“The Brother Gardeners: Botany, Empire and the Birth of an Obsession"
presented by Andrea Wulf

In this beautifully illustrated lecture, award–winning author Andrea Wulf, tells the tale of a small group of 18th century naturalists that made England a nation of gardeners. It’s the story of a garden revolution that began in America with farmer John Bartram, who transformed the English landscape with the introduction of hundreds of American trees and shrubs. The lecture explores the botanical passions, obsessions, friendships and squabbles that knitted together the lives of six men that changed the world of gardening and botany. The six men included John Bartram, the cantankerous Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus and Joseph Banks who joined Captain Cook's Endeavour on the greatest voyage of discovery of modern times. Friends, rivals and enemies, their correspondence, collaborations and squabbles make for a riveting human drama set against the backdrop of the emerging British empire and America's magnificent forests. As botany and horticulture became a science, the garden became the Eden for everyman.

Andrea Wulf was born in India, moved to Germany as a child, and now lives in Britain. She is the author of several acclaimed books. The Brother Gardeners won the American Horticultural Society 2010 Book Award and was long-listed for the Samuel Johnson Prize in 2008. Her book The Founding Gardeners was on the New York Times best seller list. Andrea has written for many newspapers, including the Guardian, LA Times, and New York Times. She was the Eccles Brititsh Library Writer in Residence in 2013 and a is a three-time fellow of the International Center for Jefferson Studies at Monticello. In 2014, she co-presented a four-part BBC TV garden series and speaks regularly on the radio. You can learn more about her at www.andreawulf.com. 

The cafe will be open for dinner prior to the lecture from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. A booksigning and dessert reception will follow the lecture. 

Cost of the lecture is $10 for members and $14 for non-members. Space is limited. Please call (402) 346-4002, ext. 201 or email m.sears@omahabotanicalgardens.org to register and make payment by April 5.