The Flower of Empire

The Flower of Empire
Author: Tatiana Holway
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 339
Release: 2013-03-01
Genre: Gardening
ISBN: 0199911169

In 1837, while charting the Amazonian country of Guiana for Great Britain, German naturalist Robert Schomburgk discovered an astounding "vegetable wonder"--a huge water lily whose leaves were five or six feet across and whose flowers were dazzlingly white. In England, a horticultural nation with a mania for gardens and flowers, news of the discovery sparked a race to bring a live specimen back, and to bring it to bloom. In this extraordinary plant, named Victoria regia for the newly crowned queen, the flower-obsessed British had found their beau ideal. In The Flower of Empire, Tatiana Holway tells the story of this magnificent lily, revealing how it touched nearly every aspect of Victorian life, art, and culture. Holway's colorful narrative captures the sensation stirred by Victoria regia in England, particularly the intense race among prominent Britons to be the first to coax the flower to bloom. We meet the great botanists of the age, from the legendary Sir Joseph Banks, to Sir William Jackson Hooker, director of the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, to the extravagant flower collector the Duke of Devonshire. Perhaps most important was the Duke's remarkable gardener, Joseph Paxton, who rose from garden boy to knight, and whose design of a series of ever-more astonishing glass-houses--one, the Big Stove, had a footprint the size of Grand Central Station--culminated in his design of the architectural wonder of the age, the Crystal Palace. Fittingly, Paxton based his design on a glass-house he had recently built to house Victoria regia. Indeed, the natural ribbing of the lily's leaf inspired the pattern of girders supporting the massive iron-and-glass building. From alligator-laden jungle ponds to the heights of Victorian society, The Flower of Empire unfolds the marvelous odyssey of this wonder of nature in a revealing work of cultural history.

Botany in a Day

Botany in a Day
Author: Thomas J. Elpel
Publisher: Hops Press
Total Pages: 235
Release: 2013
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 9781892784353

Explains the patterns method of plant identification, describing eight key patterns for recognizing more than 45,000 species of plants, and includes an illustrated reference guide to plant families.

What's Inside A Flower?

What's Inside A Flower?
Author: Rachel Ignotofsky
Publisher: Crown Books for Young Readers
Total Pages: 25
Release: 2021-02-02
Genre: Juvenile Nonfiction
ISBN: 0593176502

From the creator of the New York Times bestseller Women in Science, comes a new nonfiction picture book series ready to grow young scientists by nurturing their curiosity about the natural world--starting with what's inside a flower. Budding backyard scientists can start exploring their world with this stunning introduction to these flowery show-stoppers--from seeds to roots to blooms. Learning how flowers grow gives kids beautiful building blocks of science and inquiry. In the launch of a new nonfiction picture book series, Rachel Ignotofsky's distinctive art style and engaging, informative text clearly answers any questions a child (or adult) could have about flowers.

The Digger and the Flower

The Digger and the Flower
Author: Joseph Kuefler
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Total Pages: 48
Release: 2018-01-23
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 9780062424334

From the acclaimed author/artist of Beyond the Pond and Rulers of the Playground comes a breathtaking new book with a powerful message about the environment, perfect for fans of Peter Brown’s The Curious Garden and Kadir Nelson’s If You Plant a Seed. Each day, the big trucks go to work. They scoop and hoist and push. But when Digger discovers something growing in the rubble, he sets in motion a series of events that will change him, and the city, forever. "This story contains bold graphic illustrations and a wonderful message about the environment," proclaims Brightly.com in their article "18 Must-Read Picture Books of 2018."

The Flower Yard

The Flower Yard
Author: Arthur Parkinson
Publisher: Kyle Books
Total Pages: 313
Release: 2021-03-29
Genre: Gardening
ISBN: 0857839926

The Times Best Gardening Books of the Year 2021 'The Flower Yard is simply gorgeous. Inspirational, sumptuous and packed with refreshingly down-to-earth advice. I love this book.' Nigel Slater 'The Kew-trained king of the small-space garden.' Guardian Arthur Parkinson's town garden is like a path of pots, a tiny, exposed stage on bricks. Despite its small size, a flower-filled jungle in Venetian tones is grown here each year, in defiance of urbanisation. The plants act like drapes, closing gently as their growth engulfs the front door, from either side of the path, to the buzz of precious bees. This is gardening done entirely in pots, yet on a grand scale that will inspire anyone who wants their doorstep or patio to be a glamorous and lively canvas that nurtures them visually and mentally. From jewel scatterings of crocus, flocks of parrot tulips and scented sweet peas to galaxies of single dahlias, towering giraffes of amaryllises grown inside for winter and endless vases of cut blooms through the seasons. With his bantam hens at his feet, Arthur shares his life, knowledge, flair and influences for planting creatively, all of which combine to create a space that's rich in ever-changing colour and life.

Dare to Bloom

Dare to Bloom
Author: Zim Flores
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Total Pages: 225
Release: 2020-12-08
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1400218659

Either by choice or by circumstance, we all encounter times of starting over. Seasons of hardships, abundance, seeking, and struggle all have a purpose because growth demands change. Dare to Bloom urges us to be both vulnerable and resilient in new seasons of life as we boldly position ourselves for what God has for us next. Serial entrepreneur and author, Zim Flores (neè Ugochukwu), reveals the challenges she's faced and how even her failures have helped shape her sense of purpose. Her parents had big plans for her life. The daughter of Nigerian immigrants, Zim Flores was uprooted from her community as a young girl, marking the beginning of her quest for true identity. Though she experienced unprecedented worldly success as a teenager and young adult, Zim declares that even when we feel pressured by the world around us, our true identity is never at risk. In Dare to Bloom, Zim offers practical and hard-won truths about: How to reclaim your true identity How to surrender your desired outcomes to God How to move forward after broken friendships How to find comfort during your darkest hours How to navigate new beginnings with hope for whatever is next How to joyfully participate in your own story--even when you don't know what the future holds Dare to Bloom is a powerful gift for readers in times of transition or struggle who need a reminder that their true identity never changes. It empowers those who feel stuck in their current circumstances to follow God obediently into the unknown, finding joy in each new beginning. Inside you'll find: Breathtaking photography from Zim's travels Thoughtful questions for reflection at the end of each chapter Zimisms--wisdom-filled phrases from the author When everything changes around us, it can be easy to think that we're only as good as our last success. Though our identities are challenged day by day, Dare to Bloom encourages us to reclaim our identity in God, who is unchanging through it all.

Botany in a Day

Botany in a Day
Author: Thomas J. Elpel
Publisher:
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2000
Genre: Botany
ISBN: 9781892784070

This book teaches readers how to identify plants--and their uses--within groups and families. Botany in a Day provides simple techniques for plant identification, plus line drawings that highlight family characteristics, and plant entries that discuss med

Have You Ever Seen a Flower?

Have You Ever Seen a Flower?
Author:
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Total Pages: 48
Release: 2021-05-04
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 1797201123

Have You Ever Seen a Flower? is an enchanting picture book exploring the relationship between childhood and nature. In this simple yet profound story, one child experiences a flower with all five senses—from its color to its fragrance to the entire universe it evokes—revealing how a single flower can expand one's perspective in incredible ways. • Authorial debut of award-winning illustrator Shawn Harris • Reminds readers to appreciate the beauty of the world • Full of bright, stunning illustrations Have You Ever Seen a Flower? is a beautiful exploration of perception, the environment, and humanity. • Perfect read-aloud with thought-provoking questions • Ideal for nature lovers • For fans of The Little Prince, The Giving Tree, Not a Box, and The Very Hungry Caterpillar

The Night Flower: The Blooming of the Saguaro Cactus

The Night Flower: The Blooming of the Saguaro Cactus
Author: Lara Hawthorne
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Total Pages: 33
Release: 2024-01-09
Genre: Juvenile Nonfiction
ISBN: 153623284X

Hawthorne delivers an exquisitely illustrated picture book about the Saguaro cactus which grows in the Sonoran desert in Arizona and its flower, which blooms only one night a year. Full color.