Have you ever wondered where your favourite garden flowers came from? Where their names are derived from? Or why some cultivars go in and out of favour? Every flower has a story, and in this lecture Advolly Richmond will take you on a tour of the most intriguing, surprising, and enriching ones. She uncovers tales of royalty, scholars, pioneers, and a smuggler or two that have all played a part in discovering and cultivating some of our favourite species. From the exotic bougainvillea, collected by an 18th-century female botanist in disguise, to the humble snowdrop casting a spell and causing a frenzy.
Advolly Richmond is a plants, gardens and social historian based in Shropshire. A fellow of the Linnean Society and Champion for the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, she lectures and writes on a variety of subjects from the sixteenth century to the early twentieth century. She is a columnist on Scribehound Gardening and contributes garden history features on BBC’s Gardener’s World.
Presented by Elmbridge Borough Council in association with Riverhouse Barn Arts Centre