Recreating Eden: A Natural History of Botanical Gardens
Véhicule Press
ISBN:1-55065-151-X
$24.95 CDN/ $18.95 US
If you would like to invite Mary Soderstrom to speak to your group about the gardens she visited while researching this book, contact Véhicule Press at marketing@vehiculepress.com.
Recreating Eden: A Natural History of Botanical Gardens is more than pictures of beautiful flowers and landscape arrangements; more than a guide to some of the loveliest sites in the world; more, even, than a short and lively history of the development of the idea of a botanical garden. It is the story of mankind´s search for the right place, a search which has been going on since our ancestors wandered on the plains of East Africa. Because of this, the book will appeal to the amateur historian and philosopher as well as the garden-lover.
Last revised June, 2007
To find out more about Mary Soderstrom
Dr. Peter H. Raven--Director of the Missouri Botanical
Gardens.
"A splendid work that traces in detail-- in a way that is both historically
and botanically interesting-- the diverse ways in which botanical
gardens have developed at different periods of time and in different
countries. Excellent research, and an outstanding writing style."
Montreal Gazette--Saturday August 19, 2001
Louise Abbott
"Each chapter is pleasingly and instructively illustrated with antique
illustrations of floral species, along with archival and contemporary
black and white photographs of the gardens under discussion.
There´s also a cluster of colour photographs in the centre. . . Since
this book deserves a long shelf life, I hope it will be updated and
reissued at intervals. "
La Presse - Dimanche 15 Juillet 2001
David Homel
« Il faudrait lire le nouveau livre de la montréalaise Mary Soderstrom,
publié en anglais par le trÉs montréalais éditeur Véhicule Press, et
sorti en plein pour la saison du jardinage... vous apprendrez une
quantité de choses sur les jardins botaniques partout dans le
monde, de Singapour À -- bien sûr -- Montréal. Même avec les
illustrations et les photos en noir et blanc et en couleurs, ce livre, qui
est À la fois un guide touristique, ne coûte que 24,95 $. Je salue
l´éditeur d´avoir pensé au consommateur! »
Montreal Review of Books – Spring & Summer, 2001
Margaret Goldik
"The photographs, many taken by the author, are beautiful, and the
small botanical-themed woodcuts sprinkled throughout the book add
an old-fashioned charm. Recreating Eden can be used as a
guidebook . . . but it is much more. This is a great summer read for
armchair travellers, history buffs, and gardeners."
Part I Gardens of Empire
The Garden of the Dutch Empire: Leiden
Part II Gardens of the 19th Century
Part III Gardens of the 20th Century
A Garden to Educate and Delight a Nation: Montreal
Part IV: Gardens of the Future
While there are many illustrated histories of gardening and many guides to famous gardens, Recreating Eden is unique. It begins with a short essay on the appeal of gardens, touching on both the gardens found in the world´s holy books and on the recent studies by evolutionary psychologists which suggest that humans have built-in desires for certain kinds of landscapes. Then it goes on to discuss the reasons why botanical gardens developed, using nine particularly outstanding gardens as examples. Photographs taken at these gardens illustrate the book in both colour and black and white. At the back of the book are short guides to each of the gardens. Since the book is small format, it can be taken along to visit the gardens, but since the photographs and reproduction are of excellent quality, it can be enjoyed by the armchair traveller and gardener also.
Hortus Botanicus of the University of Leiden, Holland
Rapenburg 73
P.O. Box 9516
Telephone:071-5277249
57, rue Cuvier, Paris Ve
Telephone: 01 40 79 30 00
For an electronic visit, click here
Entrance fees: Free
Hours: 7:30 to 17:30 (5: 30 p.m.) in the winter, and until 20 H (8 p.m..) in the summer.
Size: 28 hectares (67 acres)
Date Founded: 1635 by edict of Louis XIII
How to Get There: Metro Censier-Daubenton, and then follow the signs east. Or Gare d´Austerlitz, and walk west. The gates are opposite the Pont d´Austerlitz. Or buslines 24, 57, 61, 63, 65, 67, 89 and 91
What to Look for in Particular: This is a garden which Paris has grown up around. Specimen trees: a black locust dating back to 1625, a gem of an alpine garden, glasshouses which inspired Henri Rousseau to paint his jungle scenes. Interesting exhibits and lectures about natural science in the Grand Galerie de l´évolution.
Other Nearby Gardens Worth Visiting: In the immediate vicinity is the Jardin de Luxembourg: formal gardens around the Palais de Luxembourg, built by Henri IV for his queen Marie de Medici (Metro Luxembourg). Also Jardin Tino Rossi, a sculpture garden along the Seine downstream from the Pont Austerlitz. Grand views of the river, as well as lovely rhododendrons in May. The Musée de Cluny (corner of Boulevard Saint-Michel and Boulevard Saint-Germain) recently opened a medieval garden in fall 2000, too.
And don´t miss the Arboretum national de ChÉvreloup in Versailles. A good day trip is to visit the gardens at Versailles in the morning, and then spend the afternoon in the Arboretum. The contrast is striking: one is crowded and very formal, the other is nearly deserted and very much a nature refuge. From the Versailles train stations take the B or H bus to the stop at the Parly II shopping centre. Don´t be put off by the un-gardenlike surroundings, but get off and walk past the shopping centre where you´ll find an underpass leading to the arboretum.Back to the beginning
Kew, Surrey, Richmond
Telephone: +44 (0) 20 8332 5655 (opening times etc., 24 hours)
For an electronic visit, click here
Entrance Fees: Adults, £6.50, Children sixteen and under accompanied by an adult, free; Senior citizens, full-time students, the unemployed and those on income assistance programs, £4.50. In addition there are special rates for season tickets..
Hours: Open at 9:30 daily, with varying closing times depending on the season (4:15 p.m. in winter, to 7:30 p.m. on summer weekends). Closed Christmas Day and New Year´s Day.
Size: 180 hectares (440 acres)
Date Founded: Usually counted from the time when Frederick and Augusta, the Prince and Princess of Wales began developing the garden in 1759. It had a second birth in 1844, however, when it became separately funded and run.
How to Get There: The Silverlink or District Line to Kew Gardens Station, with a five minute walk through the charming village of Kew is probably the easiest. The website has detailed bus and car directions. And there is boat service up the Thames from Westminster. Arrivals and departures aren´t frequent but you can imagine that you´re a Royal courtier, coming up to enjoy the simple life.
What to Look for in Particular: Where to start? Kew is magnificent and worth a day or more if you have the time. The Palm House, Princess of Wales Conservatory and Temperate House are outstanding greenhouses, while the grounds are just simply beautiful. Start walking, and whatever you see will be amazing.
Other Nearby Gardens Worth Visiting: Wakehurst Place is Kew´s sister garden, and is not as easy to get to, but offers several different habitats and an Elizabethan mansion. Tel: 01444 894066 Haywards Heath is the nearest train, then it´s six miles by taxi or bus (81 and 82, plus the 88 on Sundays and Bank Holidays.) In London the Chelsea Physick Garden still exists, and is open on Wednesday and Saturday afternoons. And London is full of parks with grand horticultural displays. Tulips in Embankment Park or Holland Park are gorgeous in May, for example.Back to the beginning
1 Cluny Road
Singapore 259569
Telephone: 4717361
For an electronic visit, click here
Entrance Fees: Admission to the garden is free. The National Orchid Garden: $2 S. for adults, $ 1 S for children.
Hours: open daily from 5 a.m. to midnight.
Size: 47.4 hectares (117 acres)
Date Founded: 1859 as part of the network of colonial botanical gardens, loosely linked to the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew. All South East Asia´s rubber plantations are descended from 11 rubber plants acclimatized here. It currently is deeply involved in taxonomy
How to Get There: You can get direct flights to Singapore from the West Coast on several airlines, or by way of other major Asian cities. Or go the other way round: Air France has flights from Paris and since you allowed one stop-over you could visit the Jardin des plantes on the same trip. Once you arrive, you´ll find Singapore´s public transportation system is excellent, and it´s worth buying the little Transitlink Guide for $2 to help you get around. The botanical gardens can be reached by taking several buses, among them the 7, 77, 106, 123 and 174 buses from the Orchard MRT station.
What to Look for in Particular: The palm trees, the orchids, the anthuriums: everything that you ever grew as a house plant is here but three times as big. Singapore is a rich, jazzy, safe bit of Asia. From the time you leave the airport, you´re surrounded by flowers and greenery, the result of 30 years of Green City policy. Consider visiting the botanic gardens early in the morning, late afternoon or early evening: at midday it´s so hot you´ll want to retreat to air-conditioning or sit under a fan.
Other Nearby Gardens Worth Visiting: Bukit Timah Nature Reserve covers the top of Singapore´s highest hill (164 m) and includes 164 hectares of original jungle. Take the 67 bus from the Newton MRT station. The Chinese and Japanese Gardens on the western end of the island are commercial gardens well worth seeing: take the MRT to the Chinese Garden Station. The Manda Orchid Gardens are a nursery which grows nothing but orchids: take the 137 bus from Ang Mo Kio MRT station. Back to the beginning
4344 Shaw Boulevard
P.O. Box 299
St. Louis MO 63166-0199
Telephone: (314) 577-9400
For an electronic visit, click here
Entrance Fees: The Missouri Botanical Garden is free for members of the Garden, while residents of St. Louis get a discount. For visitors from 13 to 64, admission is $7.00, seniors age 65 or more it is $5.00 and children 12 and under are free. Admission to the Tower Grove House if free to members and children under 6, $3.00 for adults, and $.50 for children between the ages of 6 and 12.
Narrated tram rides are $3.00 for adults and free for children under 2.
Note: Some special events may require an additional charge.
Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, except for Mondays from Memorial Day to Labor Day when the garden is open until 8:00 p.m. Wednesdays and Saturdays the grounds are open for walking from 7-9 a.m. Closed Christmas Day
Size: 31.6 hectares (79 acres)
Date Founded: 1859 by a Henry Shaw, and Englishman who´d made his fortune in the frontier town of St. Louis, and then, influenced by the great Victorian gardens, decided to make a botanical garden for his fellow citizens.
How to Get There: The Missouri Botanical Garden is accessible via public transportation by taking the MetroLink to the Central West End station and catching the Garden Express shuttle bus. When coming by car, watch for the exit signs off Interstate 44
What to Look for in Particular: This garden mixes many small garden areas with many pieces of sculpture and fountains. Since St. Louis can be very hot, the water features are particularly lovely. The Japanese and Chinese gardens are authentic and beautiful, while many other features educate and amuse.
Other Nearby Gardens Worth Visiting: Shaw Arboretum 35 miles southwest of St. Louis
in Gray Summit, Missouri, at the intersections of Hwy. 100 and Interstate 44. St. Louis has two huge parks with fine gardens, Tower Grove Park and Forest Park. St. Charles, 30 minutes by highway west of St. Louis, is the state´s first capital, and the place where the Louis and Clark expedition started out. You also can get down near the un-flood controlled Missouri river too. Back to the beginning
200th St. and Kazimiroff Boulevard
Bronx, New York, N.Y. 10458
Telephone: (718) 817-8700
For an electronic visit, click here
Entrance Fees:
The Garden grounds admission is $3 for adults; $2 for senior citizens and students; $1 for children 2-12. Separate fees for the tram ride, Everett Children´s Adventure Garden, Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, Rock Garden and Native Plant Garden and Narrated Tram Tour. Garden Passport which includes all these is $10 for adults, $7.50 for seniors and students and $4 for children ages 2 to 12
Hours
The Garden is open all year. 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (April - October) 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (November - March) Tuesday - Sunday and Monday Holidays. Closed Mondays, Thanksgiving, and Christmas Day.
Size 100 hectares (250 acres)
Date Founded: 1891, with the sponsorship of New York´s movers and shakers. Support from them has continued throughout its history.
How to Get There: The Garden is easy to reach by public transportation: 20 minutes from midtown, 20 minutes from midtown, 20 minutes from central Westchester, 10 minutes from major bridges, and 20 minutes from Grand Central Terminal via Metro-North Railroad to the Garden´s Main Gate.
What to Look for in Particular: The Enid A. Haupt Conservatory is a lovely Victorian glasshouse filled with plants from ecosystems around the world. The hemlock forest at the center of the garden is unique, and a hint of what New York was like before Europeans arrived. But the garden contains 48 separate gardens and collections which would be difficult to see in one visit. Perhaps the best strategy is to look carefully at the brochure handed out when you enter. It suggests circle tours, based on what part of the garden is at its best that particular season.
Other Nearby Gardens Worth Visiting: The Cloisters is part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. They sit on the tip of Manhattan and offer the reproduction of a monastery garden inside a building inspired by medieval church buildings which is filled with real art works from the period. The Brooklyn Botanical Garden, is a smaller, younger botanical garden, but lovely nonetheless.Back to the beginning
4101, rue Sherbrooke Est
Telephone: (514) 872-1400
For an electronic visit, click here
Entrance Fees: Jardin and Insectarium, from April 28 to Nov. 4: Adults, $10.00. Age 65 and more and students, $7.50; age 6 to 17, $5.00. The rest of the year: Adults, $7.25; age 65 and students, $5.75; age 6 to 17, $3.75 . The summer time tram tour is free. Special rates are available for the Jardin, Insectarium and BiodÙme. Discounts are given to Montreal residents with the AccËs MontrÉal card.
Hours: Early November to mid-June, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; from mid-June to mid-September , 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.; from mid-September to early November , 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Open every day of the year. Christmas and New Year´s holiday schedule: noon to 5 p.m.
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Size: 75 hectares (185 acres)
Date Founded: 1939: Brother Marie-Victorin, a cleric/botanist and Henry Teuscher, a landscape architect trained in Europe and the United States, had been planning a botanical garden for years. They were able to use the make-work projects of the 1930s to built the garden. Since then it has becomes one of the largest and best in the world.
How to Get There: Get off at the Pie IX Metro station and walk up the hill or catch the bus 139 Bus (keep your Metro transfer). Or take the 185 bus on Sherbrooke East. When going by car, find SherbrookeStreet, the longest street on the island of Montreal. If you drive along its easter section you will eventually reach the Jardin. Need a landmark on the skyline to orient yourself? The tower of the Olympic Stadium is nearby.
What to Look for in Particular: This is another big garden, so taking the tram ride (free in summer) will give you a good overview of the Jardin. But if you want just a quick look-around, hit the exposition and economic gardens just north of the restaurant, swing through the Jardin alpin, make a quick visit to the Chinese and Japanese gardens, and finish things up by a look at the greenhouses.
Other Nearby Gardens Worth Visiting: The Morgan Arboretum in Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue on the western tip of Montreal Island is worth a trip. The city in summer is also full of horticultural displays, which seem to be the legacy of a mayor who formerly was director of the Jardin. For those with time for trips further afield: Old Field Garden in Alexandria, Ontario (2 hours west of Montreal) and the Jardin de Métis six hours east of Montreal on the south shore of the St Lawrence). Back to the beginning
9th Avenue at Lincoln Way
Golden Gate Park
San Francisco CA 94122
Telephone (415) 661-1316
For an electronic visit, click here
Entrance Fees: Free
Hours: Open every day of the year. Weekdays: 8 a.m. to 4:30 p m. Weekends and holidays 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.. Free guided tours daily at 1:30 p.m.
Size: 22 hectares (55 acres)
Date Founded: Opened in 1940 in Golden Gate Park, but many trees had already been planted since an arboretum and botanic garden had been desired since the 1870s.
How to Get There: Lincoln Way crosses U.S. Highway 1 about a half mile west of Strybing. Public transportation. Strybing is served by several bus and streetcar lines. Call (415) 673-MUNI. for information.
What to Look for in Particular: In this garden without greenhouses, plants from Mediterranean climates are the standout feature. Check out the South African, Chilean and Australian sectors, as well as the Cloud forests, both South-East Asian and Meso-American. The Arthur L. Menzies Garden of California Native Plants has great explanatory materials, and is unllike what you´ll find in other botanical gardens. The Garden of Primitive Plants also is unique.
Other Nearby Gardens Worth Visiting: Across the Bay, the University of California at Berkeley has a 35 acre botanical garden in the hills behind the campus which is definitely worth the trip. Also interesting in spring is the Rhododendron Dell in Golden Gate Park and the Berkeley Rose Garden. Back to the beginning
6804 S.W. Marine Drive,
Vancouver, B.C. V6T 1Z4.
Telephone: (604) 823-9666
For an electronic visit, click here
Entrance Fees: Adults: $4.75 ($6.00 including the Nitobe Gardens), Student (Grades 1 to 7), $2.00; Student (high school, community college, university) $2.50; Age 65 and older, $2.50; UBC student with card, free; children under 6, free. Note: fee schedule may change.
Hours: Spring/Summer hours 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. .daily. From October 9 to March 15: 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.. The Nitobe Garden is not open weekends in winter.
Size: 21 hectares (51.5 acres)
Date Founded: 1912, but current garden begun in 1968
How to Get There: The Spanish Banks # 42 will get you there. By car, you can take 16th Avenue to Marine Drive. The gardens are located on the corner. From the South, take Southwest Marine Drive once you cross the Oak Street Bridge.
What to Look for in Particular: Be sure to stop at the Nitobe Memorial Japanese Garden before you get to the botanical garden proper. Once there you won´t be able to miss the David C. Lam Asian Garden which is simply splendid. Also interesting are the Food Gardens, the Physick Garden and the gorgeous displays of perennials in many places
Other Nearby Gardens Worth Visiting: The Sun Yat Sen Garden in downtown Vancouver, and the VanDusen Botanic Gardens about 5 kilometers east of UBC. Back to the beginning
To find out more about Mary Soderstrom
www.geocities.com/marysoderstrom/ marysoderstrom@hotmail.com Check out Mary Soderstrom’s Blog Recreating Eden
In the Beginning Was the Garden....
Table of Contents
The Garden of the French Empire: le Jardin des plantes in Paris
The Garden of the British Empire: The Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew
A Gem of a Garden in the Tropics: Singapore
Henry Shaw´s World Class Garden: St. Louis, Missouri
Toward an American Kew...and Beyond: New York, N.Y.
The Flowers of San Francisco
A University Garden on the Western Shore: Vancouver
The Gardens at a Glance
Leiden
2300 RA
Leiden
Le Jardin des Plantes in Paris
The Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew
Singapore Botanic Gardens
The Missouri Botanical Garden
The New York Botanical Garden
Le Jardin botanique de Montréal
Montréal QC H1X 2H2
Strybing Arboretum and Botanical Gardens
The University of British Columbia Botanical Garden and Plant Research Centre
