Tammi Hartung, co-author of The Green Kingdom, brings her expertise as an ethnobotanical herbalist to the integral details and knowledge of its leafy citizens. Tammi has more than 40 years experience working with plants, and has published four other books using her botanical expertise.
Out of the blue comes a message from Cornelia straight into my inbox, asking if I’d like to come and visit to talk about plants at her Malibu home called Bonsal. One visit became several visits. Each time we hatched more and more of a creative plan to write a book for children that we both knew would enchant them with plants, and all the ways plants and people’s lives have crossed paths since the beginnings of human existence. A wonderful friendship was created, of two women, both absolutely crazy in love with the plants of The Green Kingdom. Writing this book with Cornelia has been a delightful experience, because we both had the end goal of making plants enticing to children and adults, so that they would come away from the story holding deep respect and honour for the citizens of The Green Kingdom, and how important they are, not just to people, but to everything that exists on this Earth.
When I first started seriously studying plants back in 1979, I was infected by a lifelong condition that has left me always wanting to learn more and more about plants. And after all these years, 46 years by now, I still only know a drop in the bucket of all that I can learn about plants in my lifetime. I’m completely taken by all of the ways people and plants interact with one another, past, present and going into the future. Ethnobotany is the study of how people use plants. Being an herbalist is the practice of using plants as part of each and every day, maybe as my supper or in my bath, or to make cloth to sew a pair of trousers. Every day, I learn something new about how people use plants. Just as often I learn how plants use people to help them survive. Let me give you an example… did you know some plants must have people to help them survive, like the Vanilla Orchid, which must be hand pollinated by a person so it can make a seed pod called a Vanilla Bean. We use Vanilla Beans to make cookies, air freshener, to relieve anxiety and stress, but without people, the Vanilla Orchid would never grow Vanilla Beans. It’s all very amazing and wonderful, isn’t it.
When I was a little girl, I had a Great Aunt Ruth who taught me all kinds of things about plants – how to grow them, how to cook with them, even how to make hand cream with them. When I became an adult, I went to college to study plants, but also to learn about all of their uses for people. After college, I had many different jobs where I grew plants, and I managed a laboratory that made medicines from plants for people to use, and I am a teacher teaching people about plants.
Well, of course, you absolutely must love everything about plants! A botanist must pay very close attention to details, some of them very small or almost invisible. You must observe all kinds of information about how the plant lives and survives, and you must be able to distinguish the differences between plants so that you know exactly which plant is which.
Most of all, you must be curious to know as much as possible about how plants look, what their personalities are, and how they live in nature communities with other plants and animals. Keep a nature journal about what you see and maybe do some drawings too. Take classes, even a day workshop, that helps you learn about plants. Join a plant club like a Native Plant Society. Visit gardens and wild spaces as often as you can. Botanical Gardens and Arboretums are great places to go to see and learn about plants. You’ll likely meet other people who like plants as much as you do. In school, take Earth Science classes, and then go to university to get more training around plants. Consider jobs that work with plants, like a nursery or a greenhouse, or working on a gardening crew, or working for an organization that studies plants.
It is so hard to choose a favourite plant, because I love so many of them, but I am very partial to poppies of all kinds.
I live near juniper forests and the juniper trees there are all between 1000 and more than 3000 years old! Just imagine touching a tree or smelling its bark and knowing it has been living in that exact same spot for thousands of years. I often think about what stories those old ancient trees could tell me if I could understand juniper tree language!
Planting seeds, watching the seeds sprout and grow into a mature plant. I never get tired of watching baby plants sprout and grow.
For your first garden, pick maybe 3 to 6 different plants you want to grow. Choose plants because there is something about them you really like. For example, maybe you love to eat carrots, so grow some carrots from seeds. Perhaps you like to drink spearmint tea, so get a little spearmint plant to grow, so you can pick the leaves to make your tea. Did you know that you should not grow mints from seeds because they won’t have very strong smell or taste? You need to get a little plant, grown from a cutting, so your mint is extra tasty. Maybe you love to watch butterflies, so you may want to choose a plant that attracts butterflies like echinacea or yarrow. Remember: there are no rules about growing a garden, so you can be creative. Growing a garden is like painting a picture. It can change often by growing different plants, just like you can change your painting by using different colours of paints.
How did The Green Kingdom begin?
Out of the blue comes a message from Cornelia straight into my inbox, asking if I’d like to come and visit to talk about plants at her Malibu home called Bonsal. One visit became several visits. Each time we hatched more and more of a creative plan to write a book for children that we both knew would enchant them with plants, and all the ways plants and people’s lives have crossed paths since the beginnings of human existence. A wonderful friendship was created, of two women, both absolutely crazy in love with the plants of The Green Kingdom. Writing this book with Cornelia has been a delightful experience, because we both had the end goal of making plants enticing to children and adults, so that they would come away from the story holding deep respect and honour for the citizens of The Green Kingdom, and how important they are, not just to people, but to everything that exists on this Earth.
Why do you love being an ethnobotanical herbalist?
When I first started seriously studying plants back in 1979, I was infected by a lifelong condition that has left me always wanting to learn more and more about plants. And after all these years, 46 years by now, I still only know a drop in the bucket of all that I can learn about plants in my lifetime. I’m completely taken by all of the ways people and plants interact with one another, past, present and going into the future. Ethnobotany is the study of how people use plants. Being an herbalist is the practice of using plants as part of each and every day, maybe as my supper or in my bath, or to make cloth to sew a pair of trousers. Every day, I learn something new about how people use plants. Just as often I learn how plants use people to help them survive. Let me give you an example… did you know some plants must have people to help them survive, like the Vanilla Orchid, which must be hand pollinated by a person so it can make a seed pod called a Vanilla Bean. We use Vanilla Beans to make cookies, air freshener, to relieve anxiety and stress, but without people, the Vanilla Orchid would never grow Vanilla Beans. It’s all very amazing and wonderful, isn’t it.
How did you become an ethnobotanical herbalist?
When I was a little girl, I had a Great Aunt Ruth who taught me all kinds of things about plants – how to grow them, how to cook with them, even how to make hand cream with them. When I became an adult, I went to college to study plants, but also to learn about all of their uses for people. After college, I had many different jobs where I grew plants, and I managed a laboratory that made medicines from plants for people to use, and I am a teacher teaching people about plants.
What do you believe are the most important skills and qualities for a botanist to have?
Well, of course, you absolutely must love everything about plants! A botanist must pay very close attention to details, some of them very small or almost invisible. You must observe all kinds of information about how the plant lives and survives, and you must be able to distinguish the differences between plants so that you know exactly which plant is which.
What advice do you have for kids who love science and wish to become botanical experts?
Most of all, you must be curious to know as much as possible about how plants look, what their personalities are, and how they live in nature communities with other plants and animals. Keep a nature journal about what you see and maybe do some drawings too. Take classes, even a day workshop, that helps you learn about plants. Join a plant club like a Native Plant Society. Visit gardens and wild spaces as often as you can. Botanical Gardens and Arboretums are great places to go to see and learn about plants. You’ll likely meet other people who like plants as much as you do. In school, take Earth Science classes, and then go to university to get more training around plants. Consider jobs that work with plants, like a nursery or a greenhouse, or working on a gardening crew, or working for an organization that studies plants.
What is your favourite plant?
It is so hard to choose a favourite plant, because I love so many of them, but I am very partial to poppies of all kinds.
What’s the coolest thing you’ve ever seen?
I live near juniper forests and the juniper trees there are all between 1000 and more than 3000 years old! Just imagine touching a tree or smelling its bark and knowing it has been living in that exact same spot for thousands of years. I often think about what stories those old ancient trees could tell me if I could understand juniper tree language!
What’s your favourite thing about your job?
Planting seeds, watching the seeds sprout and grow into a mature plant. I never get tired of watching baby plants sprout and grow.
What are your top tips to start your first garden?
For your first garden, pick maybe 3 to 6 different plants you want to grow. Choose plants because there is something about them you really like. For example, maybe you love to eat carrots, so grow some carrots from seeds. Perhaps you like to drink spearmint tea, so get a little spearmint plant to grow, so you can pick the leaves to make your tea. Did you know that you should not grow mints from seeds because they won’t have very strong smell or taste? You need to get a little plant, grown from a cutting, so your mint is extra tasty. Maybe you love to watch butterflies, so you may want to choose a plant that attracts butterflies like echinacea or yarrow. Remember: there are no rules about growing a garden, so you can be creative. Growing a garden is like painting a picture. It can change often by growing different plants, just like you can change your painting by using different colours of paints.