To study a plant in detail is to make a fascinating journey of discovery. Even plants we think we know well will often surprise us as we look at the intricacy of their structure and how they are put together. This fascinating guide explains what flowering plants are and their relationship to other groups of plants. With drawings, paintings and photographs throughout, it advises on how to carry out a botanical study and will prove essential reading for botanical artists, photographers and all those wishing to gain a greater understanding of flowering plants.

The Golden Age of Botanical Art brings together the stories of the intrepid explorers - some of whom became botanical artists by default - and the many professional artists who recorded the flora that they discovered on their travels and expeditions. From some of the earliest attempts at art to the plant hunters of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, the images produced in the study of plants have held a fascination for all those who love nature. Truly global in its scope, this beautifully illustrated book moves across centuries and continents looking at the artistry of China and India, delving into the sketchbooks of explorers in the Himalayas and following the voyages of those who discovered new worlds and new species as far apart as Russia and South America. Alongside special features on key figures in the botanical art world, The Golden Age of Botanical Art highlights the work of some of the great names of botanical art, including Ehret and Bauer. Included within is a host of rarely published and previously unpublished images from the Royal Botanical Gardens in Kew, as well as an outline on how what might have been a pastime for some also made a significant contribution to our understanding of the world and the glories of nature.

A unique guide that will teach complete beginners how to paint a beautiful floral watercolour in just one weekend. Beginners recognise that they need to acquire basic painting skills - but at the same time they are eager to produce their first finished painting. This popular 'weekend' formula allows them to do both in a limited amount of time - to build skills gradually and to produce an attractive, frameable painting that they can hang on their walls by the end of the weekend. The author starts by introducing the materials required, and then leads readers through a series of watercolour technique exercises designed to provide a basic grounding in the skills needed for this subject area. This instruction is followed by six weekend projects for painting a range of popular floral subjects: a single flower; a group of white flowers; an indoors still life; an outdoors close-up; autumn flowers; and wild flowers in the landscape. Each course starts with practice exercises to be completed on the Saturday; readers are then ready to complete the full watercolour painting on the Sunday. Clear instructions accompany step-by-step photographs throughout, and technical information is given in special feature boxes.

*An exciting approach to botanical illustration featuring exotic and extraordinary plant specimens. *Striking plants, flowers, fruits and vegetables provide new challenges in colour, texture and form. *Stunning finished paintings accompany simple instructions and step-by-step projects for a beautiful book that both guides and inspires.Strange and unusual specimens have never been more accessible - as more and more exotic fruit and vegetables appear regularly in our shopping baskets and our florists fill with flowers from every corner of the globe, this practical and beautiful guide to capturing strange and striking plants on paper has never been more timely. There is something for beginners and more experienced botanical illustrators alike, whether you wish to paint more familiar bananas, pineapples and other exotic fruits that are now widely available, or more complex orchids and even carnivorous plants.Acclaimed artists Rosie Martin and Meriel Thurstan (authors of the bestselling Contemporary Botanical Illustration and Botanical Illustration Course) run the popular botanical painting course at the Eden Project and are thus uniquely placed for this exciting take on the genre.The unusual colours and complex textures of exotic plants present a new challenge to the botanical artist, but this book guides you through each stage of the painting process with plenty of exercises and step-by-step projects. Fantastically illustrated with worksheets, colour swatches, sketches and stunning finished paintings this practical and inspirational guide is a must-have for botanical artists of all levels.

Roses have a special place in both art and culture across the world. Published in Association with Kew Gardens, this stunning book teaches you how to capture their character, colour and form in watercolour, and showcases both historical images from the Kew archives and the author's own extensive collection of inspiring paintings. Guided by watercolour artist and rose enthusiast Trevor Waugh, this book begins with clear explanations of essential watercolour techniques followed by a short project that allows the reader to explore the nature of watercolour in a practical way. Particular emphasis is placed on mixing colours cleanly in order to reproduce the purity and variety of this much-loved family of flowers. This is followed by sections on how to gather reference material; how to compose your own paintings; and how to inject your paintings with colour and light. All are accompanied by three further step-by-step projects, each culminating in a stunning painting of your own.

Discover plants like you've never seen them before in this beautifully-designed introduction to the plant kingdom. Discover the extraordinary diversity of the plant world and how plants work with this photographic celebration of the plants, trees and flowers that share our planet and breathe life into our lungs. The Science of Plants invites you on a breathtaking journey to explore the plant kingdom from the ground up, from root to leaf tip! Published in association with Kew, and illustrated with inspiring photography, this beautiful compilation takes you on a visual journey of some of the world's most peculiar plants and fascinating flora in exquisite detail. Throughout the pages of this plant book, you can expect to find: -Inner workings of wide range of plants explained easily with graphic detail -Galleries showcase diversity in the plant world and visually define botanical terms -Feature spreads on key plants combine dramatic photography with rounded descriptions of our most significant,unusual, and sought-after species -Optional 80-page reference section includes a catalogue of plant families and explanations of botanical names This beautiful book of plants showcases every part of each plant in detail, starting with a section on roots, stems and branches, leaves, flowers, followed by seeds. From tiny mosses and delicate ferns to vibrant blooms and stately palms, DK's elegant introduction to botany is packed with striking photos and crystal-clear artworks that explain the mechanics of photosynthesis, why leaves change colour, how cacti store water, and how seeds know when to grow. Filled with fascinating stories of how plants protect themselves from predators, and how flowers use colour and scent to interact with creatures around them, The Science of Plants is a fresh and engaging introduction to the mysterious inner workings of the plant world. A must-have volume for all plant lovers, including naturalists, budding botanists, ecologists as well as gardeners. Doubling up as the ideal gift for the plant-lover in your life, The Science of Plants is a nature book that is sure to delight. At DK, we believe in the power of discovery. So why not explore other terrific titles in our Science Of series? Reveal the secrets of the seas with The Science of The Ocean and explore the animal kingdom like never before with The Science of Animals.

'This is an extraordinary book.' Review of Jean Haines' Atmospheric Watercolours in The Artist Magazine 'It simply dazzles on the page and makes you want to grab your brushes and get going straight away.' Review of Jean Haines' Atmospheric Watercolours in The Leisure Painter Jean Haines is arguably one of the world's most accomplished and inspirational artists, and in this, her fifth book, she explores one of her most beloved subjects - flowers. Taking inspiration from her own beautiful garden in the English countryside where she lives, Jean takes you on an artistic journey that not only teaches you how to create gorgeous paintings, but also shares with you the joy to be gained from the simple act of painting flowers. In this beautiful book, Jean explains with passion and enthusiasm how to loosen up your painting style and include just enough detail in your paintings to portray the essence of flowers, bringing them to life on the paper and infusing them with vibrancy and energy. She shares unreservedly the materials and techniques she uses, provides a wealth of expert tips and advice, and guides you step-by-step through numerous studies and projects. Throughout the book there are many glorious examples of Jean's paintings of a dazzling variety of flowers, providing an abundance of inspiration for artists of all abilities. Jean uses Daniel Smith materials in this book but other materials can be used to achieve similar results.

This book contains lessons that are developed in a basic step-by-step process that builds in complexity. All demonstrations feature the delicate, exquisitely rendered, botanically accurate work of the author. A thorough immersion in the art of botanical drawing, this book will attract both aspiring and more experienced artists seeking scientific accuracy and the illusion of 3-dimension in their botanical artwork. Based on author Wendy Hollender's classroom demonstrations at the New York Botanical Garden, "Botanical Drawing in Color" is grounded in the basic principles of drawing as they apply to the botanical forms of plants and flowers. Coloured pencil techniques and colour theory are introduced to help artists create realistic forms and naturalistic colours. An emphasis is placed on close observation of plants and their life cycle, so that readers can deepen their understanding of the natural world.

This beautiful guide to indoor plants is a comprehensive compendium of succulents, cacti, flowering and foliage plants, with detailed instructions on how to care for each, alongside stunning full-page watercolour illustrations of each plant. Whether you are looking to cultivate an entire indoor garden, or simply wish to know more about your single cactus, you can be sure to find the right information for you amongst the more than seventy plants in this stylish guide. And the best bit? All the plants are easy to maintain so even the most timid of gardeners can enjoy turning their hand to this green-fingered pastime. Driven by the beautiful artwork of the phenomenally talented Maaike Koster, alongside insightful text from Emma Sibley, co-founder of London Terrariums, each entry offers a concise but complete guide to these plants, telling you their origins, how to care for them and where in your home they will thrive. Each plant is rendered in considered detail, taking up a full double page spread, with half of this space allotted to the illustration, facing a paragraph on the plant itself, care tips and any information about fellow species. The accessible text and simple instructions make this book just as well suited to those with no gardening experience as to those with years of practice. These plants can be grown in any in-door space and are easy to maintain, so you no longer need a large garden or hours of free time to maintain a vibrant collection of greenery in your home. These plants add interest, tranquility and colour to every corner of our lives, so embark on a verdant adventure with this beautiful and comprehensive guide!

The book brings together and shows for the first time ever striking botanical art of Indian origin spanning a period of three hundred years, focussing in particular on the 18th and 19th centuries. Drawn mostly from original works held in the collections of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, some of the paintings have never been published before. They showcase not only the wealth of the Indian sub-continent flora but the richness and variety of artworks, commissioned from mostly unknown Indian artists, who made a substantial contribution to the documentation of plants of economic, ornamental and cultural importance.

A collection of beautiful full size reproductions of botanical watercolours of South African wild flower illustrations by Lady Cynthia Tait.

An intrepid Victorian traveler and prolific painter, Marianne North produced more than eight-hundred paintings over her lifetime. She eschewed the soft pastels of typical botanical artists and instead painted entire landscapes using bold, hearty oil paints. Her collection is housed at Kew, where you can still see 848 of her paintings on display in an eponymous gallery. Marianne North 100 Postcards is a box overflowing with 100 of North's beautiful paintings. Each full-color postcard features a unique illustration from the collection and it includes plants from all over the world. What more fitting tribute to a globetrotter than to send one of her postcards from your own international (or even local) adventures?

An exquisitely illustrated volume in celebration of the world's foremost library of botanical works The renowned LuEsther T. Mertz Library of The New York Botanical Garden counts among its holdings many of the most beautiful and pioneering botanical and horticultural works ever created. More than eight centuries of knowledge, from the twelfth century to the present, are represented in the library's collection of over one million items. In this sumptuously illustrated volume, international experts introduce us to some of the library's most fascinating works-exceedingly rare books, stunning botanical artworks, handwritten manuscripts, Renaissance herbals, nursery catalogs, explorers' notebooks, and more. The contributors hold these treasures up for close inspection and offer surprising insights into their histories and importance. The diverse materials showcased in the volume reflect the creative efforts of eminent explorers, scientists, artists, publishers, and print makers. From the rare, illuminated pages of Pliny the Elder's Naturalis historia (1483), to the earliest book ever published on American insects (1797), to lovely etchings of the water gardens at Villa Pratolino in Florence (1600s), the Mertz Library holdings will inspire in readers a new appreciation for the extraordinary history of botany and its far-reaching connections to the worlds of science, books, art, and culture. A co-publication with The New York Botanical Garden

The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh is one of Scotland's most visited tourist attractions and has been cultivating and studying plants for over three centuries. Across its four garden sites, the Royal Botanic Garden's living plant collection contains over 13,500 species from 156 countries, including some that are extinct in the wild and others new to science. The ever-growing Herbarium currently contains over three million dried specimens and the Library houses Scotland's national collection of botanical and horticultural literature, including manuscripts dating back to the fifteenth century. The highlights illustrated in this book provide a personal insight into one of the world's greatest botanic gardens and reveals the invaluable contribution that it makes to the ongoing documentation and conservation of the world's diverse plant life.

The art of Makoto Azuma uses flowers and plants as its starting point, but juxtaposes their timeless yet transient beauty with an incredibly diverse range of striking settings. In a series of sculptures, installations and interactive events, he delights in blurring the boundaries between nature and artifice. Azuma founded the floral atelier Jardins des Fleurs in 2002, taking commissions from private clients as well as brands and corporations, both in Japan and all over the world. His parallel career as an artist began in 2005 and involves creating and exhibiting artworks that turn flowers and plants into a medium for self-expression. In 2008, Azuma founded AMKK (Azuma Makoto Kaju Kenkyujo), a group specializing in experimental floral creation, with the aim of seeking new forms of botanical beauty and new ways to exhibit them. His works have travelled the globe, from barren deserts to frozen expanses, from thousands of feet below the sea to the very edge of space. Featuring more than sixty projects captured in breathtaking photography, this beautiful book is the most comprehensive showcase of Azuma's art ever published.

Marianne North was a remarkable Victorian traveller and painter, who traversed the globe recording the world's flora with her paintbrush and writing her experiences in her journal. In 1879 she offered her painting collection numbering over 800 to the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and at her own expense built a gallery to house them. Marianne stayed closely involved with the project, painting beautiful decorative motifs on the interior door panels and surrounds. For the first time, this unique and stunning book brings together all of Marianne North's Kew collection. The paintings are arranged geographically as they appear in the Gallery, and Marianne's original titles are included alongside each painting. With an introduction by Christopher Mills, former Head of Kew's Library, Art and Archives. This is a beautiful gift souvenir in celebration of a stunning body of work.

This is the story of Marianne North, an unmarried middle-aged Victorian lady of comfortable means, set off in 1871 on her first expedition to make a pictorial record of the tropical and exotic plants of the world. Marianne produced more than 800 paintings which are housed in a special gallery at Kew. Now in second edtion, this book provides an overview of her paintings and the Marianne North Gallery (built under her patronage) where almost all her paintings hang, the history of the gallery and its architecture and its restoration. The beautiful gift book details Marianne's life and travels, fully illustrated throughout with her stunning botanical paintings. This second edition of the bestseller features updated information and the new format allows Marianne's paintings to be reproduced on a larger scale.

This is an illustrated volume that presents a selection of the manuscripts, herbals, and printed botanical texts from the Rare Book Collection at Dumbarton Oaks. Representing pivotal works in the intellectual history of Europe from the 16th to the 20th centuries, these drawings, books, and manuscripts are among the most significant materials conserved in the Rare Book Reading Room.

WILLA Literary Award Winner in Creative Nonfiction 2022 Spur Award Winner 2022 Top Pick in Southwest Books of the Year New Mexico-Arizona Book Awards Finalist in Cover Design Honorable Mention in the At-Large NFPW Communications Contest The Forgotten Botanist is the account of an extraordinary woman who, in 1870, was driven by ill health to leave the East Coast for a new life in the West-alone. At thirty-three, Sara Plummer relocated to Santa Barbara, where she taught herself botany and established the town's first library. Ten years later she married botanist John Gill Lemmon, and together the two discovered hundreds of new plant species, many of them illustrated by Sara, an accomplished artist. Although she became an acknowledged botanical expert and lecturer, Sara's considerable contributions to scientific knowledge were credited merely as "J.G. Lemmon & wife." The Forgotten Botanist chronicles Sara's remarkable life, in which she and JG found new plant species in Arizona, California, Oregon, and Mexico and traveled throughout the Southwest with such friends as John Muir and Clara Barton. Sara also found time to work as a journalist and as an activist in women's suffrage and forest conservation. The Forgotten Botanist is a timeless tale about a woman who discovered who she was by leaving everything behind. Her inspiring story is one of resilience, determination, and courage-and is as relevant to our nation today as it was in her own time.

This is a revised edition of the bestselling book about the life and work of artist and musician Rory McEwen (1932-82). A legend in his lifetime and still admired thirty years after his death, his main legacy is the wonderfully luminous and detailed flower paintings he produced throughout his life, of anemones, auriculas, tulips, fritillaries, and of often battered, dying leaves or mouldering vegetables.

Be inspired to embroider all the elements of an idyllic English country garden. Suitable for beginners as well as accomplished embroiderers, Lorna Bateman's beautiful book includes 12 practical projects for you to make and adorn with exquisite floral motifs. Lorna walks you through a variety of stitches including raised and textured stitches, teaching you to embroider individual flowers with them and how to incorporate these into an original garden motif. For the nature enthusiast, there is plenty to get excited about: an A-Z of English garden flowers and how to stitch them; a section on stitching common garden insects; and how to embroider iconic garden imagery such as birdbaths and garden ornaments. Roses are the archetypal cottage flower and Lorna describes how to incorporate a climbing rose, rose spray and standard rose in your designs. Embroidered Country Gardens is peppered throughout with seeds of wisdom: invaluable hints and tips from the author to help you develop your own skills and unique style. As well as step-by-step instructions, there are also detailed photographs, outline template drawings and a fully illustrated A-Z of stitches.

First published as an oversized clothbound volume in 2009, Botanica Magnifica has received widespread acclaim from the scientific and artistic communities. In the words of an ARTnews critic, Singer's flowers and plants, photographed "in large scale and exquisite detail, emerge from the shadows in a manner evocative of Old Master paintings." Now Abbeville is to offer this masterwork of botanical photography as a pocket-sized hardcover book, in their trademarked Tiny Folio format. Mirroring the design of the larger edition, this little volume is organised into five alphabetically arranged sections: (I) Orchidaceae, presenting the full diversity of orchids; (II) Florilegium, portraying the complexity and beauty of flowers; (III) Proteus, illustrating plant forms perfectly adapted for survival; (IV) Zingiberaceae, a tribute to the fascinating ginger family and (V) Botanicus, a selection of beautiful and bizarre specimens from the Smithsonian's research collection. Each pictured plant is accompanied by a clear and accessible description of its botany, geography, history, and conservation. With its marvellous reproductions and fascinating text, the Tiny Folio of Botanica Magnifica is a charming miniature version of one of the most impressive volumes of natural history ever published.

Unattainable North Korean Art curates a collection of paintings from fifty-eight artists from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea ("DPRK"). Centring on the theme of nature, the paintings portray geographical sites and citizens of DPRK. Art and literature feature as a poignant role in inspiring the DPRK people to contribute to the development of DPRK, the collection not only exhibits the artistic skills of the artists, but offers an opportunity to discover DPRK from the people's perspective.