The Hidden Histories of Houseplants: Fascinating Stories of Our Most-Loved Houseplants
By (Author) Maddie Bailey
By (author) Alice Bailey
Hardie Grant Books (UK)
Hardie Grant Books (UK)
17th November 2021
11th November 2021
United Kingdom
General
Non Fiction
635.965
Hardback
160
Width 145mm, Height 223mm, Spine 20mm
477g
The Hidden Histories of House Plants explores the worlds most common house plants, and their journeys to our homes.
This book isnt just a dry exploration of historical cultivation; the narrative explores the plants places in social history, art, politics, fashion and culture, showcasing the most fascinating elements of each plants story, be it William Morris palm obsession that continues to be replicated in the 21st century by the likes of Ikea, or how common indoor ferns first made their way to Europe in glass jars for botanical studies, and why these terrariums are now on display in almost everyone's homes.
Accompanied by stunning illustrations, each text takes the reader on a journey through time, history and culture, told by the most universally binding objects in ourhomes from London to Beijing house plants.
Alice and Maddie quite literally hail from a London plant and flower dynasty their grandfather was a Dutch flower merchant and nursery owner, and their mother the celebrated horticulturalist and author Fran Bailey Maddie and Alice Bailey head up Forest London, a cult plant and homewares shop with two sites in South London, along with a flower shop. With a lifelong and in-depth knowledge of house plants, the sisters sell anything from the Insta-ubiquitous monstera to the kinds of cacti that the ever-growing plant-nerd community hunt high and low for.
Their first book, The Green Indoors, will be published by Hardie Grant in May 2021.