Botanica

Botanica will be my debut work of creative nonfiction, published by Elliott & Thompson (UK) and Chelsea Green (US) in spring 2027.

I had the idea to write a book re-telling the stories of how plants from the Americas got to England and beyond while learning plant identifications for my Royal Horticultural Society qualification in Practical Horticulture back in 2019. I was astonished by the oversights, ommissions, and outdated approach of what was out there, and I realised they were wrongs that I — a British-American global historian and professionally-trained gardener — was uniquely positioned to right.

Working with my agent Ludo Cinelli of the Eve White Literary Agency in London, I developed the book project that became Botanica — moving from the 15th century through the present day, encompassing the length and breadth of the Americas, fleshing out the difficult histories of the garden plants we love. If I do my job right, you’ll never look at dahlias, sunflowers, pines, peppers, wisteria, poppies or maples the same way again.

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