A Cumbrian author and botanist has made it her mission to shine a light on some of the forgotten, often pioneering women who have been immortalised in plant names.
Dr Brenda Leese of Windermere has just published There She Grows Again, a sequel to her 2018 debut work, There She Grows.
The new book, which details the lives of 39 fascinating women – wives, royals and goddesses – has already been praised by Advolly Richmond, writer and plant historian who regularly appears on BBC Gardeners’ World.
Ms Richmond said: "This book is a wonderful gem which tells the stories of a wide range of women. I found this book very informative and full of delightful surprises with plenty of background information and useful sources.
"So often people get forgotten in history, usually women whose identities started to fade as soon as they had adopted their married name."
Brenda’s meticulously researched and written books are thought to be the first to bring together such a diverse range of women and to tell their stories.
The books are aimed not only at gardening and nature enthusiasts but anyone interested in biography, history and the roles of women in society.
Brenda, who volunteers at Holehird Gardens, home of the Lakeland Horticultural Society, in Windermere, said: ‘It's astonishing how many of these women's achievements were marginalised or diminished during their lifetimes.
Women were excluded from scientific societies with the view that botany should be the preserve of men and not be an amusement for ladies, who were regarded as “amateurs”.
While botanical art was acceptable as a “genteel diversion” many women published anonymously because if they didn't their work would be ignored or dismissed as unworthy.’
Brenda herself became a wildflower collector as a child growing up in 1950s Lincoln.
While her career took her into academic research in human health sciences her passion for plants continued and eventually she signed up to a three-year horticultural BTEC course at the then Newton Rigg College, Penrith.
Brenda has lived in Cumbria for 15 years and is proud that her books are very much a Cumbrian enterprise.
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