Maggie Campbell-Culver

Maggie Campbell-Culver FLS, Garden & Plant Historian, Writer, Lecturer Maggie Campbell-Culver is a Garden and Plant Historian, and a Fellow of The Linnaean Society. She has worked on a number of gardens in Sussex and Cornwall, and was the Garden Conservationist at Fishbourne Roman Palace nr Chichester. In Cornwall Maggie undertook the garden and landscape restoration of Mount Edgcumbe. In September 2001 after five years research she published The Origin of Plants a chronology of the plants introduced to Britain, and the people who have shaped Britain’s garden history from the earliest times. The book was short-listed for a Guild of Garden Writers Award, and the paperback edition was published in Spring 2004, and is recommended reading for people enrolling in garden courses .

Maggie is one of the editors for the 2006 edition of The Oxford Companion to the Garden and has contributed to the Insight Guide Great Gardens of Britain and Ireland . She is a contributor to English Heritage Handbook on Management of Historic Parks, Gardens and Landscapes. She is a frequent contributor to the Eden Project Friends magazine, and has had articles published in magazines such as: Country Life , The Tablet, The Countryman  etc as well as the French magazine Britmag. 

A Passion for Trees, the Legacy of John Evelyn is Maggie’s second book and was published in 2006. This focuses on Evelyn’s 1664 book ‘Sylva A Discourse of Forest Trees and commemorates the tercentenary of Evelyn’s death. A keynote lecture was given to the Linnaean Society (May 2006), as well as to Plant Heritage (NCCPG), Surrey Gardens Trust, and the Eden Project. Maggie is a consultant to Lewes District Council for their project on the John Evelyn Heritage Centre at Southover Grange. Maggie’s latest book explores the 17th century horticultural world of John Evelyn, Directions for the Gardiner and Other Horticultural Advice and was published by OUP in May 2009.

She has completed a book (at present) entitled Charlemagne and his Flora. The Foundation of European Cooking: in the year 800the Emperor ordered that a list of eighty-nine plants had to be grown on all Imperial land throughout his kingdom to feed the travelling court, the army, and to help avoid famine. The plants are a mixture of vegetables (carrots, peas, spinach onions etc) herbs (sage, thyme, mint and so on) salads (rocket, lettuce fennel) fruits (peaches, plums, apples pears etc) and nuts(hazel, walnuts). Although no one realised it at the time the chosen plants laid the foundation of modern European cooking. She is also working on three further book synopsis: ‘Street Trees of the World’, ‘Be a Plant Detective – Know what you Grow’ and ‘Food of Empires’ plus Maggie is developing a TV synopsis entitled ‘Down the Garden Path’.

Maggie is presently involved in giving a series of plant talks to Brittany local radio and where she also lectures. She has completed a lecture tour in Ireland and is a frequent contributor to BBC’s Women’s Hour. She has also lectured at the Edinburgh Book Festival, Dartington Festival, and the Garden History Society, she is an RHS Regional Lecturer,. Maggie is a founder member of Plant Heritage (NCCPG), and has been involved for many years with the Garden History Society and latterly the Gardens Trust movement.

Next is the Siberia title and Chelsea dates: 'COMING IN FROM THE COLD , the FLORA OF SIBERIA' PLANT HERITAGE Exhibition of Siberian flora that Britain now grows in its gardens at RHS Chelsea Flower Show 20th-24th May 2014

Published books: The Origin of Plants. The People and Plants That Have Shaped Britain's Garden History A Passion for Trees, The Legacy of John Evelyn Directions for the Gardiner, and Other Horticultural Advice. OUP 'CHARLEMAGNE AND HIS FLORA, The FOUNDATION OF EUROPEAN COOKING' (in manuscript form)