Hortus Veitchii: A History of the Rise and Progress of the Nurseries of Messrs. James Veitch and Sons, Together with an Account of the Botanical Collectors and Hybridists Employed by them and a List of the Most Remarkable of their Introductions

Description:

First trade edition. This book contains 'a record of continuous work for over three-quarters of a century in the field of horticulture by one family - work which justly may be claimed to have permanently benefited every garden' by introducing new plants from around the world to the West. The Veitch family (per. 1768–1929), horticulturists, ran important nurseries in Devon and London and commissioned several notable plant hunting expeditions. The Veitch Nurseries were the largest group of family-run plant nurseries in Europe during the 19th century.

The book includes chapters on: Lives of Travellers, Lives of Hybridists, Orchid Species, Orchid Hybrids, Stove and Greenhouse Plants, Insectivorous Plants, Exotic Ferns, Coniferous Trees, Trees and Shrubs and Climbing Plants, Herbaceous Plants, Bulbous Plants, Begonias, Hippeastrums, Orchid Hybridization, Nepenthes, Greenhouse Rhododendrons, Streptocarpus, Fruits and Vegetables.

Condition

Imp. 8vo (284x210mm), orig. maroon cloth, minor wear to extremities, faint ring marks to front board, teg, fore-edge uncut; hinges cracked but firm. Some scattered foxing/spotting. Bookplate of Michael McGarvie. Good.