Seeds of Blood and Beauty: Scottish Plant Collectors

More explorers than gardeners, their quests took them from familiar Scottish towns to far-flung territories, swapping Aberdeen for Africa, Falkirk for China, Glasgow for Afghanistan and Auchenblae for Antarctica. Starting with William Wright (1735-1810), who left the quiet Fife town of Crieff for Jamiaca, and the introspective Aberdonian Francis Masson, who metamorphosed from an under gardener at Kew Gardens to a intrepid pioneer who faced gangs of bandits and poisonous snakes, Ann Lindsay presents men who were regarded as ‘the Indiana Joneses of their day’, exploding myths of dreamy botanists skipping through fields of flowers and describing the harsh and dangerous realities of their journeys. The chapters chronologically progress through each of the major players in this game, providing fascinating insights into the purposes and practicalities of scientific exploration over three centuries and examining the astonishing contribution these pioneers made in their field. Seeds of Blood and Beauty charts a truly extraordinary period in Scotland’s history.In setting each individual’s career against a wider backdrop it shows how social change in both Britain and abroad influenced botanical research and thus Scotland’s gardens over a period of 200 years. The fruits of extensive research, it is an accessible and informative book which combines biography, history and horticulture in a readable and engaging style.