A History of Zinnias: Flower for the Ages
English
By (author): Eric Grissell
The deep and exciting history of garden zinnias pieces together a tale involving Aztecs, Spanish conquistadors, people of faith, people of medicine, explorers, scientists, writers, botanists, painters, and gardeners. The trail leads from the halls of Moctezuma to a cliff-diving prime minister; from Handel, Mozart, and Rossini to Gilbert and Sullivan; from a little-known confession by Benjamin Franklin to a controversy raised by Charles Darwin; from Emily Dickinson, who writes of death and zinnias, to a twenty-year-old woman who writes of reanimated corpses; and from a scissor-wielding septuagenarian who painted with bits of paper to the Black Grandma Moses who painted zinnias and inspired the opera Zinnias.
Zinnias are far more than just a flower: They represent the constant exploration of humankind's quest for beauty and innovation.
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