Weird Plants by Chris Thorogood
As Heard on The Daily Gardener Podcast:
Weird Plants by Chris Thorogood
Chris is a botanist at Oxford Botanic Garden.
The cover of Chris's book is captivating. It shows a very weird plant—it almost looks like a claw—and its grasp is the title of the book, "Weird Plants."
In this book, published by Kew Gardens, Chris shares all the weird and wacky plants he encountered during his travels. There are orchids that look like female insects, giant pitcher plants, and other carnivorous plants that take down all kinds of prey. One thing's for certain: the weirdness factor of all of these plants has helped them survive for centuries.
Gardeners will get a kick out of the seven categories that Chris uses to organize these strange species: Vampires, Killers, Fraudsters, Jailers, Accomplices, Survivors, and Hitchhikers.
Chris's writing is complemented by his incredibly detailed oil paintings and his fascinating range of botanical expertise.
As someone who regularly works with student gardeners, I appreciate botanists who can make plants interesting. They can take topics and subjects that may otherwise prove boring and make them utterly captivating. Chris is that kind of garden communicator.
In addition to Weird Plants, Chris is the author of Field Guide to the Wild Flowers of the Western Mediterranean and co-author of Field Guide to the Wild Flowers of the Algarve, both published by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
SI HORTUM IN HORTORIA PODCASTA IN BIBLIOTEHCA HABES, NIHIL DEERIT.