Monthly Archives: May 2017

“Doubtles God could have made a better berry…”

Posted on 27/05/2017 by The Gardens Trust

After last week’s post about the early history of strawberries its time to look at how the various wild species were transformed into garden and commercial varieties by an 18thc botanist and a handful of 19thc nurserymen. … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Antoine Duchesne, Chelsea Physic Garden, Jardin du Roi, Linnaeus, Philip Miller, plant breeding, Royal Horticultural Society, Shirley Hibberd, strawberry, technology, thomas knight, Thomas Laxton | Leave a comment

Saints, Sinners, Sex and Strawberries…

Posted on 20/05/2017 by The Gardens Trust

Strawberries are quintessentially English. Or so you’d think. But actually they’re not. Although there are indigenous European strawberries the ones we eat are hybrids derived from a species from New England and another from Chile introduced surreptitiously into France in … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Amadee Frazier, Bosch, Chelsea Physic Garden, Hortus Conclusus, John Tradescant, Mediaeval, Philip Miller, Thomas Hill, thomas Tusser, Virgin Mary | 1 Comment

Nun Appleton

Posted on 13/05/2017 by The Gardens Trust

Nun Appleton House is a sad place these days in every sense. The Yorkshire estate was once the home of Thomas Fairfax, the great Parliamentary general, and also for a short while to Andrew Marvell, the poet, who acted as tutor … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Andre Marvell, conservation, planning, radio, Thomas Fairfax | 3 Comments

The Strange Case of Doctor Ward…

Posted on 06/05/2017 by The Gardens Trust

Most readers of this blog will be familiar with the Wardian case, the method of transporting plants that transformed the world’s gardens and hothouses from the mid-19thc onwards and which were in regular use by Kew for the international transportation of … Continue reading →