For centuries, English country gentlemen had collected exotic pictures for their saloons and rare books for their libraries. By the end of the 17th century, they had begun to plant nurseries. Within the space of a few years thousands of new plantations enriched the British landscape, and demand was high for the most splendid imports: maples and pines from the American colonies, cypresses and cedars from Europe and Lebanon, oriental plane from Greece and Turkey, with its romantic associations with Plato's Academy.

How did these extraordinary plants make their way to the forests of Britain and Ireland? Who were the scholars and daredevils who combed the new and old worlds in search of green treasure? What crimes did they commit, and what price did they pay, to bring the world's charismatic megaflora to the gardens of home? In this exuberant history, Thomas Pakenham reveals the marvellous tales of adventure, discovery, rivalry and passion that created the modern British landscape.