The Naturalist by Thom Conroy
As Heard on The Daily Gardener Podcast:
Today's book recommendation: The Naturalist by Thom Conroy.
Conroy's book is about the real-life of Dr. Ernst Dieffenbach, who died on this day in 1855. Dieffenbach was a scientist, explorer, loner, revolutionary, and outcast.
Gardeners will recognize the name Dieffenbach because of the dumb cane, or Dieffenbachia, but the plant genus is named after a different Dieffenbach - Joseph Dieffenbach (1796–1863), the head gardener of the Botanical Gardens in Vienna.
Dieffenbach was part of the New Zealand Company’s 1839 colonial expedition. Once in New Zealand, Dieffenbach predicted how colonization would impact the country.
The cover of this book, The Naturalist, is one of my personal favorites. It looks marvelous on a table beside the couch or on a bedside table; plus, the story of Dieffenbach will stay with you; it's both beautiful and sad.
SI HORTUM IN HORTORIA PODCASTA IN BIBLIOTEHCA HABES, NIHIL DEERIT.