Gardens exhibit rare book of royally-inspired paintings

RARE prints detailing the flowers that have bloomed into life during the past seven years in Prince Charles’ famous Highgrove garden, have gone on show at Harrogate’s RHS Harlow Carr Gardens.
By The Newsroom
Published 3rd Aug 2011, 07:00 BST

The Royal Horticultural Society gardens has obtained the extremely rare Highgrove Florilegium, a limited edition two-volume publication containing 124 prints of watercolour paintings by leading botanical experts from across the world, inspired by the Prince of Wales’s organic country garden at his Gloucestershire home.

Just 175 sets of the books, which are hand-bound by Yorkshire master binder Stephen Conway exist. They are the first English florilegium to be inspired by a royal patron in existence.

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And the RHS say it is a huge coup to have acquired the book, which will be on display until September 6.

Botanical artist Sally Strawson, who trained at Doncaster School of Art and is a member of the Florilegium Society at Sheffield Botanical Gardens, is one of 72 artists featured in the book, which is also signed by the Prince.

Botanical drawing and painting can be traced back to the ancient Greeks, but soared in popularity during the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries.

Related topics:Prince CharlesGardensHarrogatePrince