The Fair Botanists: Could one rare plant hold the key to a thousand riches?

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There’s no getting away from it, the nights are fair drawing in. So embrace the falling leaves, cold … Published: 12:00 PM Index, a History of the by Dennis Duncan review – a delightfully readable A to Z

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I have been giving talks across the country to tell people how our goods are ethically and environmentally sourced. We are selling through a British company, Zaytoun, which is Arabic for olive. The book itself centres around a rare plant that flowers only once in its life – and let’s just say that many of the characters have their own needs and vested interests when it comes to flowers, seeds and the like! They are quite differently strong," says Sheridan. "Elizabeth could have just shut the door at Inverleith House and never gone out, but the gardens provided an outlet for her. She had experience with botanical illustration and that was something a lot of women got involved with. As rare and lush as the Agave flower itself, The Fair Botanists is a richly realised, transportive delight’ Rachel Rhys Of the main protagonists, Belle Brodie was my favourite character. Independent minded and ambitious, she is prepared to pursue a life of pleasure without concern for social conventions. Using the knowledge she possesses that others would not want made public, she determinedly pursues her aim of developing a scent that she hopes many will pay a fortune to possess.This is what we fear. Look, I don’t hate Israel, and want a two-state solution. And I certainly do not hate Israelis or Jews. It is the settlers who are the problem – uncontrolled, with the Israeli army, supposedly there to protect us, usually turning a blind eye.

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I have written lots of things from 1820, 1830 and 1840 – that is a period I know well," she says. "Although, normally, it is more about explorers and adventurers on a physical journey." Sheridan describes The Fair Botanists as "a bit of a romp", adding she wasn't sure initially if the editor who commissioned it would like the finished book. In the summer of 1822, amasses of trees seem to move through Edinburgh town centre, ready to root themselves in the new, sumptuous Botanical Gardens. Mr McNab runs the glorious gardens and is especially proud of the rare Agave Americana aloe that looks set to flower – an event which only occurs once in a century. Elizabeth, newly widowed and ready for a new adventure, arrives at the house of Clementina, her late husband’s aunt. She is soon drawn towards the beauty and allure of the Botanical Gardens and as a keen artist she positions herself as the flower’s official portrait maker. Belle Brodie is a high-end courtesan who has a secret passion for botany and the art of perfume creation. She hopes to create the perfect love potion that will cement her fortune. Will the Botanical Gardens give both women a fresh sense of purpose? Or will their secrets lay them exposed and bare? This really added to the feel of the story and made me feel much more immersed and absorbed while reading.Botanist and physician Robert Graham, the 6th Regius Keeper of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, attempts to wangle an invite to the big royal soiree and makes some questionable life choices as the plot progresses. And there is more we have to endure as we also have far less water now to help nurture our trees – just as the climate is in crisis. The Israelis, who control 85% of our water, regularly cut off our supplies. Yet Israel has built up water reserves for 30 years. Under the instruction of head gardener William McNab, the collection from the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE) is being slowly and painstakingly moved from its former home at Leith Walk to Inverleith. Sheridan has penned more than 20 books including cosy crime noir set in 1950s Britain (her popular Mirabelle Bevan Mystery series) and historical novels based on the real-life stories of late Georgian and early Victorian explorers.

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Ian Parsons has spent several years living permanently in Extremadura and now splits his time between his native county of Devon and his beloved vulture landscape, where he leads bird tours introducing people to the birds and the area he clearly loves. I loved the detail about the scents, the botany (who knew about the rivalry between Kew and other botanical gardens?) and the domestic trivia - Elizabeth is living in a house with dreadful bread! This is a great question. I suppose historical fiction is an exciting vehicle to explore our own time. You can’t understand where you are or make good decisions about where you’re going if you can’t see where you’ve come from. So it’s that. Good historical fiction allows you to make that connection on a visceral level – it’s a time machine.The whole of Edinburgh waits with baited breath for the American aloe plant to flower. The fate of the characters rests on the successful outcome of the plant. Mr McNab up to his knees in debt is relying on the sale of the aloe’s seeds to feed and clothe his family. Miss Brodie whose current ladies bathing oil is a roaring success at the apothecary; is relying on the aloe’s flowers as the secret ingredient to the success of her new love potion. Elizabeth is relying upon the aloe’s blooms to symbolise and herald hope and happiness for her future. Add into the mix the impending arrival of King George III, everyone pulls together to try to make the visit triumphant and perhaps bring fresh, new and much needed investors to the Botanical Gardens. Unfortunately it doesn't produce many seeds, yet everyone seems to want a piece of the plant for their own. Sheridan published Where Are The Women? in 2019, bringing together more than 1,200 stories of Scottish women from history whose achievements had been overlooked or forgotten. Some of that research carried into The Fair Botanists. Published: 8:30 AM Love and Deception: Philby in Beirut by James Hanning review – the spy who loved, maybe I absolutely enjoyed this book, it is a mix of historical fiction, romance and botany. It is set in 1822 in Edinburgh as the Botanical Gardens are being moved. There is excitement in the city as large trees and plants of various sorts are gradually moved to their new home. I did actually look this up on the internet and there is some really good reading regarding this move.