Age range 6+ Here were plants they had never imagined; from places they would never visit. When you peel a banana, or bite into a pear, when you smell a rose, pop a fuchsia bud or scrape your knee climbing an old pine tree, do you ever wonder how those plants came to this country? Let me tell you of the amazing case of Dr Ward.

From secateurs to seed bombs, hybrids to ha-has, lawnmowers to land artists, the gardening world has long attracted innovators. This delightful book outlines the advances that changed horticulture and the landscape forever. The fascinating and amusing short entries are accompanied by charming specially created illustrations. This beautifully produced book is the ideal gift for the gardener in your life.

The story of a nineteenth-century invention (essentially a tiny greenhouse) that allowed for the first time the movement of plants around the world, feeding new agricultural industries, the commercial nursery trade, botanic and private gardens, invasive species, imperialism, and more. Roses, jasmine, fuchsia, chrysanthemums, and rhododendrons bloom in gardens across the world, and yet many of the most common varieties have roots in Asia. How is this global flowering possible? In 1829, surgeon and amateur naturalist Nathaniel Bagshaw Ward placed soil, dried leaves, and the pupa of a sphinx moth into a sealed glass bottle, intending to observe the moth hatch. But when a fern and meadow grass sprouted from the soil, he accidentally discovered that plants enclosed in glass containers could survive for long periods without watering. After four years of experimentation in his London home, Ward created traveling glazed cases that would be able to transport plants around the world. Following a test run from London to Sydney, Ward was proven correct: the Wardian case was born, and the botanical makeup of the world’s flora was forever changed. In our technologically advanced and globalized contemporary world, it is easy to forget that not long ago it was extremely difficult to transfer plants from place to place, as they often died from mishandling, cold weather, and ocean salt spray. In this first book on the Wardian case, Luke Keogh leads us across centuries and seas to show that Ward’s invention spurred a revolution in the movement of plants—and that many of the repercussions of that revolution are still with us, from new industries to invasive plant species. From the early days of rubber, banana, tea, and cinchona cultivation—the last used in the production of the malaria drug quinine—to the collecting of beautiful and exotic flora like orchids in the first great greenhouses of the United States Botanic Garden in Washington, DC, and England’s Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, the Wardian case transformed the world’s plant communities, fueled the commercial nursery trade and late nineteenth-century imperialism, and forever altered the global environment.

'An amusing and well-illustrated gift book for anyone interested in gadgetry and the progress of garden history' - Gardens Illustrated Packed full of interesting anecdotes, this book will guide the reader through the advances of gardening history and the technology behind it. From secateurs to seed bombs, hybrids to ha-has, lawnmowers to land artists, the gardening world has long attracted innovators. This delightful book outlines the ways that horticulture and the landscape have changed. The fascinating and amusing short entries are accompanied by charming specially created illustrations, giving a special touch to this perfect gift. Topics covered include:Greenhouses and the ability to grow exotic plantsOrganic growing and the use of chemicalsAllotments and their role in food production between the warsTaxonomy and nomenclatureThe resurgence of topiaryClimate change and the challenges and opportunities it bringsPublic parks and the importance of recreational space'Abigail Willis's lively gallop through assorted horticultural topics is full of interesting nuggets' - Daily Mail 'Every section of the book is informed and pithy, making this the kind of thoughtful, readable work often found on the bedside table' - The English Garden This beautifully produced book is the ideal gift for the gardener in your life.

From secateurs to seed bombs, hybrids to ha-has, lawnmowers to land artists, the gardening world has long attracted innovators. This delightful book outlines the advances that changed horticulture and the landscape forever. The fascinating and amusing short entries are accompanied by charming specially created illustrations, making this the ideal gift for the gardener in your life.