Situated on the south bank of the River Thames, the Royal Botanical Gardens, also known as Kew, is a paradise for plant lovers. Author Allen Paterson chronicles the rich history of Kew, from private pleasure ground to international institution. With photographs of the garden today and botanical illustrations from the Kew collection, this beautiful book brings the story of Kew completely up to date.

»Kew Gardens« is a short story by Virginia Woolf, first published in 1919. VIRGINIA WOOLF [1882–1941] was an English author. With novels like Jacob’s Room [1922], Mrs Dalloway [1925], To the Lighthouse [1927], and Orlando [1928], she became a leading figure of modernism and is considered one of the most important English-language authors of the 20th century. As a thinker, with essays like A Room of One’s Own [1929], Woolf has influenced the women’s movement in many countries.

Kew Gardens, Queens, evolved with the dawn of the 20th century. The lush, hilly terrain--"the backbone of Long Island"--is situated north of the Victorian village of Richmond Hill. In 1910, Alrick Hubble Man noted the 1909 completion of the Queensborough Bridge and envisioned a modern sister community to Richmond Hill in this northern terrain. He developed Kew Gardens, offering people the ability to have homes in an area of breathtaking country beauty while continuing to work in the city. The century-old Kew Gardens Civic Association, formed in 1914, remains a vibrant, active organization. Its members were a large force behind the advancements in Kew Gardens; in 1915, they fought for underground wiring to prevent the installation of unsightly electric poles, and they continue to serve the community today.

This informative volume traces the extraordinary evolution over more than two centuries of Kew's historic landscape, which began with two private royal gardens and expanded through the work of some of our most distinguished garden designers and architects, resulting in an important range of listed buildings of which thirty-nine have survived. These, together with the latest additions to Kew's architectural heritage, are extensively illustrated and described. As much part of this fascinating landscape are the principal figures in Kew's history - among them Queen Caroline, her son Frederick Prince of Wales, his wife Princess Augusta, and George III; Sir Joseph Banks, who organized the first worldwide plant-collecting expeditions; Sir William Hooker and his son, Sir Joseph, who laid the foundations of the present Botanic Gardens; and successive directors who formulated policy and enabled improvements. Kew also played a pivotal role in the development of the British Empire's natural resources, the introduction of commercial crops to the colonies and the compilation of colonial floras. Its collaboration with overseas botanical gardens, alongside its establishment as an international scientific institution are equally crucial and examined in detail. Whilst previous accounts of Kew have relied almost entirely on printed sources, the present volume makes extensive use of archives which support modern Kew's primary objective: "the better management of the Earth's environment by increasing knowledge and understanding of the plant kingdom".

A heart-warming novel inspired by real life events, about the brave women during WWI who worked in the historic grounds of London's Kew Gardens. Can the women of Kew keep the gardens alive in the midst of war? London, 1916. England is at war. Desperate to help in whatever way they can, Ivy and Louisa enlist as gardeners at Kew, the Royal Botanic Gardens, taking on the jobs of the men who have gone to fight. Under their care, the gardens begin to flourish and become a safe haven for those seeking solace--but not everyone wants women working at Kew. The pair begin to face challenges on the home front. When a tragedy overseas affects the people closest to them, can the women of Kew pull together to support themselves and their country through the darkest of times?