The Brother Gardeners: A Generation of Gentlemen Naturalists and the Birth of an Obsession

Do you know why William Bligh's tomb is in the National Museum of Garden History, a few steps from Gertrude Jekyl's boots? Do you know how and why "English" gardens differ from "French" gardens? Probably not.Gardening and Botanical History are the nominal subjects of this book, but the heart of it is one of the great adventures of all time, the first voyage of Cook's HMS Endeavour and it's scientific mission(s). It ranks with the Lewis and Clark expedition or those of Ernest Shackleton in and around Antarctica, in the sweep of the story and importance of the results.If you've read "South" by Ernest Shackleton or "Undaunted Courage" by Stephen Ambrose, you should be prepared for Wulf's presentation of Joseph Banks' around the world quest for scientific knowledge aboard Cook's ship on its way to observe the Transit of Venus, about which Wulf has written another book.Wulf lets the facts speak for themselves and provides many references to source material, much of it online, that will give you hours if not months of adventure of your own.This book is about a more that one huge subject, handled with respect by a very competent scholar. It is about the revolution, if not the invention of gardening, about the invention of Taxonomy, about the seeds of Darwin's studies of evolution, planted by his grandfather. It's about the incredible importance of the Royal Society and some of its Fellows. It's about much more, especially if you are American or English. Any one of these sub-plots has been the subject of many college courses, but this book is definitely not a dry academic text.One of the most important subjects of "The Brother Gardeners" is, indirectly, 18th century American Colonial History. The continuous close relationship between John Bartram and his English "Brothers" when America was about to launch the War of Independence reminds us of how close the colonies were to the English and how badly the English government misread and lost their richest and closest allies.Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson and a few other people you may have heard of are also important to this first part of "Brother Gardeners". So much so that Wulf has written a second book about some of the "Founding Gardeners".The Kindle Edition may not be for the serious student of Gardening or History. Access to the footnotes is excellent by touch. The footnotes are not distracting and are terse and well done. But if you want to read the extensive bibliography you risk getting lost. And the glossary is almost unreadable since it is in an extremely small typeface and not expandable.Read this book once to learn about the "Brothers". Read it again with a computer handy for the original Notes of Captain Cook and Joseph Banks and others, and above all for the original botanical illustrations from various people mentioned in the text. If you are a biologist and think you know Linnaeus, this book and the online primary source material may revise or amplify you view.This reviewer is an old biologist with more than a year in Antarctica and another in England and some its gardens and I learned something from Andrea Wulf on almost every page of this innocent looking book.

It should not be too difficult to convince anyone who has read Ms. Wulf's "Founding Gardeners" (about the American founders' interest in plants and agriculture) that she has the unique ability to make books about shrubs and trees absolutely fascinating--even for folks like me who have neither interest in nor knowledge of gardens and plants. She had done it again in this earlier book on the evolution of the English garden. A common individual is central to both books--John Bartram of Philadelphia who as early as 1735 was shipping plants and seeds to Britain. Bartram had many connections as well with American gardeners, including Washington, Jefferson, Madison and Adams, as recounted in the "Founding Gardeners." But it was his shipments to Peter Collinson near London that began the spread of American plants that would eventually result in the development of the English landscape garden.But other key players are discussed as well, including Carl Linnaeus of Sweden who developed a sexual system for classifying plants which eventually came to dominate the study of botany. Another interesting character is Philip Miller whose "Gardeners Dictionary" (1731) was an influential encyclopedia of plants and trees which made information about plants easily accessible to all. The author traces how the very wealthy and titled became interested in stocking their estates with these enchanting American plants and shrubs, many of which were obtained from Bartram. From the upper classes, interest spread to the rest of British society and gardening became a "national craze." Eventually, flowers became enormously popular as well.However, more than just aesthetics were involved. London became the center of the scientific study of botany. Daniel Solander, protege of Linnaeus, became attached to the British Museum. Along with Joseph Banks, the towering figure of 18th century British science, Solander accompanied Captain Cook to Tahiti, Australia and New Zealand, returning with new specimens. The King converted his Kew Garden into a world respected botanical research center. Banks, who eventually headed the Royal Society, opened his Soho Square house and library to serious researchers. All this led to an increasing number of popular publications on gardening, which enhanced foreign interest in the English landscape garden which was replicated in several countries.All of this is recounted with great skill and superb narrative by the author. There are some beautiful illustrations; a Glossary of plants which describes some of those discussed in the text; a good bibliography; and ample endnotes and index to support the author's discussion. I challenge anyone to read this book and not have a happy feeling while doing so. What a pleasurable way to learn!

While many have heard of the tulip mania that swept Europe and perhaps also of some of the famous plant collectors, this book tells the lesser known stories of some of the 18th century plant collectors and nurserymen and gardeners. Not least among these is Linnaeus whose new naming system shocked the horticultural world and was met with resistance but which became the foundation for the two part naming system that is still in use today right across the world. It covers the stories of men like Collinson and Bartram (the latter was in America) who had a wonderful plant and seed exchange system going which satisfied the cravings of gardeners for all things new. This is not a volume of great literature but it is very interesting historically for anyone who is keen on garden history or horticulture generally.

I had this book on my to-buy list for a long time and thought it was about time I bought a copy. As a keen and active gardener, I love nothing more than reading about the great horticulturalists and botanists of days gone by. The Brother Gardeners did not disappoint.This is so well researched and equally beautifully written. A full-on read, it's also a book that you have to fully immerse yourself in to appreciate the extensive graft that Andrea has put into this book.As someone fascinated by Carl Linnaeus, some of the revelations made here were certainly new to me (in particular his rather forthright character!)I can't rate this book enough. If you have a passion for gardening and want to find out more about how it all began, then this is certainly the book for you.

Although not really a gardner myself, I enjoyed this account of how botany and gardening flourished during the Enlightenment. As interest in all things scientific grew plants were transported around the world to become features of new landscaping and gardens, particularly in England. This book is the story of how that happened and has quite a case of characters - Joseph Banks who was on the first Captain Cook expedition which found Botany Bay, and tracked the transit of Venus from Tahiti- Captain Bligh, whose mission to transplant breadfruit trees ended in mutiny - although he succeeded superbly later and Erasmus Darwin, grandfather of the more famous Charles.There is also interesting account of the work by the Swedish Botanist Carl Linnaeus to classify and name plants, and of the opposition encountered. All fascinating and informative stuff - I had no idea so many of the plants we see everyday in England started as native species somewhere else and were deliberately brought to the shores.

The story of the origins of plant collection in the 18th century is told in some detail. The interaction of botany and colonial politics becomes clear but would benefit from more penetrating analysis rather than detail of each shipment. The stories of the Bounty and Captain Bligh and the establishment of Botany Bay deserve more coverage than the petulant interactions of European plant collectors. The Humboldt book has a much wider sweep. This book is fascinating but a little cramped -especially as about a third if it is taken up with glossary, list of plants and index. Andrea Wulf is a great writer and I hope she will return to these issues as it seems that there is much more to investigate.

This book is very well researched and insightful in explaining why the United Kingdom has so many plant species and varieties in its countless domestic, civic and stately home gardens. The book is superb at linking the growing, nascent British Empire with tastes in gardening and plant-hunting. I think that what is still a mystery, is where that deep desire in the British to promote matters gardening to such a high degree comes from? The book certainly explains the mechanisms by which that desire was fed. A fascinating aspect of human history and a good read for the curious, but humble gardener.