Tatiana M. HolwayReseñas

Good. More about Paxton than I wanted. That the water lily technology created the Crystal Palace is a reasonable follow up. I would have liked more extensive discussion of the biology of the water lily. It is quite remarkable.

At the dawn of the Victorian era, Britain was mad for gardening. Regular discoveries of new flora, the drawings and specimens that survived the journey back to London, and the technological advances of the second industrial revolution helped to fuel that passion. Beginning with Schomburgk’s fortuitous discovery in 1837 of the massive Victoria Regia – the eponymous Flower of Empire – continuing with Paxton’s Crystal Palace and the Great Exhibition of 1851, Holway weaves together an impressive narrative. From never-ending challenges facing Schomburgk in the new British colony of Guiana, to the rivalries described between various botanists and organizations to be the first to publish new species discoveries, and further explored by describing how technological and social change helped raise a humble garden boy, Paxton, to knighthood, the highly researched Flower of Empire recounts the changing world of this colossus flower.
I personally found the story of Paxton the most interesting and developed. We follow his career from the beginning as a humble garden boy at the Horticultural Society’s Chiswick Gardens, to his appointment at just age 20 to the position of Head Gardener of Chatsworth and the changes he brought to that estate, to knighthood by Queen Victoria. His rise to success was facilitated by a favourable relationship with the Duke, Paxton received a gentleman’s education when he assisted the Duke’s travel on the Continent; he returned a changed man. Holway refers to this experience throughout descriptions of his career to explain his comfort with a variety of situations and perhaps as an influence to his innovations. As head gardener he worked to make Chatsworth a haven of botanical wonders by designing new gardens, innovative glass houses, and created elaborate displays for both notables and the press. Becoming the first man to coax the water lily to blossom, he secured the influence to submit and secure the commission to design the Crystal Palace. Paxton was not just a botanical man, he worked with his wife Sarah -- who often supervised and played a prominent role in managing his affairs as he was often away from the Chatsworth gardens– in managing their interests in the railway industry.
Holway’s text is a fascinating botanical and sociological review of the far reaching impact of one flower on the empire.
I received my review copy through LibraryThing Early Reviewer’s Program/Net Galley.

I'm an avid gardener and I loved this book. I enjoy gardening history books and this one is at the top of my list of most interesting.

“The Flower of Empire” is about the discovery and cultivation of the giant water lily (Victoria regia) named in honor of Queen Victoria. This book does not focus solely on the flower itself, but also paints a fascinating portrait of the Victorian Era in terms of English colonization, industrialization/architecture, horticulture, and general culture. The histories of the diverse cast of individuals responsible for discovering and cultivating the giant water lily are intricately interwoven with the other topics of the book mentioned above. The author’s writing style and voice shine through in the book, making it both descriptive and fluid - one often forgets that this is a work of non-fiction as one imagines themselves slogging through Amazonian swamps or visiting the gardens at Kew. I fully recommend this book.½

This was a wonderful book! I didn't want to put it down. This history of the quest to have the bigger, better, more extensive garden in the early to mid 19th century was fascinating. It read like a cross between a mystery novel and a travelogue. The hunt to find and present this wonderful flower to Queen Victoria crosses oceans as well as gardens. The lust to have the bigger better greenhouse among the elite and wealthy class in 19th century England culminated in the building of the Crystal Palace for the 1850 World Exposition in London. As I have been reading this book I have recommended it to any one who would listen--it is THAT good!

The book was very informative and unlike a typical non-fiction that tends to be too monotonous, this was packed with humor to the full as the various exploits and adventures of Schomburgk, Lindley and Paxton, all of whom made it possible for the world to view this marvelous water lily.

The book follows the discovery, difficult hothouse cultivation and final showcasing of a giant water lily discovered in the Amazon in 1837. Using the lily almost as a backdrop, the focus is really this 14 year period of the Victorian era itself. Industrialization, colonization, architecture, class structure, science, aristocracy and royalty are all illuminated by this awesome flower. I enjoyed this book from beginning to end. There are many heroes here too, including, Schomburgk, the discoverer of the plant; and Paxton, the Duke of Devonshire’s gardener and "Renaissance man". The author has done a fabulous job of fleshing out the principals with interesting details and created a highly readable narrative.
I am amazed that what was a British national (and possibly multinational) focus of this period..a giant water lily with petals five feet across, is a plant I had never heard of before this book. Now I really want to see one!½

Interesting subject matter, about the newly found water lily and the quest to bring it to the Royal Gardens. But, it was a bit heavy on the details for me. For fans of the Victorian Era, or botany, this would be a great read.½

Very interesting book about the large water lily found in British Guiana which was named after the newly crowned Queen Victoria. The desire to bring the flower to England and to bring it into bloom and how it influenced the continuation of the Royal Gardens at Kew and the architecture of the Crystal Palace in 1851. Enjoyable read. A glimpse at the beginning of the Victorian Era.

In 1837, Robert Hermann Schomburgk risked his life and his livelihood on a commission for the newly formed Royal Geographical Society. His mission was to explore the rivers and geology of the new South American colony of British Guiana and report back his findings. While fighting through waterfalls, clogged rivers, and epic swarms of mosquitoes, he encountered what he called a “vegetable wonder.” It was a water lily almost 10 feet in diameter with a giant, beautiful pink flower. He named it the Victoria lily in honor of the heir apparent to the throne at the time. The flower and its subsequent effect in revitalizing the botanical sciences in England are the subject of Tatiana Holway’s Flower of Empire.

While Schomburgk was being eaten alive in the South American jungle, British botany was experiencing a bit of a renaissance. Upper crust types were expected to keep immaculate gardens, keep up on flowering practices, and generally contribute to the beautification of the country. But, ironically, the country’s best arboreteum—the Kew Gardens—was in a major decline by the 1820s and 1830s. The first champion of the science, Sir Joseph Banks, built the Gardens into a powerhouse of research and beauty, but after his death, the gardens fell into extreme disrepair.

Once the giant water lily was first introduced to scientists in Europe, the race was on germinate a specimen from seed for public display. The flower, after all, was named after the Queen (she ascended to the throne the year the flower was discovered). In 1840, the royal family adopted the Kew Gardens as the Royal Botanical Gardens and hopes were high. So when, Sir William Hooker was tapped as the first official Director of the Gardens, we went about tidying up the joint and admitting the public with gusto again. Chief among his interests was getting the lily growing. His failed attempt to bring the lily to flower in 1847 only made him try harder and get help from the surrounding botanical community. Gone were the days of scientific isolationism. If the flower was to grow, they would need lots of help. Finally, by April 1849, a gardener employed by the Duke of Devonshire, Joseph Paxton, got the flower to show itself on British soil. The lily’s coup de grace was an exhibit in the Crystal Palace at the Great Exhibition of 1851. The technology and care needed to shepherd such a plant to fruition this far outside its natural habitat was astounding.

While Holway’s book is ostensibly about the creation of the Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew, there is so much more here. There is a thorough history of Schomburgk’s expeditions to South America and a wealth of background on both the botanical sciences and British botanical scientists alike. While the obsession with the lily (and other plants mentioned) was not quite on par with the Dutch tulip bubble of the 1630s, it still captivated the attention of the nation, and Holway does a very good job of creating that sense throughout the book. It does get a bit long-winded when going into the minutae of botanical discovery and identification, but those bits aren’t that long to begin with. If you’re a fan of architecture or science history, then this one is for you.½

A extremely readable and most enjoyable account of the giant water lily known as Victoria regia, described in 1837 and named to honor the new Queen Victoria herself. Holway's done scads of good research into the discovery of the plant, the long-running efforts to grow it successfully in Britain (which brought about all kinds of new technological developments in the process), and into the lives of those associated with both. Related discussions into the history of botanical explorations, the royal gardens at Kew, and the early years of Victoria's reign fit nicely into the narrative.½