SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 
*73 
Wall in the great garden is full of good anemones, and near the 
musk-rose are two roots of the daffodil of Constantinople from 
Rea, and a Martagon pomponium.” These extracts show 
that Thomas Hanmer was a friend of the gardener and author 
Rea. He made a catalogue of choice plants, “ yet such as 
will bear our climate/’ with short “ directions for their pre¬ 
servation and increase, not meddling with their medical 
qualities,” and it is believed that these notes were given to 
Rea, who made use of them in his book. 
Sir Thomas was also a friend of Evelyn, and imparted 
some of his knowledge of plants to him. On August 22, 
1668, he writes to Evelyn, enclosing him some papers : “ They 
are but common observations, but true ones, and most of 
the famed secrets for ameliorating flowers will not prove so.” 
In 1671 he wrote again, this time sending Evelyn some plants : 
“ Bettisfield, Augst. 21 st, 1671. 
“ Sir, I send you herewith some rootes of severall sorts : the 
bear’s ears (Auriculas) and some of the anemones and ranun¬ 
culus are very good, but the tulips (except Agat Hanmer and 
the Ariana, and some others) are not extraordinary ; indeed, 
my garden affords not now such varieties of rare tulips as I had 
formerly ; most of my best died the first yeare I came to live 
at this place, and I have not furnisht my selfe anew, because 
I thinke neither this ayer nor earth agrees with them. I 
suppose your flower garden, being new, is not very large, and 
therefore I send you not many things at this tyme, and I wish 
the beares eares doe not dry too much before you receave them ; 
they will be a fortnight at least before they come to Deptford, 
and therefore sett them as soone as may be, and water them 
well (if it raine not) for three or fower days, and plant them 
not in too hott a sun. I thought once to have ventur’d some 
gilliflowers, having two years since raised some very good ones 
from seed (w h I never did before, nor I thinke never shall 
againe, because the wett in England hinders the ripening of 
the seed more than in Holland and Flanders), but there is 
such store of excellent ones all about London that I had not 
the confidence to adventure any to your view ;—and I doubted 
whether being soe long on the way would not kill them. Sir, 
