Where have all the flowers gone

From Cornucopia 3

Exquisite bulbs, once uprooted in their millions, may be saved by a scheme to satisfy both gardeners and conservationists. Botanist Andrew Byfield reports

Istanbul in Peril

The Great Walls

From Cornucopia 7

The Anastasian and Theodosian walls together protected the city for many years; but now this vast and beautiful network is under attack from within. Cornucopia investigates the dangers that threaten this important cultural icon and its surroundings.

The Land of the Flowering Penguins

From Cornucopia 6

They are smelly and poisonous, and trick insects into doing their dirty work; but arums and aristolochias are among the most striking wild flowers in Turkey. The botanist Andrew Byfield tracks them down on the glaring limestone peninsulas of Marmaris and in the scruffier habitats of the high Taurus Mountains

After the Snows

A field guide to Anatolia's crocuses

From Cornucopia 12

The splash of colour provided in the first warm days of spring, or in late autumn when little else is in flower, makes crocuses universally loved by gardeners. The large gaudy flowers of the Dutch hybrid are derived from a European species, but the exquisite smaller, earlier-flowering ‘botanical’ crocuses have their origins in the exposed hill and mountain slopes of Anatolia. Andrew Byfield gives a field guide to both north and south

The Autumn of the Saffron Gatherers

From Cornucopia 9

Exotic, enigmatic, irresistible: saffron is the spice of kings and worth its weight in gold. Near the town of Safranbolu lie the country’s last few fields of this precious crocus. Text and photographs by Andrew Byfield.

The snowdrop treat

From Cornucopia 11

A special harvest festival was held in May [1996] in the cedar forests of the Taurus Mountains. Conservtionists, botanists and bulb merchants from all over the world joined villagers in tiny Dumlugöze to celebrate Turkey’s first crop of cultivated snowdrop bulbs – good news for the wild ones. By Andrew Byfield

The Turkish Garden

From Cornucopia 13

Martyn Rix introduces a special issue devoted to Turkey’s horticultural heritage, from the splash of the urban window box to the splendour of a mountain hillside

Flowers that Made Men Mad

From Cornucopia 13

The truly intoxicating rhododendrons of northeast Turkey. By Andrew Byfield

Battle for the Bogs

From Cornucopia 14

Anatolia’s new peat gatherers follow a rugged, self-sufficient way of life. But they are taking a toll on the rare flowers of the Turkish moors. Andrew Byfield confronts a burning issue

The Primrose Path

From Cornucopia 15

In the garden we may take them for granted, but in the wild, their colours make the heart sing. Andrew Byfield celebrates the vibrant beauty of Turkey’s primulas

Skulduggery among the cedars

From Cornucopia 16

The story of one of Turkey’s rarest bulbs could be taken from the pages of a thriller. Andrew Byfield exposes the bulb smugglers’ dastardly deeds.

Greenbelt or Backyard?

Istanbul: the big issue

From Cornucopia 21

These are the last great heathlands of Eastern Europe, one of the world’s rarest natural habitats. Unless they receive a last-minute reprieve, they will be bulldozed out of existence. Andrew Finkel reports on the dilemma facing the planners in Istanbul

La Vie en Rose

Sourcing the best attar of rose

From Cornucopia 23

The intoxicating scent of attar of roses, the oil distilled from the petals of damask roses, has worked its magic on men and women for centuries. Martyn Rix traces the history of the damask rose from its roots in Neolithic times and travels to Isparta in southwest Anatolia to see how these precious petals yield up a liquid worth its weight in gold. Photographs by Berrin Torolsan and Martyn Rix

The Orchid Hunters

From Cornucopia 25

They are a dedicated breed, but not all orchid hunters share the same agenda. Some are driven to record in minute detail the glory of Turkey’s orchid species – all 148 of them. Some are more interested in eating them. The botanist Andrew Byfield joins the quest.

Wild About Ida

From Cornucopia 26

Mount Ida is a paradise for wild flowers. Martyn Rix prospected the area from cool, damp north to hot, dry south. There he found and photographed dwarf flax, giant hogweed – and plants that grow nowhere else in the world

Travels with Turhan

From Cornucopia 27

Brian Mathew pays tribute to the late Turhan Baytop, Turkey’s pre-eminent botanist

Wild Beauties of the Deep South

Native flowers of the Turkish Riviera

From Cornucopia 29

Martyn Rix sidesteps the concrete condos of the Turkish Riviera to go searching for native flowers. In the valleys of the Taurus Mountains and on the unspoilt rocky headlands of the coast, he finds wild gladioli, tassel hyacinths, Persian fritillaries

Seven gardens for seven heavens

From Cornucopia 18

A Turkish-inspired garden on the Cambridge Fens. Two Turkish passions meet in the late John Drake’s beautiful garden: a love of symmetry and an abundance of wild flowers. Here the garden historian acknowledged his debt to the Turkish ideal of paradise on earth

Along the Rocky Road

Flowers in the high passes of the Taurus

From Cornucopia 31

When spring arrives in the high passes of the Taurus Mountains, a dazzling display of flowers comes out to greet it. Story and photographs by Martyn Rix

Crockery and crocuses

The passions of a Victorian enthusiast: George Maw 1832–1912

From Cornucopia 39

In Turkey the tireless George Maw was able to indulge in both his loves. He found inspiration for the decorative tiles made by his family pottery. And he discovered the plants that inspired his magnificent book on crocuses. By Martyn and Alison Rix.

A Day on Black Rock Pasture

From Cornucopia 42

By whatever name it is known – whether Karataş Yayla (Black Rock Pasture) or Çağrankaya (Singing Rock) – this spur of the Kaçkars is full of drama. Andrew Byfield battled rain and fog to reach its riches

Sea of Blooms

Botanical travels along Turkey's southwest coast

From Cornucopia 44

The magic of southwest Turkey can still catch you unawares, especially if you sail. Botanist Ro FitzGerald boards a fine ketch and plots a course for that stunningly beautiful corner where the Aegean meets the Mediterranean.

A City of Secret Gardens

From Cornucopia 50

When David Wheeler set out to satisfy his craving to explore Turkish gardens, he was guided by a diverse cast of committed Istanbul citizens. What he discovered were myriad horticultural havens, from Byzantine market gardens to Ottoman cemeteries, from wooded Bosphorus yalıs to riotous urban parks — many of them under imminent threat

Blooming Marvels

Review: The Genus Tulipa

From Cornucopia 51

Andrew Byfield reviews ‘The Genus Tulipa: Tulips of the World’ by Diana Everett, Kew Publishing 2013

The Woods and the Water

Parks and gardens on the European shore of the Bosphorus

From Cornucopia 52

On the European shore, David Wheeler discovers hidden greenery in the hills above the Bosphorus

First lady of the crocus

The botanist Asuman Baytop (1920–2015)

From Cornucopia 52

Brian Mathew looks back on the achievements of the late Asuman Baytop, who died in February. Portrait by Cafer Türkmen

A World Beyond the Walls

The flora of Istanbul

From Cornucopia 54

Istanbul, straddling two continents and sandwiched between two seas, has a thrillingly varied flora which includes many plants seen nowhere else on the planet. Sadly, it is also critically endangered. Text and photographs by Andrew Byfield

Snowdrops in the autumn sun

From Cornucopia 55

With its floral spectacle, sparkling light and limitless blue skies, southwest Turkey in autumn is ‘surely God’s own country’. Last year the botanist Andrew Byfield took a nostalgic bulb-hunting trip, retracing his steps in the hills of Caria and Lycia after an absence of twenty-one years. Text and photographs by Andrew Byfield