Below is a selection of plant-inspired cover designs from recent fiction releases by some inspired contemporary artists. Underneath those are more artworks, from older books, mostly non-fiction, taken from the fabulous Pinterest board of João Henriques. Landmarks by Robert Macfarlane, Hamish Hamilton. Cover by Stanley Donwood Weathering by Lucy Wood, Bloomsbury Publishing. Cover by Greg Heinimann The Betrayers by …

Rain in an Oak Forest by Ivan Shishkin, 1891 Trees hold a special power over the human psyche, perhaps because we identify with their individuality and perhaps because, like us, they link earth to the heavens, reaching skyward even as they root to the ground. Our respect for the knowledge and sublimity of trees invests …

A garden can help with relaxation and inner peace, but if you don’t have a garden to hand, or the garden you do have is too cold and wet right now, then a good alternative is a garden to colour-in. The book Secret Garden by Johanna Basford has sold over a million copies worldwide and …

Two recent plant art photographic books worth contemplating while laying in a grassland meadow or alternatively standing in the Tate Modern bookshop. Scott McFarland, Snow, Shacks, Streets, Shrubs McFarland is a wonderful photographer. His extensive focus on gardens and plants works in his favour here too. This collection of previous years’ work has a good selection of such …

If you are making a living out of photography, you must be good. If you are making a living out of wild plant photography you’re a genius. There is not much call for wild plant photographs these days, especially macro shots that offer a portrait of an individual plant. Some talented individuals have success with …