A Botanical Odyssey: the (mis)adventures of the plant hunter George Forrest
In this episode of Travels Through Time writer, gardener and panellist on Gardeners' Question Time Matt Biggs travels back to 1905 to see the plant hunter George Forrest as he begins an ill-omened expedition into the mountains of Yunnan. For centuries plant hunters like Forrest had been tempted out into the margins of the landscape in search of prize new specimens. They often travelled at significant personal risk through hostile environments and contested political spaces. George Forrest's 1905 expedition was one of the most fraught of them all. In this episode we watch Forrest in three scenes as the drama of his story unfolds.
More about Matt Biggs at his website: http://matthewbiggs.com/
Matt's book: "Secrets of Great Botanists" https://www.amazon.co.uk/RHS-Secrets-Great-Botanists-Gardening/dp/1784724971
Presenter: Peter Moore
Guest: Matt Biggs
Producer: Maria Nolan
S.C. Gwynne: R101 – The World’s Largest Flying Machine (1930)
Peter Moore: Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness
[From the archive] Philip Hoare: Albert and the Whale (1520)
[From the archive] Bernard Cornwell: The Battle of Waterloo (1815)
Lady Hale: The Rights of Women (1925)
[Live] Flora Fraser: Pretty Young Rebel (1746)
Mike Jay: Psychonauts (1885)
David Veevers: How the World Took On the British Empire (1660)
Leah Redmond Chang: Renaissance Queens and the Price of Power (1559)
Andrew Spira: Botticelli, Perugino and Dürer (1500)
Serhii Plokhy: The Collapse of the Soviet Union (1991)
[From the archives] Craig Brown: Beatlemania (1963)
Honor Cargill-Martin: The Notorious Empress Messalina (48 AD)
Tom Whipple: The Battle of the Beams (1940)
Simon Winchester: Knowing What We Know (1924)
Rebecca Struthers: Elizabeth I, Mary Queen of Scots and Watchmaking History (1572)
Luke Turner: Men at War (1943)
Amy Jeffs: Tales from Medieval England (1327)
Nicholas Orme: A Year of Great Promise (1480)
[From the archives] Jane Rogoyska: The Katyń Massacre (1940)
Join Podbean Ads Marketplace and connect with engaged listeners.
Advertise Today
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
The Best Song Podcast
Irish Songs with Ken Murray
History Obscura
The Rest Is History
American Scandal