A Plantsman in Nepal

Description

In 1971 a five man expedition journeyed through north-east Nepal in search of seed and plants. For over three months the team travelled with its Sherpa cooks, guides and porters in the rarefied air of the High Himalaya, at that time little explored, and some of the world's highest peaks - Mt. Everest, Makalu and Kangchenjunga - became part of everyday scenery as they marched north towards the border with Tibet. Camping each night on a high pasture, in a ravine, bog or forest, the team discovered an array of interesting and wonderful plants and made over 400 seed collections.
Many of the expedition's finds described are familiar in gardens in the west; many are less well known, but in both cases the author describes their garden potential and performance, often comparing a plant found in the wild, with the same species grown in cultivation. In many cases he discusses the history of the plants, and the plantsmen of old who first introduced them.
As with his previous magnum opus, Travels in China - A Plantsman's Paradise, Roy Lancaster's powers of observation are not restricted to plants and trees; he also describes with great vigour the team's many adventures, the hilarious parties with Tibetan villagers, the birds and animals encountered, the difficulties and delights of employing and travelling with the guides and porters, as well as the resourcefulness, hospitality, charm and day-to-day life of the Nepalese.
The account of the expedition was first published in 1981 and this much enlarged new edition, together with updated nomenclature and an additional chapter on a subsequent visit to Nepal by the author, is accompanied by some 270 colour and 70 black and white illustrations, the vast majority taken by the author himself. It will be irresistible to all gardeners and plant lovers, whether of the armchair or active variety, and a constant source of reference for students, plant explorers and plant historians.

Get the book

Amazon.com

Search the book

eBay.com

Search the book

Similar books

• 

  Flowering Plants of Nepal: an introduction

  Flowering Plants of Nepal: an introduction

• 

  Endemic flowering plants of Nepal

  By Keshab R. Rajbhandari, Mahesh Kumar Adhikari

  Endemic flowering plants of Nepal

• 

  Plants and People of Nepal

  By N. P. Manandhar

  Decades of firsthand study of the ethnobotanical riches of Nepal's flora and the human uses thereof, including field research in all 75 districts of Nepal.

• 

  Handbook of Flowering Plants of Nepal (Vol. 1 Gymnosperms and Angiosperms: Cycadaceae - Betulaceae)

  By K.K. Shrestha, S. Bhattarai, P. Bhandari

  Handbook of Flowering Plants of Nepal (Shrestha et al. 2018) is an updated version of 'Enumeration of the Flowering Plants of Nepal Vols. 1-3 (Hara et al. 1978-1982)' and 'Annotated Checklist of Flowering plants of Nepal (Press et al. 2000) ...

• 

  Catalogue of Nepalese Flowering Plants

  By Keshab R. Rajbhandari, Sushim Ranjan Baral

  Catalogue of Nepalese Flowering Plants

• 

  Plant Propagation for Reforestation in Nepal

  By Malcolm W. Campbell

  Plant Propagation for Reforestation in Nepal

• 

  Literature of Travel and Exploration: An Encyclopedia

  By Jennifer Speake

  It was Jacob's introduction to traveling and living in Asia, the start of a lifelong passion, or, as he described it himself, a lifelong “sickness” called “travel mania.” Before their arrival in Cape Town, Jacob's father died.

• 

  Literature of Travel and Exploration: G to P

  By Jennifer Speake

  Muir , John , Studies in the Sierra , edited by William E. Colby , 1950 . Muir , John , Nature Writings : The Story of My Boyhood and Youth , My First Summer in the Sierra , The Mountains of California , Stickeen , Selected Essays ...

• 

  Primrose

  By Elizabeth Lawson

  This book tells the story of how primroses became so successful, circling the Earth, adapting to human civilization, and yet holding their own on inaccessible craggy summits where they may never be seen.

• 

  Seeds of Fortune: A Gardening Dynasty

  By Sue Shephard

  ... (London 1865) The Secret Life of Flowers (London 1990) The Growth of Gardens (London 1978) A History of British Gardening (London 1990) Pioneers in Gardening (London 1955) Gardening Through the Ages (London 1997) Georgian Gardens ...