Formal gardens are nice, but never can they equal, much less rival, Nature’s wild gardens. Nothing person-made comes close to being as gracious and triumphant as an alpine meadow in flower. Public domain artworks from Alpine flowers and gardens, painted and described by G. Flemwell (published London, A. & C. Black, 1910) express these sentiments …

The white lily has got to be up there as one of the most popular plants to be rendered in Western art. Over many centuries the main provider of these floral depictions has been paintings of The Annunciation; the Christian and Catholic celebration of archangel Gabriel’s announcement to the Virgin Mary that she would be the mother of Jesus. The majority …