The Wardian Case
Book description
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…
Why read it?
1 author picked The Wardian Case as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?
This book is fairly new, by an Aussie environmental historian. I got hooked from the first page because, once again, it’s well written and I learned stuff about plants that I didn’t know already. The Wardian Case was a kind of travelling greenhouse designed by an English amateur naturalist named Nathaniel Bagshaw Ward in Victorian times. His simple invention made it possible to send plants around the world on the decks of sailing ships -and resulted in the huge array of species for sale in garden centres today. Beautiful plants that we now take for granted -like roses, rhododendrons, magnolias,…
From Sonia's list on the amazing world of plants.
Want books like The Wardian Case?
Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like The Wardian Case.
Share your top 3 reads of 2024!
And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.
1,079
readers submitted
so far, will you?
