Plants

Fossils plants allow us to touch the lost worlds from billions of years of evolutionary backstory. Each petrified leaf and root shows us that dinosaurs, saber-toothed cats, and even humans would not exist without the evolutionary efforts of their leafy counterparts. It has been the constant growth of plants that have allowed so many of our favourite, fascinating prehistoric creatures...

For perhaps fifty thousand years, the Aboriginal people have lived, and lived well, in Australia. They have developed a unique knowledge of native plants and a deep understanding of the value of many animal products. Bush Food is an exploration of these traditional skills and a compendium of the kinds of foods eaten by Aborigines. It indicates how food is...

A comprehensive, easy-to-use, illustrated guide to hydrangeas for novice gardeners and experienced horticulturists alike. With large, long-lasting flowers that range from showy pinks to heartbreaking shades of blue, hydrangeas are captivating, popular plants. Yet gardeners often find themselves flummoxed by the challenge of blooming these fickle flowers. Writer, radio host, and gardening consultant C. L. Fornari (also known as The...

Weeds are everywhere. If you've ever been frustrated by weeds erupting into your garden, overgrowing your favourite reserve, or popping up in your paddock, then this book is for you. Whether it's privet or lantana, bitou bush or serrated tussock, Sonia Graham invites you to consider how we can rethink weeds from being pesky and pervasive to a problem that...

A practical herbal guide and a book of plant magick ‘Alexis teaches us that everything is woven together, from the herb and plant allies to the psyches of those calling on them, to the community at large moving around and through them, to the land that nourishes and grows them. This book is a wonderful treatise.’ Arin Murphy-Hiscock, bestselling author...

Explore humanity's fascination with death through 60 poisonous plants and how they have affected history, magic, warfare, art, and more. Dispatching people with poisonous plants isn't just an Agatha Christie plot; it began thousands of years ago and continues to this day. Deadly Fascination presents sixty profiles divided into five themes, from classic killers to frightful fungi. Each profile includes...

This book is the first to explore and highlight the history of the plants mentioned in the Qur’an, many of which are part of our everyday life, from pomegranates and grapes to ginger and garlic. Author Shahina A. Ghazanfar explores the context in which these plants are mentioned in the Qur’an — mainly as food plants, as well as for...

A charming ode to trees and a pocket-sized guide to appreciating them in their full glory. Often overlooked amid the hustle and bustle of our modern world, trees have many lessons to impart. In this portable guide crafted to kindle a sense of curiosity and wonder as we explore the nature of trees, you’ll discover: The inner workings of the...

Over 720,000 Kew Gardens books sold in 15 languages! The perfect gift for anyone who enjoys nature. The Kew Gardens Nature Journal by Felicity Forster invites you to explore the wonders of the natural world. Whether you're an avid gardener, a dedicated environmentalist, or simply someone who finds peace in the beauty of nature, this journal is ideal for capturing...

From vibrant orchids to prickly cacti, this colour-by-numbers compendium contains over 40 elegant flower designs to complete. This collection is produced in collaboration with the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, a world-famous centre for botanical research based in London. It holds extensive archives of botanical art, many of which first appeared in Curtis's Botanical Magazine. These black and white designs...

Discover the magical world of the honeybee with this deluxe book, featuring 70 stunning images shot with ultraviolet technology. A comprehensive look into the amazing science of bees, this book collects mesmerising ultraviolet-induced visible fluorescence (UVIVF) photography of flowers and nature and offers fascinating research that explores every aspect of our relationship with honeybees. Learn about the history of beekeeping,...

A makers’ guide to sourcing and harvesting foraged plants to make natural cordage and baskets. Making with our hands is a fundamental human activity; connection with the natural world and the feeling of belonging to place are basic human needs. A counterbalance to our digitalised lives is the wish to connect with the simple joy and satisfaction of creating beautiful...

Guardian 'Book of the day' Winner of the Richard Jefferies Award for Nature Writing Shortlisted for the 2025 Highland Book Prize ---- For millennia, elms shaped our landscape and our folklore; then they started dying. Few young people have seen a mature elm tree. They once covered great swathes of Europe and North America, but Dutch elm disease has since...

Growing mushrooms at home is simple and satisfying - it requires minimal space, no extensive gardening experience, and can produce results in 5-6 weeks. It's easy to buy a ready-made kit, but you can also grow mushrooms from spores in a bucket or plastic tub, or on logs outside. You can even cultivate mushrooms from store-bought caps. Depending on the...

Delve between the sheets to learn about the romance and rudeness of plants. Uncover the romance and revealing nature of plants. A beautiful collection of 30 plant stories, Botanica Erotica celebrates a rude name, a suggestive appearance, or unusual reproduction antics. Illustrated and laced with fascinating facts, tantalising tales, and baffling biology, this compendium brings the private life of plants...

“Peter Marren is a master storyteller … he was destined to write The Devil’s Garden.” Richard Mabey A lively exploration of the poisoners, tricksters, stingers, stinkers and invaders of the plant world and how their lives intertwine with ours. Some plants and fungi – those we cultivate in farms, gardens and allotments – are pretty, useful or edible. Others are...

The Definitive Visual Guide to New Zealand Ferns Compiled and written by Te Papa's foremost fern experts, this fully illustrated guide is for anyone wanting to understand, identify and distinguish 201 of the most commonly encountered species of ferns and lycophytes found across Aotearoa. Ferns and lycophytes grow in most places in Aotearoa, from freshwater to alpine habitats, along exposed...

Everything you need to know to turn your garden, balcony, patio or windowsill into a haven for wildlife. If you want to attract more bees, birds, frogs and hedgehogs into your garden, Wildlife Gardening for Everyone and Everything is your go-to guide. Teaming up with the RHS and Wildlife Trusts, award-winning, wildlife gardening writer Kate Bradbury shares expert, up-to-date advice...

This big, glorious book mines Te Papa's collections to explore and expand upon the way we think about our botanical world and its cultural imprint. A true treasure, it features over 400 selections by an expert, cross-disciplinary museum curatorial team that range from botanical specimens and art to photography, furniture, jewellery, tivaevae, applied art, textiles, stamps and more. Flora's twelve...

Botanicals: A Smithsonian Sticker Book offers a journey through a peaceful garden with over 300 stunning botanical stickers drawn from the collections of the Smithsonian Institution, making it perfect for journaling, scrapbooking, and decorating. Invite tranquility from the vast and vibrant plant kingdom. In collaboration with the Smithsonian Gardens, this refreshing sticker compendium features more than 300 botanical illustrations and...

Step into a world where every wildflower tells a secret story with this illustrated botanical and cultural guide to over 75 wildflower species. The Folklore of Wildflowers invites you to rediscover the magic hidden in nature's most unassuming blooms. This book goes well beyond a traditional field guide; it is an immersive exploration of the intricate interplay between botanical beauty,...

The epic story of the plant kingdom, showing its staggering variety and ingenuity over half a billion years, from an extraordinary new talent in natural-history writing. Most of life on Earth is plant. And yet the half a million species of plant alive today are a minuscule fraction of those that have ever existed. The true story of the plant...

At a moment when the planet is so clearly in peril, the trees stand as both guardians and messengers. They have words for us — if only we would listen. As climate change imposes significant challenges on the natural world, we are being encouraged to plant trees. At the same time, urban intensification and expansion threaten our existing arboreal resources...

Your body knows how to heal - and the garden can help it remember. In The Plant Pharmacy, herbalist and herb grower Adrianne Hunt shares a beautifully practical guide to 45 healing plants and how to use them safely and effectively at home. With roots in ancient wisdom and a modern, accessible voice, this book offers an empowering first step...

100 Australian Wildflowers is a beautifully illustrated book that can be used as a handy field and planting guide, as well as being a visual feast for the eyes. Through fanciful botanical illustrations, matched with fun and detailed descriptions, author and illustrator Mel Baxter (aka Moonshine Madness) guides you through 100 native Australian flowering plants. These wildflowers will tell stories...

Buds and Blossoms by Liz Knight seeks to reinvigorate our love for cooking with edible flowers through her incredible recipes and engaging writing style. She includes 20 different flowering plants, all of which are easily sourced, and takes us on a delicious journey through more than 100 recipes—from Rose Arrabiata and Magnolia leaves with Aubergine and Miso to Lilac Lemon...

In this second, refreshed edition of Samantha Martin’s bestselling Bush Tukka Guide, readers will discover additional bush foods, recipes and updated information in a handy, field guide format. Known as the Bush Tukka Woman, Jaru woman Samantha was born into a long line of traditional hunters and gatherers. She grew up learning the layout of the land and surrounding waters,...

Crafting with Flowers is a stunning book centred around crafting with both fresh and dried flowers, encouraging the reader to connect with nature and create stylish projects for their homes, spaces, and to gift to others. The book features 20 practical projects and activities to help readers pause their hectic lives and immerse themselves in a connection to nature and...

Ferns tells a remarkable science story by tracing the origins of the plants to over 350 million years ago. Ferns are the most remarkable of plants, and their science is both complex and beautiful. Among our most ancient plants, they have a unique way of reproducing, and their story reveals much about our planet's evolution. This book explores how ferns...

Acclaimed author Elizabeth Jane Howard said she would certainly have been a gardener had she not become a writer first. In Green Shades: An Anthology of Plants, Gardens and Gardeners, first published in 1991, she brings together a diverse and fascinating selection of gardening writing that spans the centuries, the seasons and the species. Part of the Macmillan Collector's Library;...

In the growth rings of every tree are ingrained and encrypted the stories of the tree, its environment and the changes through which it has lived. Growing archives of tree-ring samples allow us to read and decode these natural timelines in ever greater detail. In the Circle of Ancient Trees narrates the stories of ten ancient trees, considering why they...

Enter the wonderfully whimsical universe of Maria Trolle! This colouring book includes 77 all-new illustrations featuring delightful creatures, lush greenery, and starry skies. Welcome to Maria Trolle’s Universe! Enter a timeless world of lush greenery and starry skies. Here, Earth’s wonders include delightful creatures, shimmering glades, and lush forests, below an open sky adorned with comets and shooting stars. Take...

From dramatic palms and tropical leafy wonders to beautiful ferns and flowering potted plants – this book covers everything you need to know about nurturing and growing your own. Each of the 100 plants is accompanied by luscious photography and an easy-to-follow breakdown of all the essential requirements for that variety. This includes details on size, growth and flowering, along...

From the symbolism and meaning behind flowers and how these have evolved over time, to how humans interact with flowers based on cultural and geographical differences, and how flowers have been coveted for their medicinal aspects as well as for their visual merits, The Hidden Histories of Flowers showcases fascinating details of flowers and our relationship with them. If you...

Beautiful and comprehensive, Vegetables is a must-have for all gardeners, by acclaimed authors Roger Phillips and Martyn Rix. Remarkable . . . I have learnt so much - Financial Times Whether you are a complete novice or an experienced gardener, Vegetables contains a stunning array of produce, in full colour photography, that can be grown in gardens of all sizes,...

Fossils of plants allow us to touch the lost worlds from billions of years of evolutionary backstory. Each petrified leaf and root shows us that dinosaurs, saber-toothed cats, and even humans would not exist without the evolutionary efforts of their leafy counterparts. It has been the constant growth of plants that have allowed so many of our favourite, fascinating prehistoric...

Forty Ways to Know a Tree offers forty distinct ways of encountering, exploring and knowing a tree. You might know it by its birth, by its death, by its roots, by its rings, as a lone sentinel or as part of an ancient woodland. Each meeting is illustrated with a particular species, and they combine to create a broader canvas...

The International Bestseller 'A wonderful book' - Tristan Gooley, author of How To Read A Tree 'Unique and thrilling' - Ben Rawlance, author of The Treeline 'A celebration of the oak as nature's masterpiece' - Daniel Lewis, author of Twelve Trees 'A glorious, revelatory tale of a tree that enlarges our world' - Patrick Barkham, author of The Butterfly Isles...

A compendium of arboreal magic - Bob Brown Captures the tingle of ancient wisdom - John Seed We all need trees - to live. They turn carbon dioxide into oxygen. Our breath is their exhalation. Forests are the lungs of the planet. Australia has more natural UNESCO World Heritage sites than any other nation. Many tree species grow nowhere else...

Discover how to find joy and calm in the natural world with Caroline Quentin's warm journey into nature, wherever you live and whatever your space. Following the success of her Sunday Times bestseller, Drawn to the Garden, Caroline Quentin returns with Drawn to Nature, a beautifully illustrated celebration of the outdoors in all its forms. Written in her familiar, conversational...

Everything you need to know before heading into the woods to forage wild plants. Includes an overview of the most common plants, their characteristics and uses, enriched with recipes. Wild edible plants are fascinating: you wander through forests, bring plants and mushrooms home, and turn them into delicious dishes. With his company Forest to Plate, Ben Brumagne was one of...

Stunning, intimate photographs bring orchids to life in this new gift-sized edition of the popular book The Orchid, showcasing the best scientifically documented collection of living orchids in the world at the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens in Sarasota, Florida. A fascinating and accessible text explores the remarkable beauty and diversity of one of the largest and most admired families of...

Something to look for every day of the year Opens your eyes to the wonder of the nature that surrounds you The perfect gift to nature lovers and those who want to know more about nature Supported by the National Trust Every Day Nature proves that nature isn't something you visit from time to time; it's everywhere – even in...

Renowned herbalist Rosemary Gladstar presents a beautiful keepsake collection of teachings, reflections, and insights on the plant world and herbal healing, featuring diverse voices from the community of herbal teachers and practitioners. A beloved teacher and leader in the herbal healing world for more than 50 years, Rosemary Gladstar has curated this collection to explore key themes in herbalism, including:...

What is a tree? Why are they so important to life on Earth? How do they eat, breathe, grow, communicate, and regenerate themselves? How many different kinds of tree are there and where do they live? In this beautiful little book, illustrated with rare old engravings and specially commissioned drawings, internationally renowned Finnish tree boffin Professor Olavi Huikari takes us...

A Cultural History of Plants in the Early Modern Era covers the period from 1400 to 1650, a time of discovery and rediscovery, of experiment and innovation. Renaissance learning brought ancient knowledge to modern European consciousness whilst exploration placed all the continents in contact with one another. The dissemination of knowledge was further speeded by the spread of printing. New...

The beauty and power of the world's trees are timeless. Our appreciation of one of the oldest forms of life is particularly relevant in our age of climate concern. Immerse yourself in the world of trees with A Tree A Day—illuminating tree folklore, botany, tree uses, beauty, and history. From the strength of Alder trees (they can become as strong...

Shortlisted for The Wainwright Prize for Illustrated Books Shortlisted for the Royal Society of Literature's Christopher Bland Prize Trees in Winter by Richard Shimell is a wonderful, beautiful book. ANGELA HARDING A thing of beauty. CLARE BALDING A wonderfully honest, evocative, inspiring book about a life transformed and enriched by nature and by art. SARAH WATERS Trees in Winter is...

A comprehensive photographic identification guide to all of the native trees and shrubs of Great Britain and Ireland and many of the common non-native species. Trees of Britain and Ireland is packed with practical information, photos, and illustrations that will help you identify trees throughout the year. It covers all of Great Britain and Ireland's native trees and shrubs as...

Sustainable Pacific Northwest-based seaweed harvester Amanda Swinimer describes the ecology, culinary uses, evidence-based health benefits, and climate change-resisting potential of seaweed, sharing highlights from her remarkable life beneath the waves. Related to the most ancient living organisms on earth, seaweeds are incredible and unique life forms, sharing qualities with both plants and animals, as well as fungi. They have been...

An Instant New York Times Bestseller From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Braiding Sweetgrass, a bold and inspiring vision for how to orient our lives around gratitude, reciprocity, and community, based on the lessons of the natural world. As Indigenous scientist and author of Braiding Sweetgrass, Robin Wall Kimmerer harvests serviceberries alongside the birds, she considers the...

For most of 2020, Mike Dilger's day-job of travelling to the four corners of the British Isles all but disappeared. Having been confined to one place by the Covid pandemic, and with daily dog walks his sole permitted outdoor pursuit, the simple pleasure of getting to know the flowers at his feet reignited a long-buried botanical passion. Now Mike is...

Befriend the mysterious and wise guardians of our woodlands using the green witchcraft of the Forest Magic Deck. Whether you live deep in the woods or in the centre of a city, this whimsical set of oracle cards—each featuring a magical plant, from trees to flowers—will guide you to a more grounded state of connection with the Earth. An accompanying...

Connect to the enchanted mystery of trees, plants, and forests as you engage in green witchcraft, rituals, spell work, and seasonal magic crafted by the bestselling author of Practical Magic, Nikki Van De Car. Forest Magic is a guide to befriending the mysterious and wise guardians of our woodlands. Ancient and wise, trees and plants watch over us—sheltering us and...

Befriend the plants in your neighbourhood. Imagine going for a walk with a knowledgeable friend who points out all the plants you see and the coolest facts about them. This practical field guide is that friend, providing a delightful introduction to 60 of the plants, trees, weeds, and herbs you'll encounter walking around most US cities. Accurate, charming line drawings...

For anyone looking for a deeper appreciation of the wonderful world of plants! Gardeners are inherently curious. They make note of a plant label in a botanical garden and then go home to learn more. They pick up fallen blossoms to examine them closer. They spend hours reading plant catalogues. But they are often unable to accurately name or describe...

This collection of 50 vibrant postcards features Katie Scott's incredible illustrations of all things botanical. From the tiniest algae to the world's biggest flower, these beautiful images are perfect for sending to friends, or pinning on your wall.

Plant Humanities moves plants to the centre of critical inquiry, positioning them as biocultural entities with distinct environmental and social histories that have profoundly shaped human cultures. Its thirteen chapters cover a broad geographical range, including the Americas, Europe, the Pacific, the Indian subcontinent, East Asia, and Africa, to explore the dual character of plants as place makers and world...

A beautifully written and illustrated account of the threatened plant species that inhabit the British Isles. Britain and Ireland are home to around 300 species of rare flowering plants, and many more rare ferns, mosses, liverworts, and freshwater algae. These are species at the cutting edge of biodiversity: fascinating, often beautiful, and in decline. Yet as some teeter on the...

A stunningly illustrated A-Z celebration of popular indoor plants, from the creators of Dogphabet and Catphabet. Step inside the psychedelic world of Plantphabet, a magical A-Z celebration of indoor plants. Vividly brought to life in full-colour illustrations, discover bizarre and wonderful BFFs (best fronds forever) that help make you healthier and happier, and learn what makes them tick too. PRAISE...

The definitive field guide to the floristic wonders of the Alps Walking through an Alpine meadow in late spring is one of Europe’s great wildlife experiences – the variety of flowers can be both dizzying and magical, while the prospect of identifying them can appear intimidating. This brilliant guide book provides the answer. Alpine Flowers covers every species that occurs...

Lab Girl is an enthralling memoir that beautifully intertwines the personal and professional life of acclaimed geobiologist Hope Jahren. It is a profound tale of passion, perseverance, and the unyielding pursuit of knowledge. From a young age, Jahren was fascinated by science, often playing in her father's laboratory, which laid the groundwork for her illustrious career. The book meticulously details...

A Field Guide to the Native Edible Plants of New Zealand by Andrew Crowe is an essential resource for anyone interested in the natural bounty of New Zealand's flora. This comprehensive and accessible guide offers detailed information on over 190 species of trees, shrubs, herbs, ferns, mushrooms, lichens, and seaweeds that are native to New Zealand and can be used...

Perhaps the world’s most distinctive tree, ginkgo has remained stubbornly unchanged for more than two hundred million years. A living link to the age of dinosaurs, it survived the great ice ages as a relic in China, but it earned its reprieve when people first found it useful about a thousand years ago. Today ginkgo is beloved for the elegance...

This exquisite survey presents a breathtaking sequence of full-page images—from landscape paintings and botanical drawings to ancient frescos, vintage book illustrations, and contemporary photographs—revealing the tree as a source of inspiration throughout history. Spanning continents and cultures, Tree reflects the diversity of its subject, depicting giant sequoias, cherry blossoms, palms, poplars, ginkgoes, and other species found across Earth's forest biomes,...

Growing plants and (if we are lucky enough) creating gardens is deeply rewarding, but has also been proven to be vital for our health. Gardening helps improve our mood, relax us, take us away from our everyday problems, and promote positive emotions. It reduces anxiety and stress, can delay the onset of dementia, promotes joy, as well as improves physical...

Filled with delights, day by day, season by season, with space to record your experiences, thoughts, notes, and reminders, this beautifully illustrated journal brims with inspirational images from the collections of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Remarkable Plants: Five-Year Journal allows you to begin your journaling journey at any time, simply turning to the next available section for each day...

Wild Alchemy draws on the ancient practices of alchemy, astrology, and plant lore to create a modern-day guide to the restoration of mind, body, and soul. To be an alchemist is to be an apprentice to the wild. Here is an invitation to reclaim our true selves as one with nature. Plants are our kin and ancestors, and these masters...

Words from the Hedge is a passionate evocation of the history, beauty, and importance of our hedgerows, written by a craftsman who has been laying hedges for almost three decades and has the scars to prove it. Hedges are as old as civilisation and as emblematic of the British countryside as chalk streams, hay meadows, and oak trees. Yet, unlike...

An insightful, personal, and timely exploration into the wonderful world of seeds. In What We Sow, Jennifer Jewell brings readers on an insightful, year-long journey exploring the outsize impact of one of nature's smallest manifestations—the simple seed. She examines our skewed notions of where "organic" seeds are grown and sourced, reveals how giant multinational agribusiness has refined and patented the...

Wattles of Victoria and Tasmania by Alan Gibb, Arthur Court, Neville Walsh, and Daniel J. Murphy explores some of the most vibrant plants in the southern Australian bush. With their iconic yellow blooms particularly visible in late winter and spring, wattles (Acacia) are a striking feature of the landscape. As the largest genus of flowering plant in Australia, wattles are...

Trees of Eastern North America covers 825 species, making it the most comprehensive, best illustrated, and easiest-to-use field guide of its kind. This book presents all the native and naturalized trees of the eastern United States and Canada, reaching as far west as the Great Plains. It includes species unique to tropical and subtropical Florida and northernmost Canada. The guide...

Discover the wonders at the centre of our planet's ecosystem. In ten short and accessible essays, science and nature writer Carolyn Fry takes us on an awe-inspiring journey of the Earth's lungs. From what makes a plant a tree and the incredible impact of forests, to how trees are under attack and what we can do to save them, this...

Be inspired by nature and play the card game suited for all. Team up the component parts of a tree - from the leaf, flower, and fruit plus the tree itself to form a tree family! Discover eleven of the most beautiful flowering, fruiting trees with Ryuto Miyake's stunning, detailed illustrations and text about each tree written by the Head...

A celebratory compendium of nature's weirdest and most wonderful fungi, with gorgeously illustrated profiles of notable mushrooms and information on foraging, understanding, and appreciating these magnificent living things. For amateur mycologists and experienced foragers alike, this delightful guide acts as a welcome to the wonderful world of mushrooms. From the most common and recognizable varieties frequently found in your supermarket...

RHS Staff Pick of the Year 2021 Spectator Gardening Book of the Year 2021 'A refreshingly insightful history of plant introductions.' - Roy Lancaster Travel the world with extraordinary tales of the botanical discoveries that have shaped empires, built (and destroyed) economies, revolutionised medicine, and advanced our understanding of science. Circling the globe from Australia's Botany Bay to the Tibetan...

The Hedgerow Apothecary Forager's Card Deck by Christine Iverson unveils the fascinating properties of 52 common wild plants. Discover where to find these plants and how to harness their powers with this beautiful and informative deck. Foraging is a wonderful opportunity to reconnect with nature and partake in a rich tradition of herbalists and their remedies. This deck features clear,...

Since the beginning of humanity's existence, plants have provided us with everything we need for our survival—they sustain us with air to breathe, food to eat, materials to make clothes and shelter with, and medicine to treat and prevent disease. Their beauty can also enhance our mood and provide spiritual and emotional nourishment. Western science has 'discovered' and named innumerable...

Quietly elegant flowers dressed in simple white and green, snowdrops look too fragile to cope with wintry weather. They are, however, very resilient and are treasured by gardeners for their ability to flower early in the horticultural year. In Snowdrop, Gail Harland explores how they have been used by non-gardeners too, as symbols of purity and of hope and consolation....

Has a group of plants ever inspired such love in some, and such hatred in others, as rhododendrons? Their propensity towards sexual infidelity makes them popular with horticultural breeders, and early plant collectors faced mortal peril to bring stunning new species back to life. They can clothe whole hillsides or gardens with colour. But there is a darker side to...