EVOLUTION OF THE GARDEN 7 



In the garth the best loved flower was the lily, which 

 blossomed beside the rose, sunflower, marigold, gilli- 

 flower, violet, periwinkle, honeysuckle, daisy, peony, 

 and bay-tree. 



Under the Norman kings, particularly Henry II, 

 when the French and English courts were virtually 

 the same, the citizens of London had gardens, 

 "large, beautiful, and planted with various kinds of 

 trees." Possibly even older scribes wrote accounts 

 of some of these, but the earliest description of an 

 English garden is contained in "De Naturis Rerum" 

 by Alexander Neckan, who lived in the second half 

 of the Twelfth Century. "A garden," he says, 

 "should be adorned on this side with roses, lilies, 

 the marigold, molis and mandrakes; on that side 

 with parsley, cort, fennel, southernwood, coriander, 

 sage, savory, hyssop, mint, rue, dittany, smallage, 

 pellitory, lettuce, cresses, ortulano, and the peony. 

 Let there also be beds enriched with onions, leeks, 

 garlic, melons, and scallions. The garden is also 

 enriched by the cucumber, which creeps on its belly, 

 and by the soporiferous poppy, as well as by the 

 daffodil and the acanthus. Nor let pot-herbs be 

 wanting, if you can help it, such as beets, herb 

 mercury, orache, and the mallow. It is useful also 

 to the gardener to have anise, mustard, white pepper, 



