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"From the hanging gardens of Babylon to that fiddle-leaf fig in your living room, from Victorian England to modern-day Instagram, houseplants have been humanity's adored companions for a millennia. Taming the Potted Beast explores the history of our air-purifying friends with a tale of the unexpected, often dramatic, cultivation and domestication of the not-so-humble houseplant. With historical vignettes, DIY plant projects, and plenty of accessible tips and tricks for caring for your own historical houseplants, Taming the Potted Beast takes readers on a botanical adventure through the ages, entertaining and enlightening plant lovers as they discover the historical significance of houseplants, and the cultures form which they emerged"--
About the author
Molly Williams is the author of Killer Plants: Growing and Caring for Flytraps, Pitcher Plants and Other Deadly Flora and she writes regularly for Apartment Therapy's gardening and horticulture section. She grew up on a flower farm and is now a professor of writing in New England.
Summary
The colorful, peculiar history of the houseplant—from ancient Rome to Victorian England to Instagram—a botanical adventure full of histrionic highs, devastating lows, and sensational turning points along the way.