Potted history of houseplants in our houses and collections
Houseplants found in our gardens



James Bateman's orchid book
At the age of 26, James Bateman commissioned probably the greatest orchid book ever published, ‘The Orchidaceae of Mexico and Guatemala’. It earned this prodigious title in weight and size alone.
Measuring 30 x 22 inches (76.2 cm x 58.8 cm) and weighing in at 38lb, it’s one of the heaviest books ever produced. Costing 20 guineas, is was issued in parts, on subscription between 1837 and 1843. The subscribers list included Royalty, the aristocracy and wealthy orchid collectors.
Only 125 copies were printed and 55 are known to survive, including this example at Tatton Park in Cheshire. William Tatton Egerton was a keen orchid collector and Bateman was a close family friend, providing many orchids, housed in special orchid houses at Tatton Park.
Bateman was something of a snob, believing that orchid cultivation would and should remain the preserve of the upper echelons of society.
He went on to create one of the most extraordinary and important gardens of the 19th century at Biddulph Grange in Staffordshire.

