The Fair Botanists is set around the Edinburgh Botanic Gardens’ move from Leith Walk to the new larger location at Inverleith in 1822. The main players in the novel all have an interest in the gardens. There’s William McNab, the poorly paid head gardener, and Robert Graham, the regius keeper. However, the story revolves around two women: Elizabeth Rocheid, an impoverished widow newly arrived from London to live with her late husband’s aunt, and Belle Brodie, an independent woman with a passion for perfume creation. Elizabeth, a botanical illustrator offers to make drawings of the plants and their historic move. As soon as I ‘met’ Belle and Elizabeth in Sara’s book, they existed for me completely and in a very real sense. The two women in Sara’s novel were so real to me that I absolutely had to paint them as individuals.

The agave americana plant, which only flowers every few decades, is a new edition to the botanical gardens, and is set to flower. The two main characters in author Sara Sheridan’s historical romantic novel, The Fair Botanists, have been “brought to life” and feature in a winter art exhibition. Set in Edinburgh in 1822 around the time of King George IV’s visit to the city and when the Royal Botanic Garden moved from its original Leith home to Inverleith, the book’s main protagonists are widow and botanical draughtswoman Elizabeth Rocheid and vivacious and mysterious Belle Brodie.Velvet Easel owner Jane Gallery with painting of Elizabeth, one of main characters in The Fair Botanists

Botanist and physician Robert Graham, the 6th Regius Keeper of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, attempts to wangle an invite to the big royal soiree and makes some questionable life choices as the plot progresses.

Seeing them close up in the gallery was like meeting these women, who exist in my imagination, in real life. It’s an honour that they engaged the imagination of such a talented artist.”

Today is my stop on the blog tour for 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗙𝗔𝗜𝗥 𝗕𝗢𝗧𝗔𝗡𝗜𝗦𝗧𝗦 by Sara Sheridan. Thank you to Steven Cooper at Hodder Books for sending me a copy of this gorgeous historical fiction book, and for having me along on the tour 🌿🌻🌺The story centres around a young newly widowed, Elizabeth Rocheid, and Isobel "Belle" Brodie, the half-sister of Joseph Brodie, a gentlemen of reasonable wealth and stature. These two women have interest in botany and it is this that brings them together. What develops from here is a tale of identity (plants and people), status, money, plans and love, death, theft and passions, alongside a visit to Edinburgh from the king, George IV.