Plant hunter's expeditions brought to life
8 October 2012
The life of intrepid plant hunter Reginald Farrer is the focus of a talk by author Nicola Shulman.
A Rage for Rock Gardening: The Story of Reginald Farrer, Gardener, Writer and Plant Collector, takes place at the Garden Museum on Thursday 18 October, 6.30-8pm.
Nicola Shulman’s book of the same name is acclaimed as a masterpiece; and Nicola will explore Farrer’s complex life and personality in her talk.
Reginald Farrer played a key part in the transformation of the garden from a plaything of the rich to a pastime for a whole populace. His passion for alpines caused an outcrop of rockeries in gardens all over Britain.
Of all the plant collectors he was the least likely: he was a gardener, gentleman, an aesthete, a dandy and a near-invalid; a prose stylist and wit whose books enraged critics and friends alike. No one thought he was ‘the right stuff’ for a collector; yet his indomitable spirit triumphed, and his expeditions in China, Tibet and Burma, 'far up in the grim and lonely places of the world', have become the stuff of legend.
Tickets: £15, Museum Friends/RHS members £10
Book online or call the Garden Museum on 020 7401 8865.
Plant hunting exhibition
Other plant-hunting adventures can be enjoyed in an exhibition by the RHS Lindley Library and The Garden Museum. The Plant Seekers is now on until 21 October 2012 at The Garden Museum, London.
The exhibition of material from the world-renowned RHS Lindley Library will tell the story of many of history’s most important plant collectors, who travelled the world, risking death, disease and bandits, to transform our landscapes and extend our knowledge about plants and horticulture.
Featuring many previously unseen artefacts from the RHS Lindley Library collection, this unique exhibition demonstrates how international plant hunting has influenced our modern British gardens.
Curated by The Garden Museum, the exhibition will also show the wider impact of plant collecting on our world, from its influence in medicine and science to the role it has played in biodiversity and other environmental issues.
See more information about the exhibition, including opening times and ticket prices.