This page lists various Florilegium Societies and other Botanical Art Groups
that exist to develop and display artwork related to flowers, trees and plant life in general.
​
CONTENTS:
  • Florilegium Societies - An introduction to Florilegium and the purpose of Florilegium Societies. Then listings of societies across the world
  • Online Botanical Art Groups and Forums
  • Other Botanical Art Groups​
To find out more about each Society or Group click the link to their website.

Publications associated with various Florilegium Societies are also highlighted on this page. 
Find out more about The Florilegium and famous Florilegia and Flora projects of the past in the Art History Section
Tell me about your Florilegium Project / Book
If you have a name (and URL) for a group which is active and exhibiting and/or online please complete the form at the bottom of this page to have it added to the list. There's also a form for if you have a new book about your florilegium paintings.

Florilegium Societies
​

a Florilegium is a formal botanical illustration record of a collection of flowers and plants. It's typically been used in relation to the creation of a formal record of plants found in a garden of significance.
Exhibition Review: The Highgrove Florilegium at the Garden Museum
Whereas the florilegia of the 17th Century were created to portray the beauty and novelty of those plants brought back from the colonies, the modern florilegium may be seen as a conservation tool, instrumental in recording for posterity collections of plants within a chosen garden’ 
[Anne-Marie Evans - The Daily Telegraph, Saturday 26 April 2008]
Florilegium Societies aim to compile a record of all the living plants and flowers in a particular garden or place. Such records can be made in a variety of art media used for botanical art e.g. watercolour, pencil, pen and ink.
​
The History of the Florilegium: Florilegium is a latin word and the plural is Florilegia. You can read about the history of Florilegia in the History section.
Is your Florilegium Society missing?
If you're a member of a Florilegium Art Society which ought to be included here please leave a note of the name and the URL of its website plus its purpose and activities in the form at the bottom of the page.
The Florilegium Book: ​A developing tradition amongst contemporary Florilegium Societies is to produce a record of their work for posterity in the form of a book of their paintings. Below you will find examples of these. 
  • Some - such as the two volumes of paintings from the Highgrove Florilegium followed the example of the past - and are very high quality, very expensive and by subscription only. 
  • Others are much easier to access and purchase!
Are you planning to publish a book?
If your Society is planning a book please advise its title, planned publication date and other relevant details by leaving details in the form at the bottom of the page.

Australasia - Australia
​

​The Florilegium Society at The Royal Botanic Gardens & Domain Trust 
​

Picture
The RBG Sydney Florilegium Exhibition at the Shirley Sherwood Gallery at Kew Gardens - Summber 2018
​Founded: ?
Website: https://www.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/science-conservation/botanical-illustration
No. of artists: 44 artist members
No. of paintings in Florilegium Collection: This is the current list of paintings of plants by various member artists. 
​Aim: A florilegium of contemporary botanical paintings of historically significant plants has been created and donated to the Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust. This is the first collection of its kind in Australia. ​

Enquiries are welcome from Australian and international artists. The majority of the artists are Australian, as well as from the United Kingdom, Japan, Korea, the USA, Canada, France and New Zealand.​
​This exhibition celebrates the renaissance in the long tradition of botanic art and demonstrates the botanical and horticultural development of the Royal Botanic Garden and its links with domestic gardens and the public landscapes of New South Wales over 200 years from 1816 to 2016.
Florilegium: Sydney’s painted garden was 
  • a major exhibition held by Sydney Living Museums at the Museum of Sydney from 30 July to 30 October 2016.
  • ​a major exhibition at the Shirley Sjerwood Gallery at Kew Gardens in the Summer of 2018
This is a first class exhibition and one very definitely one not to be missed. It sets a very high international standard for a large exhibition of a Florilegium.
Katherine Tyrrell
THE CONTRIBUTING ARTISTS
AUSTRALIA
CANADA NETHERLANDS​ NEW ZEALAND​ SOUTH AFRICA UK - ENGLAND UK - SCOTLAND  USA
REFERENCE:
The Florilegium, Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney Celebrating 200 years
by Colleen Morris and Louisa Murray
Preface by Dr Shirley Sherwood
​
READ my Book Review: "The Florilegium: The Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney: Celebrating 200 Years"

The book documents the botanical and horticultural development of the garden and is being published to celebrate: It contains 87 paintings - displayed on full colour plates - by 41 Australian and23 overseas artists. A double page spread for each plant includes a full colour plate, a description of the plant and narrative about its history within the RBG Sydney. 

Each period of development within the Botanic Gardens is covered and plants will include 
  • species relevant to that period e.g. the vegetation that grew around Farm Cove in 1788
  • the collectors, botanists, horticulturalists and directors
  • changing horticultural fashions. 
The book also includes: an historical overview of the Gardens and  information about the florilegium society and biographies of the 64 artists and the two authors.
The Florilegium. Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney
The Florilegium. Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney. Celebrating 200 Years: Plants of the Three Gardens of the Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust
Publication Date: 16 April 2016

Book available from Summerfield Books

Wollongong Botanic Garden Florilegium Group
​

Formed: 2012
Website: no website but page 4 of this link provides more information
Facebook: ​Occasional posts about the Art Group on the Facebook Page for the Botanic Garden 
Aim: The group developing is a collection of works to record local flora represented in the gardens.
​Meets once a month in the gardens for a day of sharing, drawing, painting and learning.

UK - England
​

whereas the Florilegia of the 17th Century were created to portray the beauty and novelty of those plants brought back from the expanding colonies, the modern Florilegium may be seen as a conservation tool, instrumental in recording for posterity collections of plants within a chosen garden. 
Anne-Marie Evans, Honorary President of the Chelsea Physic Garden Florilegium Society and an important promoter of the development of florilegia in the UK

The Highgrove Florilegium 
​

Picture
The Highgrove Florilegium - on display at the Prince and Patron exhibition at Buckingham Palace to celebrate HRH Prince of Wales's 70th Birthday
This is the first Royal Florilegium in the UK. 

Location: Gloucestershire
​Founded: The Highgrove Florilegium project started in 2000.
No. of artists: 72 artists - see below for list of names
No. of paintings in Florilegium Collection: 120 watercolours in two volumes
​Publisher's website
​Aim: To provide a historical record of the plants in his garden at the private home of HRH The Prince of Wales in Gloucestershire and to mark the Prince's achievements in his garden. Painting and horticulture are two major interests of the Prince of Wales.

The first volume was completed in his 60th birthday year.
​In published form it comprises 175 numbered sets of two volumes which together have 124 plates.
Picture
The Highgrove Florilegium (Volume 1) published by Addison Publications
​I've written about it three times
I've seen it twice in recent times. Once on the large footstool in front of the fireplace in the Drawing Room at Clarence House. Again, the the Prince and Patron exhibition (Summer 2018) at Buckingham Palace to mark the Prince of Wales's 70th Birthday.
THE CONTRIBUTING ARTISTS
The contributing artists are no longer listed on the publishers website(!) - so I'm redressing the balance as to who actually created the book here.
AFRICA - NORTH
  • Ann Judith Harris-Deppe (b. Accra, Ghana)
AFRICA - SOUTH
  • Gillian Condy (b. Kenya)
  • Celia Crampton (b. Nyasaland, now Malawi)
  • Margaret King MBE, JP (b. Zimbabwe)
  • ​Vicki Thomas (b. South Africa)
  • Sally Townshend (b. East London)
AUSTRALASIA
  • ​Beverly Allen (b. Sydney)
  • Fiona McKinnon (b. Darlinghurst)
  • ​Anne O’Connor (b. Sydney)
  • ​John Pastoriza-Piñol (b. Melbourne)
  • Jenny Phillips (b. Victoria)
  • Jennifer Wilkinson (b. Launceston)
  • ​Susan Worthington (b New Zealand)
CANADA
  • ​Sheila Siegerman (b. Kamloops)
FRANCE
  • Angélique de Folin (b. Paris)​
JAPAN
  • Noriko Hasegawa (b. Tokyo)
  • Mayumi Hashi (b. Nara - now UK)
  • Mieko Ishikawa (b. Tokyo)
  • ​Junko Iwata (b. Nagoya, Japan)
  • Kumiko Kosuda (b. Miyagi Prefecture)
  • Yumi Kamataki (b. Chiba)
  • Noriko Tobita (b. Kanagawa-Ken,)
    Erico Tosaki (b. Kawasaki)​
NETHERLANDS
  • Anita Walsmit Sachs-Jansen (b. Den Haag)
SWITZERLAND
  • Marie-Christine Bouvier (b. Geneva)
UK - ENGLAND
  • Helen Allen FLS (b. London)
  • Fay Ballard (b. Twickenham)
  • Caroline Barber (b. Bristol)
  • Isobel Bartholomew (b. Birmingham)
  • Stephanie Berni (b. Bristol)
  • Evelyn Binns (b. Orpington)
  • Valerie Bolas (b. Dover)
  • ​Dr Valerie Bradburn (b. Sidcup
  • Jenny Brasier (b. Alvechurch)
  • Dr Andrew Brown (b. Carshalton)
  • Jane Bruce (b. London)
  • Elizabeth Cadman (b. Chelmsford)
  • Flappy Lane Fox (b. Farnborough)
  • Chrissie Lightfoot (b. London)
  • Jill Coombs (b. Horsham)
  • Joanna Craig-McFeely (b. Beckenham)
  • ​Sally Crosthwaite (b. Woking, England)
  • Brigitte E.M. Daniel b. Beaconsfield)
  • Rachael Dawson (b. Dronfield)
  • Elisabeth Dowle (b. London
  • Josephine Elwes (b. London)
  • Kate Evans (b. Liverpool)
  • Yvonne Glenister Hammond (b. London)
  • Sarah Gould (b. Leicester)
  • Lucinda Mary Grant (b. London)
  • Josephine Hague (b. Liverpool
  • Jenny Jowett (b. Bromley
  • ​Christabel King (b. London)
  • Katherine Manisco (b. London)
  • Jill Mayhew (b. Essex)
  • Susan Ogilvy (b. Kent)
    Annie Patterson (b. RAF Halton)
    Juliet Percy (b. Bromley)
  • Kay Rees-Davies (b. Brighton)
  • Lizzie Sanders (b. London)
  • Elaine Searle (b. Birmingham)
  • Sally Strawson (b. Yorkshire)
  • Susanna Stuart-Smith (b. Birmingham)
  • Sally Vincent (b. Leicestershire)
  • Amanda Ward (b. London)
  • ​Hazel West-Sherring (b. Kingston upon Hull, England)
  • Jane Wright (b. Dorchester)
UK - SCOTLAND
  • ​The Hon. Gillian Foster (b. Dumfries)
UK - WALES
  • Diana Carmichael (b. Penrhyn Bay)
USA
  • Kate Nessler (b. St Louis (MI),
  • Janet Rieck (b. Chicago)
  • Jessica Tcherepnine (b. London then USA)

The Chelsea Physic Garden Florilegium Society 
​

Location: Chelsea Physic Garden, London)
Website: None. There is a page on the Physic Garden website
Founded: 1995 - by Margaret King and Wendy Page
No. of artists: ?
No. of paintings in Florilegium Collection: c. 500 watercolours and 150 drawings (all work is donated for the benefit of the garden)
​Aims:
  • To record, in paintings and drawings, the 5,000 plants listed as growing in the Chelsea Physic Garden.
  • to further general awareness of this exacting method of portraying plants - through occasional exhibitions of and books about drawings and paintings in the Collection
  • To help promote Florilegia worldwide
It now holds periodic exhibitions of its work at the Chelsea Physic Garden - although these are not annual.
  • 2005 - Apothecaries’ Artists, Paintings of Plants Cultivated in the Physic Garden
  • 2013 - Treasures from a Hidden Garden: Plant portraits by the Florilegium Society
  • 2015 - London's Secret Garden
(see Review: 'London's Secret Garden' Exhibition at the Chelsea Physic Garden​ and the banner image at the top!)
Picture
Chelsea Physic Garden Florilegium Society - exhibiting at the RHS Botanical Art Show (Feb. 2015)
In 2013, the Society also exhibited at the RHS ​Inner Beauty? Paintings of Medicinal Plants by the Chelsea Physic Garden Florilegium Society 

​It celebrated both its 10th and 20th anniversaries with the publication of a book - both of which you can find below.

​This is the Facebook Page for Chelsea Physic Garden
Flower Paintings from the Apothecaries' Garden
​Contemporary Botanical Illustrations from Chelsea Physic Garden
by Andrew Brown
​The aim of the Chelsea Physic Garden Florilegium Society is to document - through botanical illustration - all the plants in cultivation within the Chelsea Physic Garden. The garden dates back to 1673 when the Worshipful Society of Apothecaries created it. 

​This book was produced to celebrate the first 10 years of The Chelsea Physic Garden Florilegium Society. The archive of paintings created in the first ten years included some 500 paintings by fifty-six artists. This book includes good quality reproductions of fifty-six of the paintings, one by each artist. The book includes a listing of the complete archive to date, including paintings and ink drawings.
Hardcover: 136 pages
Publisher: Antique Collectors' Club Ltd; illustrated edition (July 2005)

​​BUY THIS BOOK IN THE UK
Rated 4.8 out of 5 stars by 5 customer reviews (UK)


​​BUY THIS BOOK IN THE USA
Botanical Illustration from Chelsea Physic Garden
​by Andrew Brown and members of the Chelsea Physic Florilegium Society


​The Florilegium Society started its work in 1995 and to date has created some 500+ botanical illustrations.
This book contains plates of 79 works from the archive of c.500 artworks in the archive of the Chelsea Physic Garden - with 78 reproduced as full colour plates. It also celebrates the 20th anniversary of the founding of the Chelsea Physic Garden Florilegium Society. The illustrations by members of  range from watercolour to pen-and-ink, graphite and coloured pencil. The plates are accompanied by notes about and the purposes for which it was was cultivated, as well as the botanical and common names of the plant and its family. All the plants grown in the garden are those used in the past by apothecaries for medicinal purposes.

The book also explains about the history of the garden, the nature of a florilegium and the role of botanical illustration in recording plant material.
BUY IN THE UK
Hardcover: 176 pages
Illustrations: 78 colour
Publisher:  (23 April 2015)
​Hardcover: 
Publisher: Antique Collectors' Club
Publication date: UK - 10 March 2016 and USA - August 2, 2016

​Rated 4.8 out of 5 stars by 5 customer reviews (UK)
BUY IN THE USA
Hardcover: 136 pages
​Publisher: Antique Collectors Club Dist
Publication date: USA - May 22, 2015

​Rated 4.8 out of 5 stars by 5 customer reviews (UK)

Eden Project Florilegium Society 
​

Location: Cornwall
​Website: http://epfs.org.uk
Founded: 2000 by Mally Francis (Chair 2001-2012).
No. of artists: more than 25 Painting Members
No. of paintings in Florilegium Collection: c.100 paintings - you can see images of all the paintings online on their website
​​Aim: The Society has a number of aims:
  • to record the plants of The Eden Project and Cornwall through use of traditional methods of botanical illustration, by observing and recording plants, in watercolour, pen & ink, and/or pencil and preparing Herbarium specimens.
  • hold exhibitions of artwork produced, to promote interest in the Society and in the plants of The Eden Project.
  • promote the affiliation between the Society and other Florilegium Societies and Botanic Gardens throughout the UK and abroad.​​
​This Society has an interesting website with lists of plants and painting guidance for assessment of
  • becoming a member
  • submissions for the archive
Picture
Panoramic view of the Eden Project and the Biodomes
NEW! A Coming of Age: Celebrating 18 Years of Botanical Painting for the Eden Project
by The Eden Florilegium Society (Author: Ros Franklin)
"When you view the works in the Florilegium, try to quell any impatience you might have and dwell a little time on each work. By looking closely you see into the wonder of living things, their complexity and their total fitness for purpose. Only by allowing yourself this luxury of time can you feel that tingling go up your spine which signals a glimpse of something very special." ​
--Sir Tim Smit KBE (Co-Founder of The Eden Project)
Ros Franklin is the current Chair of the Eden Florilegium Society.

This book records 18 years of dedicated work by members of the Florilegium Society. There are now There are over 140 paintings in the archives donated by 31 different artists, many of whom exhibit nationally and internationally and hold RHS Gold medals for their work.
Hardcover: 120 pages
Publisher: Two Rivers Press
Publication date: 1 May 2018

BUY IN UK
BUY IN USA​
​“Each artist donates their time and their paintings generously to The Archives and The Trustees of The Eden Project. In gratitude and in order to acknowledge their generosity, skill and talent, this book has been written and compiled to help bring their work to a wider audience and demonstrate the quality of botanical illustration held by the Trustees. I hope it inspires our current members (of which there are 22 actively painting) to continue to paint and document this inspirational collection of plants, and others to join. This is my gift to these very special people.”
Ros Franklin, Chairman of the ‘Flori’.

Sheffield Botanical Gardens - Florilegium Society ​
​

Location: Sheffield
Website: ​​www.florilegiumsheffield.org.uk
Founded: April 2002
No. of artists: c. 70 active Associate Members, Full Members and Fellows. 
No. of paintings in Florilegium Collection: ?
​Aim: The Florilegium Society was established to
  • produce an archive of botanically accurate artwork of national and historical importance to Sheffield Botanical Gardens.
  • support the role of Sheffield Botanical Gardens as a centre of excellence for Horticultural and Botanical Education.​
​Botanical artists are invited to take up Associate Membership. This is The Florilegium Society at Sheffield Botanical Gardens Facebook Page
Picture
Sheffield Botanical Gardens

Hampton Court Palace Florilegium Society ​
​

Location: Hampton Court Palace
Website: www.florilegium-at-hamptoncourtpalace.co.uk​
Founded: 2004
No. of artists (past and present): ?
No. of paintings in Florilegium Collection: 198 artworks in the Florilegium collection at the end of 2015.
There are Galleries of Images on the website of all the artwork are organised by the year in which it was added to the collection
Aim: To produce botanically correct paintings and drawings of the plants growing in the gardens and glasshouses of Hampton Court Palace where plants include the famous ‘Great Vine’ planted in the 18th Century and the historic 17th Century Queen Mary II Exotiks Collection. 

This is a link to the past and current member artists who have contributed work to the Florilegium. Members meet at the Palace once a month, in order to paint, research plant material and to enjoy a variety of speakers and workshops. Full Members must submit one painting in October every year to be considered for inclusion in the HCP Florilegium Archive.
​
The group exhibited their  botanical paintings of the Queen Mary Exotics Collection grown at Hampton Court Palace at the RHS Botanical Art Show in 2009 and were awarded an RHS Silver Medal.  The website provides galleries of the paintings of plants produced each year.
Picture
Hampton Court Palace: The former Orangery and the Lower Orangery Garden - containing citrus trees

Nymans Florilegium Society
​

Location: West Sussex
Nymans, Handcross, near Haywards Heath, West Sussex, RH17 6EB
​Website: ​reference on the National Trust page https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/nymans/features/the-gallery-at-nymans
Founded: 2006
No. of artists: ?
No. of paintings in Florilegium Collection: ?
​Aim: Continue the work Ludwig Messel began 100 years ago by recording Nymans’ plant collection in botanical drawings.

Nymans has copies in its collection of:
Picture
Part of Nymans Garden

Bedgebury Pinetum Florilegium Society
​

Location: Kent
​Website: ​None. They have a page in the retail section of the Bedgebury Pinetum website
Founded: ?
No. of artists: 10
No. of paintings in Florilegium Collection: ?
​Aim: To:
  • produce paintings of the trees in the National Pinetum at Bedgebury in Kent
  • record all aspects of their life cycle, including immature strobili "conifer flowers" as well as mature cones. 
  • record the wild flowers and other plants growing in the Pinetum
There are over 1,000 species of trees shrubs and flowers in the Pinetum. Artists meet once a month.
Picture
Part of Bedgebury Pinetum

Oxford Botanic Garden and Harcourt Arboretum Florilegium Group
​

​​Location: Oxford Botanic Garden | Harcourt Arboretum
Website: ​None
Facebook Page: None
Founded: founded in 2016
No. of artists: ?
No. of paintings in Florilegium Collection: ?
​Aim:  To produce botanical illustrations, either line drawings or paintings, of a high standard, for archival purposes. Botanical illustrations will further the documentation of the living collections at the Garden and Arboretum, providing Oxford University Botanic Garden and Arboretum with an invaluable resource for the future.​
Projects:
  • the medicinal plants, species from the 1648 border
  • plants with a special association with Oxford.
  • trees (added 2013)
There is an account of activity in Oxford Plant Systematics May 2014
Picture
Pinus nigra, black pine © Rosemary Wise. The tree is one of the oldest in the Oxford Botanic Garden and was a particular favourite of J.R.R. Tolkein.

Salisbury Florilegium Society ​
​

Location: Wiltshire
Website: ​None
Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/Salisbury-Florilegium-Society-301163820254209/
Founded: founded in 2016
No. of artists: ?
No. of paintings in Florilegium Collection: ?
​Aim: It focuses on creating original botanical artwork of plants in the private gardens of Salisbury Cathedral Close
Picture
A view from Salisbury Cathedral tower, in this case showing the notable buildings in the Close, including the former house of ex-Prime Minister, Edward Heath who retired here (Source: Flickr)

UK - Scotland
​

Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh Florilegium
​

In order to ensure that the Illustrations Collection continues to develop and grow, RBGE is currently exploring the idea of establishing a Florilegium Society, with associated funding, to produce a visual record of its living collection and to reflect its scientific and horticultural interests.
You can find out more about the plans to develop an RBGE Florilegium and an exhibition planned for this summer on the RBGE website
Picture
The Palm House, Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh

Asia - Japan
​

Flora Japonica
​

Picture
Japanese artists contributing to Flora Japonica - at the opening of the exhibition at the Shirley Sherwood Gallery at Kew Gardens

The exhibition at The Shirley Sherwood Gallery at Kew Gardens was supported by the JEC Fund, Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation, Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation and the Japanese Embassy.
REFERENCE:

Europe - Romania
​

The Transylvania Florilegium Project
​

Picture
Volume I of the Transylvania Florilegium - displaying Dactylorhiza sambucina by Beverley Allen. Published by Addison Publications Ltd © A.G.Carrick 2018
Location: Based in Transylvania 
Website: ​​None
Founded: ?
No. of artists: 35
No. of paintings in Florilegium Collection: 124 - from a list compiled by the botanist Dr John Akeroyd FLS, an authority on European plants who has been working on Transylvanian flora for over fifteen years.
​Aim: to record in a permanent way the flora of Transylvania.
This invitation only project aims to document and record all the wild plants and flowers in a specific part of Transylvania. Notable botanical artists used to working in the field are invited to stay at the project set up by Prince Charles in Transylvania. 

The project was initiated via the Prince’s School of Traditional Art, a charitable and educational body set up by the HRH the Prince of Wales.  It's now associated with Prince of Wales's Foundation Romania which was set up in 2015.
REFERENCE
The following record the existence of the project and how it works.
The project was unique in many ways, particularly highlighting the importance of conservation of wild flowers with regard to farming methods. As a botanical artist I feel our work has an important role to play in portraying biodiversity. Images are a powerful means of communication. 
Vicki Thomas
THE CONTRIBUTING ARTISTS
You can see a video of the exhibition and HRH Prince of Wales visiting to meet both the artists and the publishers of the Book at the The Romanian Cultural Institute.  For more information about the artists see my May 2018 blog post listed above
UK - ENGLAND
  • Helen Allen
  • Martin Allen
  • Fay Ballard
  • Gillian Barlow
  • Christine Battle
  • Andrew Brown​
  • Sarah Gould
  • Lucinda Grant
  • Mayumi Hashi
  • Flappy Lane Fox
  • Chrissie Lightfoot
  • Jill Mayhew
  • Susan Ogilvy
  • Elaine Searle
  • Laura Silburn
  • Lucy Smith
  • Sally Strawson
  • Mary Ellen Taylor
  • Julia Trickey
  • Amanda Ward
  • Susan Worthington
UK - SCOTLAND
  • Gillian Foster
AFRICA - SOUTH
  • Celia Crampton
  • ​Vicki Thomas
AUSTRALIA
  • Beverly Allen
  • ​John Pastoriza Pinol 
  • Jenny Phillips
FRANCE
  • Angélique de Folin
JAPAN
  • Noriko Hasegawa
  • Junko Iwata
NETHERLANDS
  • Anita Walsmit Sachs-Jansen
​SWITZERLAND
  • Marie-Christine Bouvier
TURKEY
  • Isık Guner
​USA
  • Heeyoung Kim
  • Kate Nessler​​

United States of America
​

The Flora of North America  (FNA) ​
​

Founded: ?
Website: Only for the Flora (i.e. botany) floranorthamerica.org (i.e. none for the botanical art contributors - but they do have an art sponsorship page)
No. of artists: No information at all as to numbers or who is involved
No. of paintings in Florilegium Collection: ?
​Aim: To record and publish the Flora - online and in print (30 volumes)
This is a florilegium covering the entire flora of North America. When finished, the aim is it will comprise 30 volumes information on the names, taxonomic relationships, continent-wide distributions, and morphological characteristics of all plants native and naturalised found in North America north of Mexico
  • The area covered is a phytogeographically significant region of 21,461,119 square km.
  • The volumes include botanical illustrations of the plants - which are being sponsored. 
  • Every genus has at least one illustration and genera with multiple species have illustrations for about one in six species.
  • Artists for the project were and are selected for their ability to produce such botanically accurate drawings.
  • Volumes are edited and prepared by different centres of expertise including Missouri Botanical Garden, the Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation at Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Utah State University, Université de Montréal, University of Kansas, and Miami University in Ohio. 
  • The project is being supported by the The Flora of North America Association (FNAA).
The remainder of the Florilegium are organised by Region within the USA.
​
PACIFIC

CALIFORNIA

The Filoli Florilegium ​
​

Location: 30 miles south of San Francisco in Woodside.
Website: ​​None. Page on the Filoli website 
Founded: 2000
No. of artists: 18
No. of paintings in Florilegium Collection: ?
​Aim: The purpose of the Florilegium is to document the plant materials in the grounds of Filoli, a historical country estate belonging to National Trust for Historic Preservation, within an historic perspective, using traditional methods of botanical illustration. 
​
Filoli gardens - IMG 9357

The Gardens of Alcatraz Florilegium 
​

Location: San Francisco
Website: ​​None. However it has a page on the website of the NCSBA
Founded: By the Northern California Society of Botanical Artists working with Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy and the Garden Conservancy
No. of artists: ?
No. of paintings in Florilegium Collection: 127 paintings and drawings paintings in distinct groups - now available to view online - see Bulbs & Corms; Trees & Shrubs; Perennials and Herbaceous; Succulents and Roses
​Aim: to create a florilegium, a series of botanical paintings, documenting the plants of The Gardens of Alcatraz.
This is an initiative of The Northern California Society of Botanical Artists in collaboration with the Garden Conservancy.
The Alcatraz Florilegium
A Catalogue of the 127 paintings in the collection has now been published. It also provides a history of the Island, its gardens and the project to record them.
Click here for ordering information.
MOUNTAIN

ARIZONA / CALIFORNIA / MEXICO

The Sonoran Desert Florilegium
​

Location: Sonoran Desert - crosses California, Arizona and Mexico
Website: http://art-botanical.org/SDFlor/FlorHome.html​
It has a fascinating section on the history of botanical art in relation to Sonoran desert plants ​
Founded: no date given
No. of artists:  15 artists listed in artists section of website
No. of paintings in Florilegium Collection: 71
​Aim: to encourage and focus a multiplicity of efforts toward the promotion of traditional and contemporary botanical illustration as an aid to conserve and protect our Sonoran Desert flora.
Call for Entries: Open to any artist.  Plants: There is a Sonoran Desert Plants Database and a List of Notable Plants
We encourage artists to create a traditional botanical plate with habit, enlargements of the reproductive structures, and any interesting or unusual structures. However, any accurate portrayal of a native Sonoran Desert plant is acceptable.
CENTRAL 

​MINNESOTA

The Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden Florilegium
​

Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota
Website: ​None. It has a section on the website of the Minnesota School of Botanical Art
Founded: 2010
No. of artists: ?
No. of paintings in Florilegium Collection: ?
​Aim: to record a scientifically accurate image of plants in the garden.
​The Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden and Bird Sanctuary, operated by the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board, is the oldest public wildflower garden in the United States and encompasses fifteen acres of woodland, wetland and prairie ecosystems. The following documents may be downloaded:
EASTERN
NEW YORK

Brooklyn Botanic Garden Florilegium ​
​

Location: Brooklyn Botanic Garden, New York
Website: ​​None. It has a page on the BBG website
Founded: 2000
No. of artists: 50
No. of paintings in Florilegium Collection: ?
​Aim: to document Brooklyn Botanic Garden's living collections through botanical art.  
​The Brooklyn Botanic Garden Florilegium Society comprises a group of the country's most accomplished botanical artists.
MID ATLANTIC STATES

Native Plants of the Mid Atlantic
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Location: DC/MD/NJ/NY/NC/PA/VA/WV
Website: ​​None (closed)
The initiative is not formally called a Florilegium. It was an initiative of the Botanical Artists for Education and the Environment. 
Founded: incorporated as a nonprofit corporation in 2011. The organisation wound down at the end of 2018
No. of artists: 41
No. of paintings in Florilegium Collection: 60 (published to date)
​Aims: The aims are to:
  • ​Encourage the pursuit of excellence in botanical art
  • Foster native plant conservation and education
At the suggestion of and with the encouragement of Anne-Marie Evans, their teacher and mentor, they created an award-winning book in 2014 titled Native Plants of the Mid-Atlantic. (see below).
American Botanical Paintings: Native Plants of the Mid Atlantic
Edited by Bonnie S Diggers

Rated 4.8 out of 5 stars on Amazon.com

This book has won two awards
  • Gold Award Winner, Independent book Publishers Benjamin Franklin Awards (2015) 
  • Winner USA Best Book Award (2014)

​The book took three years to create and includes:
  • 60 reproductions of original paintings and drawings of plants
  • 40 original paintings of butterflies, moths, and other pollinators. 
  • summary biographies of all the participating botanical artists
  • an index of all flora and fauna portrayed in the book
  • a detailed biliography
The accompanying text provides information about the plants and their habitats, their pollination and other life cycle processes and how they were used by Native American or early Settlers and/or their environmental impact.

The BAEE kindly sent me a copy of this book to review and this summary precedes a proper and more in-depth review. The quality of the publication is excellent with good colour reproduction 
Hardcover: 144 pages
Publisher: Lydia Inglett Publishing, Ltd./Starbooks.biz
Publication date: 2014
A Hawaiian Florilegium
by Peter S. Green (Author), Mary Grierson  (Illustrator)

The book covers Polynesian Herbal Medicine and Plants of the Canoe People.  The watercolour paintings range from the indigenous plants of Hawaii to those which have been introduced to the islands. The watercolour paintings by Irish botanical artist Mary Grierson are much admired. Words come from Peter Green, former deputy director, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew.
Hardcover: 112 pages
Publisher: National Tropical Botanical Garden; First edition (December 31, 1996)

Other Botanical Art Groups
​

More and more botanical artists are forming small groups for the purposes of exhibitions and selling art.  It's common for these groups not to be open to all artists and for there to be some sort of underlying networking bond between participating artists

Current Groups in UK
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Amicus Botanicus | botanical painters 
Former students of the English Gardening School's Botanical painting course at the Chelsea Physic Garden in London, have established themselves as a group named Amicus Botanicus. ​They have periodic exhibitions as a group.

Participating members are: Helen Allen, Christine Battle, Pearl Bostock, Marissa Bright, Jeanne Debons, Pamela Golden, Carol Hartley, Helen Hiorns, Tracy Howell, Carolyn Jenkins, Rui Jiang, Fiona Kane, Bindy Kent, Eun Joo Lee, Anna Lu, Gaye Willcox Norman, Sally Pond, Elaine Searle, Shirley Slocock, Julie Spyropoulos, Lyn Sykes, Mary Ellen Taylor, Eriko Tosaki, 
Louise Young
Roath Botanic Garden Artists 
Formed in 2010. Celebrates the plant life of Cardiff's parks and wild places through traditional botanical illustration and more contemporary work (No website but they do have a Facebook page)

Current Groups in USA
​

Reed-Tuner Woodland Botanical Artists Circle
The Reed-Turner Group is an 'Artists’ Circle’ of loosely connected, dedicated and enthusiastic avocational botanical artists many of whom have been or are associated with the botanical art classes of the Chicago Botanic Garden.  It subscribes to the ASBA ethos and exhibits regularly.

Disbanded Groups
​

This website is archiving information about botanical art so I include information about groups that have disbanded as well as those which are still active
UK

Florum 
Florum has now wound down. It was neither an Art Society nor an Open Exhibition. Essentially it was a very popular and well established exhibition of botanical and floral art for sale at the Kent Wildlife Reserve in Sevenoaks which celebrates plant life and helps raise funds for Kent Wildlife Trust. Each year the committee invites new artists to join those who have exhibited in the past with a view to achieving a good mix of styles and prices. It moved the location of the exhibition and then closed as an organisation.
​

Online Botanical Art Groups and Forums
​

Places where you can go online to meet other botanical artists

Facebook Groups for Botanical Artists
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See my NEW PAGE: Botanical Art Groups on Facebook 

You need to have a personal Facebook account to participate in these groups - and then you need to apply for membership. These are NOT groups for flower painters per se.  A Closed Group just means that the images and comments posted in the group cannot be seen by the public. It's a relatively safe place to show your work to fellow enthusiasts.
  • Botanical Artists Group on Facebook (Closed Group)
    This group is about Botanical Art - combining scientific accuracy with aesthetically pleasing presentation - and it now has over 3,000 members from all over the world. It provides support and shares information and is very much NOT just about painting pretty flowers. 
  • Irish Botanical Artists on Facebook (Closed Group) on Facebook. About Botanical and Natural History Art. Artists of all levels are welcome to join... from anywhere in the world!
  • Australian and NZ Botanical Artists Facebook Group (Closed Group) for Australasian artists ONLY. This group is specifically for Australian and New Zealand Botanical and Natural History artists to share their art and experiences. Opportunity to network and advise of upcoming workshops, exhibitions and opportunities within Australia and New Zealand. You must state where you live when applying to join. 
  • Botanical Art for Beginners (Closed Group)
    Intended for beginners in botanical art who wish to learn together through books and other means. Experienced artists are also encouraged to join to provide input and inspiration. Please note, this is NOT a teaching group.
Other Online Groups
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For sites like Flickr you first need an account before you can join a group
​Offline Groups on Facebook
​
You can also see Facebook Pages for offline botanical art groups on Botanical Artists on Facebook.
NEW GROUPS

I'm interested in adding new groups to this page. To be added, they need to have BOTH a website and a record of exhibitions of botanical art.

    Add a group to this page
NEW BOOK

If your established Group/Society is planning a book, contact me with the details so these can be added to this page and shared with those who may be interested.

    Add a book to this page
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