Wild Edens The history and habitat of our most-loved garden plants

A fantastic gift book about global plant exploration and our gardens

There are books that recognize famous garden designers and offer inspiration to would-be garden-makers. And there are thousands of manuals that will tell you how to garden. But only one tells the story of any garden’s most important ‘raw material’ – its ornamental plants. Wild Edens is that book: global in scope and arranged geographically, it unveils ten biodiversity hotspots that are home to many of our garden treasures, such as Ixia dubia in the Western Cape and the Mediterranean’s Crocus biflorus. 

Each chapter includes a map, personal reflections from the author about exploring these often-remote locations, scene-setting descriptions on topography, geography, climate and flora, key botanical locations within the hotspot, a plant compendium and summary of how the plants impacted garden fashions/styles.

Tapping into the revival in interest of nature, gardening and the natural world, this is a premium armchair traveller’s guide to interesting plants, flora and fauna from around the world, often from locations that are hard to visit, even without a global pandemic.

Dr Toby Musgrave FSA FLS is a plants and gardens historian, independent scholar and consultant. He is the author or co-author of 18 books.

Chris Gardner is a horticulturist, botanist and photographer who organizes and leads specialist botanical tours worldwide. He is the author and photographer of two illustrated botanical field guides.