Gardens Illustrated - Barbara Segall

Travel has always been a theme in Christian Lamb's life, but put it into the context of her plant enthusiasm and it takes on a new dimension. Christian Lamb takes the search that 'run-of-the-mill' plantaholics might make for 'must-have' plants to extremes, and in the pages of her first book she highlights the travels, the plants and the plant hunters, in whose footsteps she follows. Lamb succumbed to plant-chasing in New Zealand when she was beguiled by the ruddy tones of Echium wildpretii, beautifully displayed on the book's cover. The subsequent hunt for the plant is described in detail, and the seed she finally procured from a Cornish nursery, rewarded her with blooms in May 2004.

Lamb was a Naval officer's wife and spent most of her life living in 'other people's houses all over the world'. She never had the chance to make a garden from scratch, and now in Cornwall she is creating what she calls her living plant  museum. Here she grows the plants that have caught her imagination and seduced  her with their beauty. The garden was just a third of an acre, so Lamb had to limit herself as to number and size of plant. Her aim was to plant specimens that were as true to species as possible.

The text follows Lamb through her various journeys in search of plants brought to our gardens by plant hunters such as Sir Joseph Banks. Her enthusiasm and delight in the project she has undertaken is evident and it is good to see how plants continually inspire and inform our lives.
Most of the photographs taken in the book are of plants in Lamb's garden, some are of plants in their original sites, and most are the work of Lamb herself. They complement the text ably.

The reader is drawn into what at times seems a head-long hunt for plants, with breathing space during side trips into libraries and meetings with other plant enthusiasts. The style is fresh and individual, and at times reads like a diary. There is a wealth of information about plant hunters and their plants. Lamb's living museum may not be complete, but it holds the best of plants from the past and present plant hunters. Lamb puts a human face on the plant hunters and botanists of the past, telling  the reader what she likes about those who have caught her imagination. It is a good read, and Lamb's indomitable spirit and love other plants shines through.