In the summer of 2000, I visited England, intent on seeing gardens.  One of the highlights was The Bressingham Gardens in Norfolk, famous for its island beds of herbaceous perennials, allowing viewing from all sides.

Almost as an afterthought, I visited the adjacent garden of Foggy Bottom, noted mostly for conifers.  Here the island beds were more like continents.  In my journal at the time, I wrote: “a variety of textures and, notably, colors…sometimes with subtle color combinations, other times more garish.”

Today, I would look at this garden with different eyes.  Fortunately, I can do that with the 2023 publication of “Foggy Bottom: A Garden to Share” by Adrian Bloom.  My impression now is a garden well-balanced between woody and herbaceous, conifer and broad-leaf, evergreen and deciduous.  The brash colors have mellowed, as to be expected from a more mature garden and gardener.

Bloom has a clear intent expressed through both images and narrative.  “You, as a special guest, in going through this book, are being given a private tour by me, Head Gardener and owner of Foggy Bottom.”

At over four hundred large-format pages, this is a full-day tour, but very worthwhile.  I first flipped through looking at Bloom’s excellent photographs, but was easily drawn in by the conversational commentary.  Each bed is observed and described from various angles, over many years, and in all seasons.  Mistakes are freely admitted, as are unexpected successes.

After taking this long view, Bloom examines the plants more closely.  In part, this is by expected types such as ferns, grasses, and bulbs.  Other groupings are by distinctive features such as bark, foliage in many hues, or plants that facilitate a design feature, such as creating rivers of foliage or flowers through other plantings.

Most intriguing to me was the history of the garden, including photographs from the time of my visit.  I was there on the eve of major change, as many trees were removed soon after my visit, and several beds completely redesigned.  I have no immediate plans to travel to England, but when I do, a return to Foggy Bottom will be a must.

Reviewed by: Brian Thompson on February 12, 2024

Published in Garden Notes: Northwest Horticultural Society, Spring 2024

The Miller Library has nearly 200 active subscriptions to magazines, journals, newsletters, and other periodical publications.  I’d love to read them all, but time constraints force me to be selective.  One that I never miss is “The Plant Review,” published quarterly by the Royal Horticultural Society of Britain.

“Bizarre, brilliant and beautiful plants that grow in gardens” is an accurate description of the magazine’s focus, as proclaimed on its website.  Typical articles promote little known but garden-worthy selections or species of trees, shrubs, and all types of herbaceous plants in meticulous detail – a plant nerd’s delight!

For example, the June 2023 issue included an article titled “The Irises of Benton End,” describing the hybridizing efforts of artist Cedric Morris (1889-1982) at his home in eastern England.  Written by Sarah Cook, who maintains the largest collection of Morris’ hybrids, the article includes photographs of all the 28 known survivors, along with the derivations of their names, including of friends, favorite places, and resident cats.

Another article, spread over four pages with several photographs, sorts out the difference between two maple cultivars, Acer ‘Silver Cardinal’ and A. ‘Red Flamingo.’  What are those differences?  I don’t have the space to summarize, but this is typical of the horticultural conundrums addressed by “The Plant Review.”

In the March 2022 issues, Dan Hinkley shares the highlight of his three decades of exploration of the genus Begonia, especially searching for those hardy in temperate gardens.  In the same issue, Graham Rice critiques various wildflower websites, while Helen Harrison searches for large examples of Monkey Puzzle trees (Araucaria araucana) in Wales.

While there is some overlap with “The Garden,” also published by the RHS, “The Plant Review” tackles the more obscure and esoteric subjects.  It rarely features gardens, or the cultural and design practices found in its older, sibling publication.

Begun as “The Plantsman” in 1979, the Miller Library has a full run of this engaging magazine. When your favorite plant is profiled, it is invaluable, but I also recommend it for regularly reading.  It will expand your plant knowledge and confirm just how amazing (and fun!) plants can be.

Reviewed by: Brian Thompson on November 6, 2023

Published in Garden Notes: Northwest Horticultural Society, Winter 2024

As curator of the Miller Library, I often have to make difficult decisions about adding new books.  This is especially true for books on subjects already well-represented in the collection, such as roses, herbs, or (especially!) orchids.

Therefore, I was skeptical when learning about a new book titled “Orchid Muse.”  Did we really need an addition to the already bulging shelves on this plant family?  My mind changed only after reading praise for the book by Doug Holland, Director of the Peter Raven Library at the Missouri Botanical Garden, who described it as “a happy reminder of why I fell in love with plants and the history of botany.”

More a collection of biographies than plant profiles, author Erica Hannickel recounts the zealous passion orchids have instill in historical figures.  Some, like Charles Darwin, are already celebrated for their love of plants, but most are better known for other pursuits.  This includes heads of state, heads of industry, artists, and scholars, but also enslaved peoples, and women who strived to have their voices heard in a male-dominated world.

Several stories stood out for me.  It may surprise you that the first public orchid show in the United States took place in a dime museum located in the “Tenderloin District” of New York City in 1887.  The actor Raymond Burr is best known for his role as the criminal defense lawyer Perry Mason in a television series from 1957-1966.  Less well known was the escape he found from bigotry in his orchid collection that he shared with his male partner of 33 years.

“Vanilla is an orchid that has benefited from, and been decimated by, global trade.”  This succinctly describes the history of only genus of this family that has become an important food crop.  This saga includes Edmond, a twelve-year-old, enslaved boy with no last name on the island of Bourbon (now Réunion), who discovered how to hand-pollinate this orchid, making it a profitable crop.

This book has proved its worth by winning the 2023 Annual Literature Award by the Council on Botanical and Horticultural Libraries – and a place on the shelves of the Miller Library!

Reviewed by: Brian Thompson on August 4, 2023

Published in Garden Notes: Northwest Horticultural Society, Fall 2023

 

For 20 years, Rebecca Alexander was a mainstay of the Elisabeth C. Miller Library staff.  Rebecca retired at the end of June 2025, but before she went, I asked about her favorite books in the Miller Library collection.  I was not surprised that the list of books “that have made a lasting impression” she provided was extensive and quite varied.  Many are in her personal collection.

“Botanical Icons: Critical Practices of Illustration in the Premodern Mediterranean by Andrew Griebeler is a deep dive into the early history of botanical illustration.  Rebecca especially enjoyed its “focus on a part of the world whose plants and manuscript illuminations particularly interest me.”  While this book tackles a complex history, the writing is very clear and well summarized at end of each chapter.  Best are the wonderfully reproduced illustrations that mostly predate the printing press.

Reviewed by: Brian Thompson on May 23, 2025

Excerpted from the Summer 2025 issue of the Arboretum Bulletin

For 20 years, Rebecca Alexander was a mainstay of the Elisabeth C. Miller Library staff.  Rebecca retired at the end of June 2025, but before she went, I asked about her favorite books in the Miller Library collection.  I was not surprised that the list of books “that have made a lasting impression” she provided was extensive and quite varied.  Many are in her personal collection.

Stanley Spencer (1891-1959) was a well-known English artist who painted a wide scope of subjects, but Rebecca’s favorites of his works are of gardens.  An overview of these works is found in “Stanley Spencer and the English Garden,” edited by Steven Parissien.

Of present-day artist Tessa Newcomb, Rebecca says her “use of color and space is reminiscent of Stanley Spencer, but her style is looser and more dynamic.”

Reviewed by: Brian Thompson on May 23, 2025

Excerpted from the Summer 2025 issue of the Arboretum Bulletin

For 20 years, Rebecca Alexander was a mainstay of the Elisabeth C. Miller Library staff.  Rebecca retired at the end of June 2025, but before she went, I asked about her favorite books in the Miller Library collection.  I was not surprised that the list of books “that have made a lasting impression” she provided was extensive and quite varied.  Many are in her personal collection.

The work of an artist active today is presented in “Angie Lewin: Nature Assembled” from the exhibit catalog of her show at The Scottish Gallery in Edinburgh in 2020.  Rebecca sees her work as being “in the vein of Edward Bawden” and others from the 20^th century with “stylized evocations of the natural world, with a great sense of color and pattern.”

Reviewed by: Brian Thompson on May 23, 2025

Excerpted from the Summer 2025 issue of the Arboretum Bulletin

Cedric Morris (1889-1982) is renowned in equal measure for his painting and his plant expertise. He was born in Wales to an upper middle class family whose money came from copper and tin mining. His keen attention to plants and landscape is rooted in the Gower Peninsula of southwest Wales, where he painted the natural beauty of its flora and fauna, its cliffs and coves, moors and meadows. His family’s educational aspirations for him (studying voice) did not suit him, and painting became his true vocation. He was studying in Paris in 1914 when World War I broke out and he returned to Britain where he joined the Artists’ Rifles, serving until ill health led to his discharge.

In Cornwall, he became part of the artistic community, and continued to draw and paint plants. He moved to London, where he met fellow painter Arthur Lett-Haines (known as ‘Lett’), who was to become his partner in life and art. Morris was private and quiet where Lett was highly social,which proved helpful in promoting Cedric’s art. They spent the 1920s moving in artistic circles in England and Paris, where they were associates of Marcel Duchamp, Man Ray, Francis Picabia, Ezra Pound, and others. Although Morris was exposed to all the art movements of the day (Futurism, Abstraction, Surrealism), and no doubt absorbed some of their influences, he was steadfast in his love of color and the depiction of plants and landscapes for their own intrinsic interest. Before the Second World War, he and Lett traveled throughout western Europe, where he continued to find subjects for painting.

In the late 1930s, Morris and Lett founded the East Anglian School of Painting and Drawing, an informal place that allowed students to discover their own potential. In 1939, friend and student Lucian Freud dropped a lit cigarette, and the school burned down. With the help of painter-dancer Paul Odo Cross (partner of writer Angus Wilson), the school was rebuilt at Benton End,where it continued into the 1960s. Here Morris was able to pursue his love of plants, particularly bearded irises, which thrived in the sunny, dry setting. World War II restrictions meant that only a small percentage of land could be devoted to flowers, and the irises were ploughed under to grow potatoes. Undaunted, Morris was active in iris societies, fascinated by the many possibilities of breeding for new colors, particularly the right shade of pink. He developed ‘Shell Pink,’ ‘Flamingo Pink,’ and ‘Strawberry Blond,’ among many other cultivars. He bred a whole series of ‘Benton’ irises, including one named ‘Benton Lett.’ Beth Chatto, who visited the gardens at Benton End in the early 1950s, became a close friend, and grew a wide variety of plants which Morris gave her. Vita Sackville-West was also a regular visitor at his June iris parties. Morris grew over 1,000 varieties of iris and bred at least 90.

When Morris died in 1982, the Royal Horticultural Society’s ‘Lily Group’ wrote an obituary, excerpted here: “Famous as a gardener for growing the near impossible, not just for a season but for a generation.” In the 21st century, some of his iris cultivars are back in cultivation, and his paintings have undergone a rediscovery, with several recent exhibits. There is also renewed interest in Morris and Lett as a couple, with the publication of biographies such as this one.

Reviewed by Rebecca Alexander

For 20 years, Rebecca Alexander was a mainstay of the Elisabeth C. Miller Library staff.  Rebecca retired at the end of June 2025, but before she went, I asked about her favorite books in the Miller Library collection.  I was not surprised that the list of books “that have made a lasting impression” she provided was extensive and quite varied.  Many are in her personal collection.

I share Rebecca’s appreciation of anything by the British author Richard Mabey.  The Miller Library has 13 of his books; he has also contributed to several others.  Rebecca owns “Weeds: In Defense of Nature’s Most Unloved Plants” from 2011.  Mabey has especially keen abilities of observation of both the plant world and human history, and how they interact.

Reviewed by: Brian Thompson on May 23, 2025

Excerpted from the Summer 2025 issue of the Arboretum Bulletin

For 20 years, Rebecca Alexander was a mainstay of the Elisabeth C. Miller Library staff.  Rebecca retired at the end of June 2025, but before she went, I asked about her favorite books in the Miller Library collection.  I was not surprised that the list of books “that have made a lasting impression” she provided was extensive and quite varied.  Many are in her personal collection.

David Mabberley, who was the director of the UW Botanic Gardens from 2005-2008, is better known globally for his many research books on plants and botanists.  Rebecca finds “Citrus: A World History” to be a “beautifully produced book, replete with illustrations, and of course botanical erudition.”  As suggested by the subtitle, this is not a typical botanical treatment but rather an often amusing global history of the cultural importance of these fruits.

Reviewed by: Brian Thompson on May 23, 2025

Excerpted from the Summer 2025 issue of the Arboretum Bulletin

For 20 years, Rebecca Alexander was a mainstay of the Elisabeth C. Miller Library staff.  Rebecca retired at the end of June 2025, but before she went, I asked about her favorite books in the Miller Library collection.  I was not surprised that the list of books “that have made a lasting impression” she provided was extensive and quite varied.  Many are in her personal collection.

“My Wild Garden: Notes from a Writer’s Eden” is by a favorite and prolific Israeli writer, Meir Shalev, who Rebecca heard speak at the University of Washington years ago.  She particularly likes his ability to infuse his fiction with “a depth of knowledge of Jewish texts and history” along with a “wry sense of humor.”

This book is a collection of vignettes about gardening in the north of Israel and includes chapters on cyclamen, anemones, and other familiar plants to gardeners in our region.  Translated into English by Joanna Chen, this book is delightfully illustrated by Refaella Shir.

Reviewed by: Brian Thompson on May 23, 2025

Excerpted from the Summer 2025 issue of the Arboretum Bulletin