history
30 Results
The Collector
Agriculture, CultureNikolaj Vavilov lived, and died, for diversity.
The Lost Flora
Art & Design, Culture, EssaysWhat can the stories of plants teach us about living with extinction?
Case Studies: Questions of Home, Plants and Power
Art & DesignAn art project by Felicity Jones and Mark Smith exploring the cultural and environmental impacts of the Wardian case.
Say My Name: On Speaking the Indigenous Names of Plants
CultureGeorgina Reid on what it might mean to speak the indigenous names of plants.
Battlefield Botanicals: Plant Use During War
BotanicaThe bloodstained history of plants as healers, harmers and sustenance in warfare.
Tulipomania: A Tale of Obsession, Greed and Flowers
Botanica, CultureThat time when tulips were more expensive than houses.
The Lusty Origin Story of Perfume
CultureStick your nose into ancient stories of scent.
The Victorian Language of Flowers
CultureLearn the mysterious language of flowers with us!
The Gardens of Government House
GardensTake a tour of the gardens of Sydney's Government House with us!
Naming the Rose
Botanica, Culture“What’s in a name?” Shakespeare asked. Quite a lot actually, according to Lucy Munro's mother.
From Dunny Lane to Secret Garden
GardensFreya Latona has transformed an inner city dunny lane into a lush, leafy garden.
Jess Hood is a Gardener of the Mind
PeopleA wander through one of Australia's oldest native gardens with artist Jess Hood.
The Artist and the Botanical Collector
Art & Design, CulturePassion, plants and money ain't good bedfellows.
Life Lessons from a Frankincense Tree
Botanica, CultureThe exquisite scent of the desert is borne of hardship
Ellis Rowan: Plant Hunter
CultureA radical Australian plant hunter who broke all the rules.
Natural Desires: The Olmsted Brothers & the Greening of Seattle
Art & DesignAn exploration of the lasting legacy of landscape architects the Olmstead Brothers in greening the city of Seattle.
Sir Joseph Banks: Botanical Rock Star or Bastard?
Botanica, CultureWas Sir Joseph Banks a botanical rock star or a 'cantankerous old bastard'? You decide.
A History of Botanical Illustration
Botanica, CultureThe Amazon, a moonflower, and a .32 revolver. Botanical illustrators are so rock n roll.
Wormwood: The Goddess Herb
BotanicaNamed after the Greek goddess Artemis, the humble wormwood (Artemisia) is an enigmatic plant indeed, perhaps known best for its involvement in the famous psychotropic green liquid, absinthe....
The Eucalpyt: Medicine & Magic
CultureThe medicinal/magical powers of the Australian Eucalptus tree, as discovered by Ferdinand von Mueller and explored by natural dyer India Flint.
Love Letters to the Eucalypt
CultureAn essay on the Eucalyptus tree as a symbol of Australian nationalistic passion. A great story by Lucy Kaldor.
$100 Million Dollars Worth of Plants
Botanica, CultureThe National Herbarium of NSW at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney is a veritable (and valuable) botanical treasure trove!
Art, Death & Secret Gardens
Art & Design, CultureA wonderful story by Josephine Pennicott exploring the relationship between creativity, loss, and the act of gardening in the lives of two women - Contemporary muse/artist Wendy Whiteley and novelist Frances Hodgson Burnett. A really beautiful read!
The Mallows We Weave
BotanicaOccasionally I get so obsessed with a family of plants that I stalk each member thoroughly, to…
The Temple of Flora
Art & DesignStories of unappreciated artistic genius always strike a chord, and The Temple of Flora – the unpublished…
The Heart Garden
Culture, GardensThere is nothing quite like the sexual tension of an illicit love affair: the meaningful looks and…
Sex, Plants and Frida Kahlo
CultureThe Mexican artist Frida Kahlo kept almighty gardens. She painted furiously, slept with many, and loved like a one-eyed tornado. Sally Wilson explores the passion of the first lady of flower crowns. A brilliant read!
Power to the Flower
CultureIf flowers symbolise love, what does it mean to poke a carnation down the loaded barrel of a soldier’s gun?
No Patriotism in Exaggeration
CultureOn the second-last day of the 1888-1889 Melbourne Centennial International Exhibition a new photographic exhibit appeared in…