In Bloom at the Ashmolean

With thanks to Carolyn Gifford, Flag Member, for this post and it's photos.

In Bloom at the Ashmolean 

 

Visit the Ashmolean website here 

How plants changed our world 19th March to 16th August 2026 

 

What do we really know about the plants and flowers in our gardens and window boxes?

Beyond their beauty, many have hidden histories – tales of exploration, obsession, and knowledge.

This major new exhibition takes visitors on a journey from Oxford to the farthest corners of the world and back, uncovering the global stories behind some of Britain’s most beloved blooms – from roses and tulips to camellias and peonies.

Featuring over 100 artworks and objects, including drawings, paintings, rare prints, and ceramics, In Bloom explores our changing relationship with the natural world.

From the fascinating stories of curiosity and ingenuity of early plant explorers to the networks that shaped global trade, this exhibition reveals how the pursuit of exotic plants transformed landscapes, economies, and cultures, leaving a legacy that still shapes our world today.

 

About the FLAG visit on 22nd April 2026

 

In Bloom covered both botany and beauty, as any number of astonishing plants were discovered in new lands across the world. 

 

Once discovered, they needed to be recorded in precise detail in giant volumes, and to be classified. There are striking portraits of Tradescants (Older and Younger), Linnaeus and others, bringing their achievements to life. 

 

The exhibition also looks at how plants have changed us, most notably opium from the poppy, which you could also smell along with roses, but also rubber, which was used to make jewellery in Victorian times. There were a number of oversized plants in bell jars, used in botanical teaching, alongside more recent drawings and paintings. 

 

It also emphasises the influence of commerce, not just in the famous Tulip Mania of Holland, but in the hunt for rarer species that can displace whole communities. One very delicate and pretty plant is actually made from dollar bills and at least one £50 note.

John Tradescant the Elder, by Emanuel de Critz

 

 

Plant model for botany students

 

 

Poppy seed head in watercolour and pencil by Brigid Edwards 1999

 

 

Pollinator Pathmaker, a tapestry by Alexandra Daisy Ginsberg, 2025

 

Cross Pollination by Justine Smith (2023-4), with flowers made from US dollars and a £50 note