Deni Bown is a British author, photographer, botanical horticulturist and environmentalist. She is best known for writing and illustrating The Royal Horticultural Society Encyclopedia of Herbs & Their Uses (1995), which was published internationally and remains a widely published reference work on culinary, medicinal and aromatic plants.Bown, Deni (1995). The Royal Horticultural Society Encyclopedia of Herbs & Their Uses. Dorling Kindersley. ."RHS Publications". Royal Horticultural Society. Retrieved 10 September 2025.

Career Bown began her career in publishing as a lexicographer with Laurence Urdang Associates and contributed as editor to several editions of the Collins English Dictionary.Martin, Douglas (26 August 2008). "Laurence Urdang, 81, Editor of Dictionaries, Dies". The New York Times. Retrieved 10 September 2025."Collins English Dictionary – Essentials". HarperCollins. Retrieved 10 September 2025.

Her first book, Aroids - Plants of the Arum Family (1988), was supported by the Manpower Services Commission Enterprise Allowance Scheme and the Stanley Smith Horticultural Trust UK."Woman writing and illustrating plant book". Newbury Weekly News. 7 February 1985."On the trail of the elusive aroid". Newbury Weekly News. 13 March 1986. The book helped bring wider public attention to the titan arum (Amorphophallus titanum), later popularised in David Attenborough’s BBC series The Private Life of Plants."BBC Earth - The Private Life of Plants". Retrieved 10 September 2025.

From 1999 to 2009 she developed a seven-acre garden at Yaxham Park, Norfolk, featuring culinary and medicinal herbs, rare plants, wildflower meadows and water gardens. It was featured by local media and was open to visitors through the Invitation to View programme."World tour in a garden". Eastern Daily Press. 8 April 2006."Deni Bown - LinkedIn". LinkedIn. Retrieved 10 September 2025.

Her conservation work began in the 1970s with Friends of the Earth and the Henry Doubleday Research Association, now Garden Organic."Friends of the Earth". Retrieved 10 September 2025."Garden Organic". Retrieved 10 September 2025.

In 2009 Bown became coordinator of a forest conservation project at IITA, taking over as manager in 2012 and becoming Head of the IITA Forest Unit (now Forest Center) in 2014.IITA Forest Center website She managed the 350 ha IITA Forest Reserve and an indigenous plant nursery while leading projects including the Nigerian Threatened Native Trees Project supported by the Mohammed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund.Awoyemi, A. G.; Olasupo, O. E.; Ajayi, A. D.; Bown, D. (2024). "Think globally and act locally: Assessing the environmental impacts of the Nigerian Threatened Native Trees project". Societal Impacts. 4: 100067. doi:10.1016/j.socimp.2024.100067. She also relaunched the Ibadan Bird Club and developed a Forest School, an Ethnobotanical Garden for Yorubaland, and a West African Tree Heritage Park.

She returned to Europe in 2019 and continues to write on plants and conservation.

Selected works Aroids - Plants of the Arum Family (1988; revised 2000; third edition 2025, Kew Publishing)"The Aroid Bulletin Vol. 1 No. 1 - December 2024" (PDF). European Aroid Society. Retrieved 10 September 2025. Fine Herbs, a Plantsman’s Herbal (1988; reprinted as Ornamental Herbs for Your Garden, 1993) Alba - the Book of White Flowers (1989) – Certificate of Merit, Garden Writers’ Association of America Through the Seasons (children’s series, 1989) 4 Gardens in One – The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (HMSO 1992) RHS Encyclopedia of Herbs & Their Uses (1995; revised 2002) Herbal - The Essential Guide to Herbs for Living (2001, with Chelsea Physic Garden) Common Plants of IITA (2013) Contributor to The Last Rainforests (1990), The RHS Encyclopedia of Gardening (1992, 2002), Nigerian Forests – Protection and Sustainable Development (2013)

Awards Finalist, BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year (1984, 1987); semi-finalist 1985; prize-winner 1986"Bamboo wildlife photo scoops major prize". Newbury Weekly News. 27 November 1986. Communicator of the Decade, International Aroid Society (1989) Certificate of Merit, Garden Writers’ Association of America (1990) Finalist, Good Housekeeping Woman of the Nineties Award (1996) Gertrude B. Foster Award for Excellence in Herbal Literature, Herb Society of America (2002)"Herb Society of America - Awards". Retrieved 10 September 2025.

Positions held Chair, The Herb Society (UK), 1997–2000"The Herb Society". Retrieved 10 September 2025. Judge and committee member, Royal Horticultural Society, 2003–2009"RHS Publications". Retrieved 10 September 2025. Chair, Promising Plants Committee, Herb Society of America, 2003–2006 Honorary President, Herb Society of America, 2004–2006 Chair, Plant Heritage Norfolk Group, 2006–2009"Plant Heritage - Norfolk Group". Retrieved 10 September 2025. Advisory Board Member, American Botanical Council, 2013–present"American Botanical Council". Retrieved 10 September 2025. Vice-President, European Aroid Society, 2020–present"Our Board - About the society". European Aroid Society. Retrieved 10 September 2025.

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