Archives: Book Reviews

“Lilian Snelling (1879-1972) was probably the most important British botanical artist of the first half of the 20^th century.”  This bold statement was made by Brent Elliott, the long-standing Head Librarian and Historian for the Royal Horticultural Society, in an article for that society’s journal “The Garden” in July 2003.

This is especially surprising as very little is known about her until at the age of 36, she became the protégé of Henry John Elwes, a well-known English botanist and dendrologist, using her skills to draw plants from his extensive garden.  At his recommendation, she spent five years at the Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh, honing her skills.  Her precise work from that time is the basis for the 2020 book “Lilian Snelling: the Rhododendron and Primula Drawings” by Henry J. Noltie.

Snelling’s illustrations can also be found in the monograph on the genus Lilium by Elwes.  Although the Miller Library does not have this book, her illustrations have been reproduced in other books on lilies in the collection.  She also produced the exquisite color plates and drawings for “A Study of the Genus Paeonia” by Frederick Claude Stern (1946), including this illustration of Paeonia tenuifolia.

Snelling was appointed as an artist for “Curtis’s Botanical Magazine” and for 30 years was the principal artist.  She also was a skilled lithographer, being able to transfer her work and those of others to zinc plates for reproduction.  Upon her retirement, the November 1952 volume of “Curtis’s” was dedicated to her.  The dedication describes how she “with remarkable delicacy of accurate outlines, brilliancy of colour, and intricate gradation of tone has faithfully portrayed most of the plants figured in this magazine from 1922 to 1952.”

Reviewed by: Brian Thompson on November 21, 2023

Excerpted from the Winter 2024 issue of the Arboretum Bulletin

“Lilian Snelling (1879-1972) was probably the most important British botanical artist of the first half of the 20^th century.”  This bold statement was made by Brent Elliott, the long-standing Head Librarian and Historian for the Royal Horticultural Society, in an article for that society’s journal “The Garden” in July 2003.

This is especially surprising as very little is known about her until at the age of 36, she became the protégé of Henry John Elwes, a well-known English botanist and dendrologist, using her skills to draw plants from his extensive garden.  At his recommendation, she spent five years at the Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh, honing her skills.  Her precise work from that time is the basis for the 2020 book “Lilian Snelling: the Rhododendron and Primula Drawings” by Henry J. Noltie.

Snelling’s illustrations can also be found in the monograph on the genus Lilium by Elwes.  Although the Miller Library does not have this book, her illustrations have been reproduced in other books on lilies in the collection.  She also produced the exquisite color plates and drawings for “A Study of the Genus Paeonia” by Frederick Claude Stern (1946).

Snelling was appointed as an artist for “Curtis’s Botanical Magazine” and for 30 years was the principal artist.  She also was a skilled lithographer, being able to transfer her work and those of others to zinc plates for reproduction.  Upon her retirement, the November 1952 volume of “Curtis’s” was dedicated to her.  The dedication describes how she “with remarkable delicacy of accurate outlines, brilliancy of colour, and intricate gradation of tone has faithfully portrayed most of the plants figured in this magazine from 1922 to 1952.”

Reviewed by: Brian Thompson on November 21, 2023

Excerpted from the Winter 2024 issue of the Arboretum Bulletin

Matilda Smith (1854-1926) did not have art training as a child, but she developed a keen interest in plants.  It was helpful for this pursuit to be part of a botanically oriented family, including her second cousin Joseph Hooker, who was the second director of Kew Gardens.

Smith became good friends with Hooker, who was a skilled illustrator, and he both tutored and encouraged her in learning this skill.  He recommended she submit drawings to “Curtis’s Botanical Magazine.”  This long-running periodical, started in 1787 and still published today, profiles new plant discoveries for both botanists and gardeners.  This encouragement was well-placed as over the next 42 years, she contributed 2,300 drawings to this celebrated publication.

Hooker was also the editor of “Icones Plantarum,” another extensive publication of 40 volumes depicting plants drawn from herbarium specimens held by Kew.  Smith was skilled at recreating the appearance of living plants despite the limitations of a dried, flattened subject and contributed 1,500 images to this publication.  Although completed over 100 years ago, a facsimile copy in the Miller Library is still consulted on a regular basis by researchers.

Smith’s work included some of the first images in European science of the flora of New Zealand including this fern, Todea superba.  Late in her career, she was the illustrator for “Illustrations of the New Zealand Flora” edited by Thomas Frederick Cheeseman, published in 1914.  In his preface, the editor writes, “altogether, nearly five thousand of her drawings have actually appeared in various well-known publications.  I think that all capable judges will agree with me in saying that the plates contained in these volumes will enhance her already well-earned reputation.”

Reviewed by: Brian Thompson on November 21, 2023

Excerpted from the Winter 2024 issue of the Arboretum Bulletin

The Panakanic Prairie is a vernally moist meadow amongst the coniferous forests north of White Salmon, Washington that turns blue each May with the flowers of camas (Camassia quamash).  It has a rich human history, including that of the Klickitat people.  From the 1880s through much of the 20^th century, it was the home and ranch of the Markgraf family.

Joy Markgraf has gathered the stories of this special place and published them in “Panakanic: An Oral and Natural History Since 1878”.  In addition to the history, her interests are primarily to protect the animals, plants, and fungi that have outlasted the mostly abandoned settlements.  She includes a detailed appendices of observed species, some with her own illustrations.  Her reasons for these efforts?  “Special wild places need to be protected so we can experience the wonders and spirit they embody.”

Reviewed by: Brian Thompson on August 22, 2023

Excerpted from the Fall 2023 issue of the Arboretum Bulletin

Molly Hashimoto is a good friend of the Miller Library, having exhibited in our space for many years, typically each November and December.  Her books are a blend of engaging watercolors and block prints, while the text educates the reader about both art techniques and the subjects of the illustrations.

Her most recent book is “Trees of the West: An Artist’s Guide,” an exploration of all the trees native to the United States from the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific Coast.  By dividing her chapters into the nine biogeographical regions, the trees that typically associate with each other are grouped together.

Each entry includes a species description, but not in the typical, formulaic terminology of a field guide.  Instead, this is an artist’s interpretation of appearance, often done by describing a notable individual tree in an evocative location.  There are basic facts like range and ethnobotanical uses, but these are intermixed with essays, travel journal excerpts, poetry, and brief profiles of artists, biologists, and naturalists.

I was especially engaged by complimentary images of a row of tall western redcedars (Thuja plicata), all that sprung up from the same nurse log.  On the left page they are depicted in watercolor.  On the right, by a tinted woodblock print.  Located in the North Cascades National Park, the artist has visited these trees many times.  Her description of their near destruction by a 2015 forest fire makes this an especially personal account.

“Once you begin keeping sketchbooks or journals, you realize the importance of recording experiences and ideas—it is a very personal endeavor, but it is one that makes you a more thoughtful participant in the landscapes you venture to see.”  This past May, the Council of Botanical and Horticultural Libraries recognized the quality of this book with an Award of Excellence for Botanical Art and Illustration.

Reviewed by: Brian Thompson on August 22, 2023

Excerpted from the Fall 2023 issue of the Arboretum Bulletin

After an especially difficult period in her life, Seattle gardener, author, and artist Lorene Edwards Forkner began a daily, meditative practice.  She would pick something from her garden and using watercolors, paint a 3×3 pattern of distinct color squares, trying to capture each of the colors she saw in the subject.

One of the earliest examples was a balm for grief after the death of her father.  The source was a sprig of flowers from Viburnum x bodnantense ‘Dawn’.  Six of the colors were various shades of pink to capture the subtle shadings of the flowers.  Two of the swatches were in greens to represent the leaves, the final in brown for the stem.

A collection of the resulting small paintings from this praxis is found in Forkner’s book, “Color In and Out of the Garden.”  The purpose of publishing such a book?  “In sharing the following collection of color studies and observations, my rainbow playground, I hope to open your eyes and deepen your compassion for beauty in the natural world.”

Each painting is overlaid with the garden subject from which they are drawn.  On the opposite page is an essay that may expound on the featured plant or color, recall a recipe, or evoke an historical reflection.

Each chapter introduces a spoke of the color wheel with a selection of synonyms or terms that are near matches.  For example, different shades of red might be described as scarlet or cerise, while shades of green include sage, olive, and celadon.  You can have a lot of fun adding to the list, and I think that would please the author.

Reviewed by: Brian Thompson on August 22, 2023.

Excerpted from the Fall 2023 issue of the Arboretum Bulletin

“Learning the art of drawing is a skill.  Therefore, anyone can learn to draw, if you have patience, persistence, and passion.”  With these words of encouragement, Seattle author and artist Suzanne Brooker begins “Essential Techniques of Landscape Drawing.”

To start, it is important to realize that the key element of drawing is what the author calls “visual thinking,” a practice that does not involve verbal language.  By drawing, one develops this mode of noticing and perceiving, no matter the quality of the results.

Of course, techniques are important building blocks and Chapter 2 starts with an introduction to the primary tool of drawing, the graphite pencil.  This may seem like a simple topic, but there are many options, including how to hold and direct the pencil.  Each step of this tutorial is clearly illustrated, with strokes to practice and even exercises to help your hands adjust to this unfamiliar physical activity.

The following chapters continue in this same, gentle teaching manner with basic concepts such as lighting and composition.  At last, about halfway through the book, the student is ready to consider the elements to capture in landscape drawing, including the sky, the geometric planes and textures of terrain, trees and their foliage, and water.

The last chapter gives a brief introduction to other types of pencils, including colored and pastel that could lead the reader in another direction.  As Brooker concludes, “the activity of drawing is filled with exploration and experimentation.”

Reviewed by: Brian Thompson on August 22, 2023

Excerpted from the Fall 2023 issue of the Arboretum Bulletin

Francisca Darts (1916-2012) had a wide range of interests.  Born in the Netherlands, she loved winter sports, including skating and curling.  The latter she learned at age nine when her family moved to Canada.  She bred and raised Shetland sheepdogs, enjoyed traveling, and was an avid reader and buyer of books.  She and her husband Ed Darts (1903-1994) were early adopters of a home audio system to listen to their large collection of classical and big band records.

All these were secondary to her main love – gardening.  “A Secret Garden” tells the story of the Darts and the large property in Surrey. British Columbia they purchased soon after they were married.  Initially, there was no electricity, telephone, or water, just lots of stumps leftover from logging.  Over nearly 60 years, they turned 7.5 acres of the property into a showpiece of primarily woody plants with over 1,600 distinct types of trees and shrubs.

Author Margaret Cadwaladr skillfully weaves the story of the garden with Francisca and Ed’s many interests.  Ed was keen on fruit trees, planted a large orchard, and was a mainstay with his fruit displays at the Pacific National Exhibition in Vancouver for 35 years.  Francisca was fond of rhododendrons and magnolias, but also keen on alpine rockeries.  She was well-known by a wide spectrum of plant enthusiasts throughout the region, including in Seattle.  “Francisca loved plants and was hard-pressed to name a favourite, or if she did, others would soon be her favourite.”

Fortunately, all of these plant passions have been preserved as Darts Hill Garden Park by the city of Surrey.  It is not very far after crossing the Canadian border; I enjoyed my first visit this past June.  I recommend it to all garden enthusiasts, especially of woody plants.

Reviewed by: Brian Thompson on August 22, 2023

Excerpted from the Fall 2023 issue of the Arboretum Bulletin

Stephen Arno has been writing about Pacific Northwest trees since the 1970s.  In 2021, he published “Golden Trees of the Mountain West,” a profile of the two species of larch found in the Pacific Northwest, Larix occidentalis, the western larch, and L. lyallii, the alpine larch.  Unlike most conifers, these species are deciduous and achieve glorious fall color in shades of gold.  I have been in the Cascades during October and marveled at the bright yellow, almost chartreuse, of the western Larch, standing in contrast to the surrounding dark greens of other conifers.

These two Larix species thrive in different ecosystems.  The western larch is a large tree, up to 200 feet in height.  It grows fast to outpace the competition, as its seedlings are not tolerant of shade.  The alpine larch grows at higher elevations, above 8,400 feet, and is smaller and slow growing with a maximum height of 80 feet.  Both are restricted to east of the Cascades and on the west slopes of the Rockies, extending northward into Canada.

Arno includes the history of how these trees were used by indigenous peoples and later by the timber industry.  Most valuable are the detailed guides to places to drive or hike to see prominent forests of these magnificent trees.

Reviewed by: Brian Thompson on August 22, 2023

Excerpted from the Fall 2023 issue of the Arboretum Bulletin

Ishita Jain grew up in New Delhi, India, and moved to New York City in 2018. While used to being in a big city, she found the change in climate quite a shock, especially during the cold, dark winter months. To cope, she spent as much time as she could outside exploring her new city.

Her book Searching for Sunshine reflects what she found in parks, gardens, and other places where plants are abundant. But she was more than just a casual observer. A skilled artist, she made drawings of plants – from single flowers to whole trees – along with other sights of city life.

Another way she engaged was with the people active in green places. She would ask them “about their experience of working with the natural world, the impact of nature on their everyday lives, and why plants make us happy.“

The resulting book is a delightful blend of text and graphical depictions of her interviews, which cover a wide spectrum of personalities and livelihoods. These include Tama Matsuoka Wong, who is a forager and the author of Into the Weeds, another book in the Miller Library collection.

Jain also explored a favorite park with Jose Lopez, Deputy Director of Parklands for New York City. She met with Dr. Barbara Ambrose and her colleagues in laboratory research to learn about their work at the New York Botanical Garden. Other interviewees included a florist, an entomologist, and the horticulture staff for a large (almost 500 acres with 7,000 trees) cemetery in Brooklyn.

Rebecca Alexander, recently retired after 20 years on the Miller Library staff, considers this one of the library’s books that made a lasting impression upon her. She describes Searching for Sunshine as an “embodiment of why plants matter to people, exuberantly illustrated.”

Reviewed by Brian Thompson in The Leaflet for Scholars, Volume 12, Issue 8, August 2025.