6 
A HISTORY OF GARDENING IN ENGLAND 
some of the German names of plants which resemble Old 
English are not cognates, but were derived from words used 
by the Saxon missionaries, who first brought with them the 
knowledge of the virtues of those plants. 1 
The old word for garden was “ wyrtgerd," a plant yard, 
or “ wyrttun," a plant enclosure ; also the form “ ortgerd," 
or “ orceard," which is the same as our word orchard, though 
the meaning is now confined to an enclosure planted with fruit- 
trees. “ Wyrt," or “ wurt," was used for any sort of vegetable 
or herb, and is the same as the modern word " wort/' suffixed 
to so many names of plants, as “ St. John's Wort," or “ herb 
John." Sometimes a special plant filled most of the enclosure ; 
thus the kitchen garden was occasionally called the “ leac tun," 
or leek enclosure. We still speak of an appleyard, the old 
“ appultun," or “ appulgerd," but we say a cherry-orchard, 
while the old word was equally simply “ cherrygerd." 2 A 
part of the monastery garden laid down in grass, where no 
flowers were grown, was called the “ grasgerd," and in like 
manner the space surrounded by the cloisters was the 
“ cloystergerd." The modern word garden is another form of 
this word “ gerd," garth, or yard; all are derived from an 
Aryan root meaning an enclosure. 
At this early period, and for many centuries later, gardens 
were planted chiefly for their practical use, and vegetables and 
herbs were grown for physic or ordinary diet. Flowering plants 
were but rarely admitted solely on account of their beauty. 
But it does not necessarily follow that bright and pretty flowers 
found no place within the garden walls. Roses, lilies, violets, 
peonies, poppies, and such-like, all had medicinal uses, and 
therefore would not be excluded. 
The beauty of flowers appeals to nearly everyone, and even in 
the most disorderly periods of our early history they may have 
exercised some softening influence. A pretty story is told of 
William Rufus, which shows that monarch, as it were for a 
moment, in a more gentle light than perhaps any other incident 
during his turbulent reign. Eadgyth, or Matilda, afterwards 
1 The German for Plantago is “ Wegbreit,” the A.S. “ Waegbroede.” 
The old German for Camomile was “ meghede,” the A.S. “ magede/’ 
2 MSS. Gardeners’ Accounts, Norwich Priory. 
