a treasured genus for enthusiast growers and an important symbol of hope and consolation.
Harland explores a variety of cultural meanings for the deceptively petit flower. In Victorian England snowdrop bands encouraged chastity among young women. They have been favorite subjects in paintings in many different eras, and today they are the iconic symbols of several hope-giving charities. Poets and writers have written extensively about them, as have pharmacists, who have used their chemical, galantamine, in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. Today some of their rarer bulbs can fetch record-breaking sums, and annual festivals that celebrate them draw people from all over the world. Walking among their brilliant white beds, Harland offers an ideal companion for any plant-lover who has ever eagerly awaited this treasured sign of spring.
- GenresNonfiction
256 pages, Hardcover
First published June 15, 2016
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19 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
December 7, 2023
This delightful book would make the perfect gift for anyone who loves snowdrops. My copy is the beautifully-produced hardback edition, and it is one of those books which is a pleasure to hold and look at, as well as to read.
Harland covers every aspect of Snowdrops - their breeding and development, their place in folklore, their use in literature and art, and their conservation. Lavishly illustrated, this book is written in a very accessible style, and can either be read from cover to cover or dipped into when you have a few minutes.
It seems that this is part of a series, covering numerous popular plants. If all the other volumes are this good, I can see that my book-buying budget will have to increase dramatically next year!
Harland covers every aspect of Snowdrops - their breeding and development, their place in folklore, their use in literature and art, and their conservation. Lavishly illustrated, this book is written in a very accessible style, and can either be read from cover to cover or dipped into when you have a few minutes.
It seems that this is part of a series, covering numerous popular plants. If all the other volumes are this good, I can see that my book-buying budget will have to increase dramatically next year!
February 13, 2022
As usual for this series, quite helpful overview of botanical and cultural history.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews