Botanica

Botanica will be my debut work of creative nonfiction, published by Elliott & Thompson (UK) and Chelsea Green (US) in 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 I was astonished by the oversights, ommissions, and outdated approach of what was out there, and I realised they were wrongs that I — a professional historian of empire — was uniquely positioned to right.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, redwoods, morning glories, peppers, wisteria, poppies or maples the same way again.

In the meantime, if you’d like a sense of my recent writing, look for my ‘Big Idea’ essay in the January 2026 issue of Gardens IIlustrated or browse my Substack archive. You’ll find some of my older work on The Boston Review, Theos Think Tank, and Institute for Social Futures websites.