A love story for plants. “The Plant Messiah” is the nickname given to Carlos Magdalena, an asturian who, from an early age, was attracted to the world of plants.
However, it was not until he was 28 that he began training and working as a botanical horticulturist, eventually becoming one of the most renowned horticulturists in the Royal Botanic Gardens of Kew (London).
In his book it is possible to find botanical aspects, such as plant reproduction systems and conservation strategies, biographical aspects, which include his childhood experiences and his extraordinary work saving species from their extinction and a critique of the lack of plant heritage conservation policies, landscape transformation and, in general, the impact of our civilization on the environment.
A couple of quotes from the book:
“I believe that each species has the right to exist without the need to justify its existence and that it should not be eliminated due to irresponsibility or economic interests.”
“The battle between those of us who use propagation knives to obtain cuttings and those who use axes to cut down trees is a bit of a David vs. Goliath fight. But we already know who won in that story.”
And a more complete review of the book in the journal Mètode from the Valencia University.