Would you like to join an art group? #2 Florilegium Societies

This website includes a list of all known Florilegium Societies across the world.

This year the Chelsea Physic Garden Florilegium Society held an exhibitions for its 20th anniversary

Florilegium societies around the world

​One of my aims is to compile a reference page for all the Florilegium Societies around the globe

I've got a number of references to Florilegiums on the website. These include:

• my page about Florilegia in the Botanical Art History section. This a big topic and this page is being gradually developed over time. It includes sections for florilegia relation to gardens, voyages of exploration and the systematic recording of the flora of a specific area.
• my page which includes a listing of current Florilegium Societies in: Australia (2 groups), England (6 groups), Romania (1 group) and the USA (5 groups) 

Most are attached to very specific garden or location - and the paintings and drawings produced by members of the group all relate to that one location.

They are:
Australia

• Sydney - Royal Botanic Gardens & Domain Trust Florilegium  ​
• Wollongong - Wollongong Botanic Garden Florilegium Group (new)

UK

• Gloucestershire - ​​The Highgrove Florilegium 
• Chelsea Physic Garden - The Chelsea Physic Garden Florilegium Society 
• Hampton Court Palace - The Hampton Court Palace Florilegium Society
• Sheffield Botanical Gardens - Florilegium Society at Sheffield Botanical Gardens
  
• Eden Project, Cornwall - The Eden Project Florilegium Society
  
• Kent - Bedgebury Pinetum Florilegium 

Romania

• The Transylvania Florilegium Project 

USA

• The Flora of North America Association (FNAA). 
• California - The Filoli Florilegium 
• Minneapolis - The Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden Florilegium
  
• New York - Brooklyn Botanic Garden Florilegium 
• San Francisco - The Gardens of Alcatraz Florilegium 

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I'd love to hear about any other groups which have been set up which have not responded my searches online.

Membership of a Florilegium Society

The route to becoming a member of the different groups varies and is not as straightforward as joining an ordinary botanical art society.

Typically groups are looking for competent botanical artists who can contribute botanical illustrations at an appropriate standard - and can make a commitment to producing a specific number of illustrations within a specific timescale. Again this caries from group to group.

​Most welcome enquiries however please note that it's not unusual for access to membership to be via invitation only. 

I would comment that it would be really nice if all Florilegium Societies made sure that they have very clear and accessible statements as to who is eligible to join and how to go about this.

Books about Florilegia

One of the interesting conundrums of the Society supporting the development of a Florilegium is how best to make it accessible to a wider group of people. 

My personal view is that it's disappointing to think of so many people putting in so much effort only for the drawings and paintings to be archived and a select few only brought out periodically for exhibition.

What I am noticing is that the more well established Florilegia are now beginning to do or think about action with respect to two things:

• publish a book which creates a record of the plants relating to that place and the best efforts of the artists in drawing and painting them plant life
• digitising the archive to create a more accessible database of images for the future.

I'm all in favour of anything which helps make botanical art more accessible to a wider constituency.

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In the next post in this series I'll highlight other botanical art groups.