A curmudgeonly traveler, Marianne North went around the world—twice! alone!—during the Victorian era, armed with a parasol and an easel, determined to paint as many of the world's plants as possible. The result, some 800 paintings of flora, many of which were unknown to European audiences, are on display at Kew Gardens, and her travel writings have been gathered in a new book, Abundant Beauty. We take a look at the life of this remarkable woman.
Take a look at our slide show of Jonathan Singer's botanic photographs, collected in his book, Botanica Magnifica. The photographs feature rare plant specimens shot on a Hasselblad camera.
With its red and white blossoms, the York and Lancaster rose (Rosa damascena versicolor) marked the end of the War of the Roses, and symbolized the union of feuding families, each with their own rose: the House of York, with its white rose, and the House of Lancaster, with its red rose.
These rocks are made of felted hand-dyed wool, a fun way to bring the outdoors in.
In Fruiting Bodies, UK-based photographer Julia Claxton captures the beauty and mystery of common mushrooms.
Peonies deliver showstopping blooms with surprisingly little effort.
These miniature faces are actually stuffed with organic herb and vegetable seeds, which can be harvested off each face within five days.
German artist Regine Ramseier's "Wunderkammer" installation with 2,000 seed heads suspended from a ceiling leaves viewers wondering: Is that where the dreams go when I wish upon a dandelion?
In the mid-1950s, when Ione and Emmott Chase broke ground on a parcel of former logging land, their intent was simply to build a place to retire in the western Washington terrain they’d known and loved all their lives. They never thought it would become a celebrated public garden, but the 4.5 acres they referred to as their “yard” now welcomes visitors from April through October and has been identified as an outstanding example of regional modernist design that’s well worth preserving.
Making its common name particularly apropos, this snake plant has long, narrow, cylindrical leaves arranged in dramatic Mohawk fans. A collector’s form of an old-fashioned plant and a must-have for chic interior-scapes. This grouping, planted in a row of tall, stylish concrete planters, creates a simple yet dramatic accent to a contemporary home, though they also fit well in less modern settings.
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