Orchid Muse

A History of Obsession in Fifteen Flowers

Erica Hannickel

$57.95

Hardback

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English

Wiley
19 February 2023

Botany & plant sciences; Horticulture; Gardening; Gardening: plants; Trees, wildflowers & plants

The epitome of floral beauty, orchids have long fostered works of art, tales of adventure, and scientific discovery. Tenacious plant hunters have traversed continents to collect rare specimens; naturalists and shoguns have marveled at orchids' seductive architecture; royalty and the smart set have adorned themselves with their allure. In Orchid Muse, historian and home grower Erica Hannickel gathers these bold tales of the orchid-smitten throughout history, while providing tips on cultivating the extraordinary flowers she features.

Consider Empress Eugenie and Queen Victoria, the two most powerful women in nineteenth-century Europe, who shared a passion for Coelogyne cristata, with its cascading, fragrant white blooms. John Roebling, builder of the Brooklyn Bridge, cultivated thousands of orchids and introduced captivating hybrids. Edmond Albius, an enslaved youth on an island off the coast of Madagascar, was the first person to hand-pollinate Vanilla planifolia, leading to vanilla's global boom. Artist Frida Kahlo was drawn to the lavender petals of Cattleya gigas and immortalized the flower's wilting form in a harrowing self-portrait, while more recently Margaret Mee painted the orchids she discovered in the Amazon to advocate for their conservation.

The story of orchidomania is one that spans the globe, transporting readers from the glories of the palace gardens of Chinese Empress Cixi to a seedy dime museum in Gilded Age New York's Tenderloin, from hazardous jungles to the greenhouses and bookshelves of Victorian collectors. Lush and inviting, with radiant full-color illustrations throughout, Orchid Muse is the ultimate celebration of our enduring fascination with these beguiling flowers.

By: Erica Hannickel
Imprint: Wiley
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 244mm, Width: 165mm, Spine: 30mm
Weight: 977g
ISBN: 9780393867282
ISBN 10: 0393867285
Pages: 320
Publication Date: 19 February 2023
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Erica Hannickel, a master gardener, is professor of environmental history at Northland College. The author of Orchid Muse: A History of Obsession in Fifteen Flowers and Empire of Vines: Wine Culture in America, she writes for Orchids magazine and blogs at www.orchidmuse.com. She lives in Wisconsin.

Reviews for Orchid Muse: A History of Obsession in Fifteen Flowers

""[Orchid Muse] combines cultural advice with historical information… The easy style makes it a pleasure to read with the added benefit of gaining new knowledge.”"" -- Clare Hermans - RHS Orchid Review ""An entertaining romp through the history of human adventures with orchids."" -- Dominique Browning - The Wall Street Journal ""If flowers are how plants have sex, orchids are the sexiest “harlot-nymphs” of them all, as Erica Hannickel reveals in this delightful and exquisitely explicit ode to orchidelirium."" -- Adam Leith Gollner, author of ""The Fruit Hunters"" ""A fascinating survey of one of the world’s most intriguing (and provocative!) blooms, complete with lush illustrations. This book is an enchanting read for any gardener, house plant enthusiast, or history lover."" -- Jessica Roux, author of ""Floriography"" ""A fun fascinating romp through the history of the world’s favorite flower."" -- Bruce Rogers, author of ""The Orchid Whisperer"" ""[A] beautifully produced book... Orchid Muse is a learned and interestingly hybrid text: part essay collection and part handbook... the tightly written and well-digested histories expand its utility beyond the how-to-guide."" -- Cal Flyn - Prospect