‘Cherry’ Ingram: The Englishman Who Saved Japan’s Blossoms

Abe, Naoke

£10.99

After visiting Japan in 1902 and 1907 and discovering two magnificent cherry trees in the garden of his family home in Kent in 1919, Collingwood Ingram fell in love with cherry blossoms, and dedicated much of his life to their cultivation and preservation. On a 1926 trip to Japan to search for new specimens, Ingram was shocked to see the loss of local cherry diversity, driven by modernisation, neglect and a dangerous and creeping ideology. The most striking absence from the Japanese cherry scene, for Ingram, was that of Taihaku, a brilliant ‘great white’ cherry tree. Multiple attempts to send Taihaku scions back to Japan ended in failure. Over decades, Ingram became one of the world’s leading cherry experts and shared the joy of sakura both nationally and internationally. This book presents a portrait of this little-known Englishman.

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Publish Date: 19/03/2020

Description

The irresistible story of Japanese cherry blossoms, threatened by political ideology and saved by an unknown Englishman

‘This is not just a tale of trees, but of . . . endeavour, war and reconciliation’ Sunday Times

Collingwood Ingram, born in 1880, became known as ‘Cherry’ for his defining obsession. As a young man, he travelled to Japan and learned of the astonishing displays of cherry blossoms, or sakura.

On a return visit in 1926, Ingram witnessed frightening changes to the country’s cherry population. A cloned variety was sweeping the landscape and being used as a symbol for Japan’s expansionist ambitions. Determined to protect the diversity of the trees, Ingram began sending the rare varieties from his own garden in England back to Japan with the help of a network of ‘cherry guardians’.

This is an eloquent portrait of an extraordinary man whose legacy we enjoy every spring, and his unsung place in botanic history.

‘Engrossing . . . A portrait of great charm and sophistication’ Christopher Harding, Guardian

Winner of the 2020 Award for Excellence from The Council on Botanical and Horticultural Libraries

Additional information

Weight 361 g
Dimensions 198 × 129 × 29 mm
Author

Publisher

Imprint

Cover

Paperback

Pages

xix, 380 , 12 unnumbered of plates

Language

English

Edition
Dewey

580.92 (edition:23)

Readership

General – Trade / Code: K