Potted History: The Story of Plants in the Home

by Catherine Horwood

There are plenty of books on how to look after houseplants but Catherine Horwood is the first to show us how, when and why these plants came to be found in our homes. We learn how potted plants are as subject to fashion as pieces of furniture. For the Victorians it was the aspidistra in the front parlour; for us it is the orchid in the designer loft. We find that Wedgwood created a market for special bulb pots and that some of Conran's early designs were for houseplant containers. Then there is the story of mignonette: a modest plant once prized in every home for its intoxicating scent – a scent now lost to us for ever. Catherine Horwood's novel combination of social history, plant history and the history of interior design is intriguing. Her illustrations come from a variety of unusual sources since potted plants can be found in many unexpected corners.

Genres: Nonfiction, Plants, Gardening, Nature, History

208 pages, Hardcover

First published October 9, 2007

Reviews

[Jacqueline M. · Rating 3 out of 5]

OK I have some thoughts.
1. This book is written by a British author for a British audience. It's the British view of this topic and all the common names for plants are the British versions.
2. The first third of this book is exceedingly dry. The author relies heavily on quotations from 1500s-1700s and the English is difficult to get through.
3. I appreciated all the discussion from Georgian period forward. There was a lot more interesting information.
4. The last third of the book was the most interesting with discussions on the origins of some of the most popular houseplants, how houseplants have been indicator of socioeconomic status and housing policies throughout time.

TLDR: I didn't hate it, but it was super dry and geared towards a British audience. Some interesting information but I wouldn't recommend it to those not obsessed with houseplants.

[Jer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, it’s not a page-turner, I’ll admit, and maybe 4 stars was generous, but this is such a fun little history of things that we surround ourselves with nowadays, and I enjoyed it. Well, I got through it. Chapters that are 10 pages long really help, but the text is DENSE, so it feels like a lot more than that. It really is just for nerds (plant or history, in all likelihood), but that’s perfectly fine by me. I enjoyed hearing the crazy things people used to do to cultivate houseplants, how people used to think they would make the air inside *worse* (an irony for this in England inhaling clouds of black ash as the industrial age kicked-off)… would have loved some other references or to tap into things like biophilic design, but what it lacks in such connections it makes up for with lots of Latin names. 😅

[Edy Gies · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the things I love about reading was how it connects me with the past and considering my current obsession with houseplants this book made me feel very connected with those early folks who brought greenery into their home for ornamental purposes. This book also made me appreciate the vast array of plant options available to me in the comfortable 21st century. The only drawback is that this was written from a British perspective so some of the information and costs were irrelevant to me. It did change my mental image of London to think of small and dingy houses described by Dickens, with houseplants growing in the corners. Overall, this was a charming read, perfect for any plant lover.

[Rachel E Bell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Effortlessly readable and a fascinating mix of social, design and gardening history. I was delighted to discover that the urge to put plants in an empty fireplace in the summer goes back to the 17th century. The period illustrations are also a delight. One tiny caveat: there are a surprising number of typos and missing words for a book of this quality.

[Jamie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I usually enjoy these types of books, but I found this incredibly dense. The author quoted *very* often in their writing, rather than summarizing in their own words. This was made even more frustrating in that they were quoting old English. I wasn’t enjoying reading because I was having to reread everything several times to understand what was meant.

[Caro · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are interested in plants, this is a nice book. Surprising which were popular now and in te past, some centuries ago.
My son is not particularly interested in plants, but he also liked it, because of the historical and social perspective of plants inside houses.
So, very different perspectives make this book interesting as a whole for quite different persons.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting history and was woven together well. At times the writing was a little superficial, but overall I enjoyed this book, learned some things, and I was surprised by how fast I ended up finishing it.

[Sam Appleby · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good history of houseplants entering the home in England. Some chapters are a bit difficult to get through

[Cricket · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rich history of the European obsession with exotic plants. For a historical account, however, it is a bit difficult to follow along as a chronological narrative doesn't seem to exist throughout.

[Allison Logsdon-Hull · Rating 3 out of 5]

So dry. The book has good info, provided you can get past the number and length of Old English quotes.

[Kelly J · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informative but buckle up cause this book is DRY. I read a lot of dense nonfiction but this one was thick. Thank goodness it’s a short book. That being said, I learned a lot.

[Mason · Rating 2 out of 5]

A rather narrowly focused history of houseplants in the UK.

[B.G. Brainard · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is not about learning how to pot plants, but a history potted plants being brought into the house, especially during the Victorian period in England.