author
Reginald Farrer
1880–1920
A brilliant, eccentric plant hunter and garden writer, he helped spark a lasting enthusiasm for rock gardens and alpine plants. His books mix travel, botany, and strong opinions, shaped by expeditions from the Alps to East Asia.
1 Audiobook
The Sundered Streams: The History of a Memory That Had No Full Stops
by Reginald Farrer
About the author
Born in London on 17 February 1880 and closely associated with Clapham in North Yorkshire, Reginald Farrer became one of Britain’s best-known gardeners, plant collectors, and nature writers. He is especially remembered for popularizing rock gardening through My Rock Garden and for bringing unusual alpine and Asian plants to wider attention.
Farrer traveled widely in search of plants, exploring places including the Alps and parts of East Asia. Kew describes him as an important figure in alpine gardening, and later horticultural groups continued to honor his influence, including through the Farrer Medal awarded by the Alpine Garden Society.
His life was short but adventurous. He died in Burma on 17 October 1920, aged just 40, yet his mix of sharp prose, botanical curiosity, and daring fieldwork gave him a reputation that has lasted well beyond his own era.