Journal—
Our story, Black Teal Bay news and developments… as well as what inspires us.
Book Reviews: The History of the World in 100 Plants
“We still couldn’t live for a day without plants” says Simon Barnes . His book focuses on the 100 plants that have had the greatest impact on humanity. with a chapter on each - from the Strangler fig to the Strawberry which have changed the course of history.
Book review: The Hidden Universe: Adventures in Biodiversity
The Hidden Universe written by Alexandre Antonelli the Director Science at the Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew is a concise overview of biodiversity – what it is, how it works, and why it’s the key to saving life on our planet and in combating climate change.
Book review: Heart of Flame: Katherine Mansfields Flowers and Trees
Katherine Mansfield the outstanding original short-story writer who adored flowers and the natural world. Her passion shone through in her short stories (such as The Garden Party), poems and letters, all complied in this beautiful book.
Book review: Saffron A Global History
Saffron: A Global History explores the history and cultural impact of the world’s most expensive and prized spice, its threads literally worth their weight in gold.
Book review: Weeds and What They Tell Us
“Weeds and What they Tell Us” is a classic book written in the 1950’s that outlines common weeds, how they grow, what to do about them and what they can tell us about soil health.
Book review: Silent Spring
Silent Spring is one of the most influential environmental books of the 20th century. Exposing the destruction of insects, birds, rivers through the widespread use of poisonous pesticides.
Book review: By Any Other Name. A Cultural History of the Rose
Across history the rose has been a symbol of many things, often irreconcilable: of mortality, of immortality, of virginity and of decadence. By Any Other Name tells the story of the rose.
Book review: Soil. The incredible story of what keeps the earth, and us, healthy
Soil is the story of how dirt makes us and can break us and how we are all responsible for protecting this finite resource.
Book review: This Book is a Plant
This book is a Plant shows us how plants sustain life on earth. They are sensitive, complex and interconnected beings, playing surprisingly active roles in ecosystems and human societies.
Book review: Mindful Crafting: The Makers Creative Journey
Mindful Crafting: The Makers Creative Journey by Sarah Samuel is a book that explores our relationship with our creativity and self-expression, and how crafting and mindfulness can together calm our mind, body, and soul.
Book review: The Book of Seeds
The Book of Seeds is a fully illustrated guide to 600 seeds ranging from everyday plants and trees to some of the weirdest plants on Earth. The seeds featured in the book have been selected from the estimated 370,000 seed bearing plant species on Earth
Book review: Life in the Garden
Booker Prize winner and bestselling author Penelope Lively has always been a keen gardener. Gardening, along with reading have been the two central activities, in her life along with her writing. Life in the Garden represents her reflections and appreciation of the role gardening has played in her life.
Book review: The Insect Crisis
The Insect Crisis is a wakeup call of the very real threat to our global ecosystem from collapsing insect populations. In his book Oliver Milman explores the little understood emergency of declining insect populations and argues that the threat of an “insect apocalypse” and its consequences could rival climate change.
Book review: Derek Jarman’s Garden
Jarman’s Garden was initially released in 1995 a year following his death from Aids and was re-reprinted in 2021. It is a very personal final book - by artist, filmmaker, theatre designer and activist Derek Jarman on his life and garden at Prospect Cottage.
Book review: The Jewel Garden
Monty Don has now written a total of 25 books but The Jewel Garden stands apart for its real message is not really about gardening but coping with life’s challenges.
Book review: The Worm Forgives the Plough
A timeless classic by writer John Stewart Collis telling the story of his second world war experiences as a naïve farm laborer together with wide-ranging reflections on rural life and nature at this time of transition from traditional to mechanized farming.
Book review: The Ghost in the Garden
The Ghost in the Garden is a fresh perspective of Charles Darwin told through the lens of “The Mount”, the seven acre estate where Darwin was born and spent his childhood up to the age of 16.
Book review: Rooted
Rooted explores connections between humans and the wild, natural world and focuses us back on how we can learn to live with the natural world at the crossroads of science, nature, and spirit.
Book Review: Orwell’s Roses
George Orwell is best known for novels such as “Animal Farm” and “1984,” that focused on the decline of empire, the rise of fascism and the tyranny of communism. What is less well known is that in 1936 he planted roses in the garden his small rented country cottage and remained a keen gardener throughout his life.
Book review: The Sakura Obsession
The Incredible Story of the Plant Hunter who Saved Japan’s Cherry Blossoms by Naoko Abe