Synopses & Reviews
The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew is home to some of the most magnificent trees in the world. From pines to palms to plum yews, they are an awe-inspiring, majestic presence in the gardens. Many are decades and even centuries old, including the iconic andldquo;Old Lions,andrdquo; trees that have stood since the Revolutionary War.
Royal Heritage Trees is a fitting tribute to Kewandrsquo;s signature trees and a celebration of their beauty. Japanese artist Masumi Yamanaka illustrates the oldest and finest trees growing at the gardens with forty paintings created exclusively for this collection. Her paintings capture both whole trees and fine details and show the treesandrsquo; foliage and flowers at different stages throughout the year. Martyn Rixandrsquo;s lively descriptions outline the natural distribution and cultivation history of the plants, while Yamanaka provides engaging commentary on the process of painting each tree and capturing the gardenandrsquo;s beauty.and#160;Christina Harrison provides an introductory chapter on the history of tree collecting, from the appearance of trees in the botanic gardens of sixteenth-century Europe to the worldandrsquo;s passion for plant hunting over the next few centuries, which established trees as integral to garden design and landscaping. She also highlights the importance of trees today, from their practical applications to the sheer wonder of their beauty.
This book is an ideal gift for all those lovers of trees and botanical art and a beautiful reminder of our long-standing adoration of these leafy giants.
Synopsis
This book is a celebration of trees, with beautiful botanical art as its centerpiece, accompanied by an entertaining and informative text. The paintings by Japanese artist Masumi Yamanaka illustrate the oldest and finest trees growing at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, showing the flowers and foliage and sometimes fruit at different stages throughout the year. This book accompanies an exhibition at The Shirley Sherwood Gallery of Botanical Art at Kew opening in Spring 2015.
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These unique paintings are accompanied by the artistand#8217;s commentary on the process of painting each tree and her personal experience with them. Masumi also provides an artistand#8217;s preface, describing the progress of the paintings from sketch to finished work.and#160;
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Renowned author Martyn Rix provides detailed text to accompany each tree, describing the natural distribution and cultivation history, as well as other points of interest including uses and associated wildlife.and#160;
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Kewand#8217;s Tony Kirkham provides an introductory chapter describing the history of tree planting at Kew Gardens and the measures taken to keep them healthy, as well as looking at other great arboreta around the world.
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This book is ideal for all those lovers of trees and botanical art, and celebrates the strong association many of us have with trees and their presence in the landscape.
About the Author
Masumi Yamanaka is an award-winning botanical artist currently based at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Tony Kirkham is head of the Arboretum at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and author of many books including The Pruning of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers and Plants from the Edge of the World: New Explorations in the Far East. Martyn Rix is editor of Curtisand#8217;s Botanical Magazine and author of numerous books, most recently The Golden Age of Botanical Art from University of Chicago Press and Rory McEwen: The Colours of Reality from Kew.