An Ipswich man who shot to fame as Mr Plant Geek is excited to share stories of the world’s most weird and wonderful plants in his brand-new book.
Michael Perry, 42, was born and bred in Ipswich, but his passion for plants has led him all over the world.
He started off working at Thompson and Morgan, impressing them after winning a garden-design competition the company was running.
“Thompson and Morgan spurred me to into doing media work, like TV and radio,” Michael explained.
“I’ve worked in Japan with container demonstrations, I’ve done TV in the US. I bring back new plant ideas and new trends to the UK and Europe.”
He is now hoping to share his enthusiasm for all things green through his debut book, Hortus Curious.
“There are 40 separate stories about some of the most incredible plants in the world,” said Michael.
“There are plants that behave badly. There’s a chapter called ‘Plants for the Greater Good’, which has plants like coffee and tea, so readers can understand where things come from.
“We’ve got X-rated plants, mistaken identity plants that like other things, but not always for the reason you would expect.”
The book will include some familiar ‘faces’, such as the infamous Venus flytrap, and also a few surprises.
“There is a plant called the Flying Duck Orchid, which happens to look like a flying duck,” Michael explained. “But what it is trying to do is attract a certain type of insect to pollinate the flower.
“The insect comes over to the flower, and actually tries to ‘cop off’ with it, and gets doused in pollen. It then goes off to the next flower, and pollinates it.
“So actually, the plant is kind of catfishing this poor insect into a date!”
Michael said that he is confident the book will appeal to anyone, regardless of their interest in gardening.
“It is designed so anyone can pick it up,” he said.
“It’s got all the serious botanical information in there, but it’s delivered in a light-hearted, almost frivolous way.
“I’m not a botanist myself, so I had to go away and learn all of the botany and the technical terms, and describe it in a suitable way for my audience.
“I'm just a guy that loves plants and has built his career around it!”
Visit Michael's website at: www.mrplantgeek.com
To buy Hortus Curious on Amazon, click here.
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