io8 A HISTORY OF GARDENING IN ENGLAND 
“ flowers that being strangers unto us, and giving the beauty 
and bravery of their colours so early, before many of our own- 
bred flowers, the more to entice us to their delight . . . are 
almost in all places, with all persons, especially with the better 
sort of the gentry of the Land,” “ namely Daffodils, Fritil- 
larias, Jacinths, Saffron-flowers, Lillies, Flowerdeluces, Tulipas, 
Anemones, French cowslips or Bears' Ears, and a number of 
suchlike flowers, very beautiful, delightful, and pleasant.” 
The number of “ outlandish ” flowers grown in good gardens 
was rapidly increasing. All through this period flowers were 
coming in, both from the Old and the New World. The 
following are a few among the best known of these importa¬ 
tions : “ The Crown Imperial,” both orange and yellow, and 
varieties of the small Fritillary, then called the “ Turkie, or 
Guiniehen flower, or chequered daffodil.” The hardy cycla¬ 
men {europceum) ; the Lobelia cardinalis, the Passion flower 
(Passiflora incamata), or “ Virgin climer.” The Christmas 
rose (Helleborus niger, also Niger anguitifolius and vernalis) ; the 
common white lilac, or “ pipe-tree,” and syringa (. Philadelphus 
coronarius) ; also the common cotoneaster and laburnum; 
several species of martagon lilies ; the common yellow jasmine ; 
the sweet-scented marvel of Peru and evening primrose, and 
the hardy spiderworts ; the African marigold, and sunflowers 
and larkspurs, both annual and perennial; the snowflakes, 
which were classed with snowdrops as “ bulbous violets ”! 
and Ranunculus, “ the crowfoot of Illyria ” (R . illyrius) and 
asiaticus, also Bachelor’s buttons (R . plantanifolius ftore-pleno 
and aconitifolius) , from the “ Alpish Mountains ”; sweet Sultan, 
(Centaurea moschata), Dittany or Fraxinella; Balsam im- 
patiens ; some species of campanula, and the bright Convol¬ 
vulus minor (C. bicolor). Tobacco was one of the acquisitions 
from America. The first description of the plant in English 
is found in John Frampton’s translation of a Spanish work by 
Nicholas Monardus (after whom the genus Monarda has been 
named). He says it was grown “ more to adornate gardens 
with the fairnesse thereof, and to give a pleasant sight ” than 
for its medicinal properties, which he proceeds to enumerate. 
It was said to cure wounds, headache, toothache, chilblains, 
swellings, " griefes of the joyntes,” and various internal evils, 
