INTRODUCTORY 17 
World and carefully nurtured in the London gardens, 
that the citizens “ set such store by.” There were 
several of these “worshipful gentlemen” to whom the 
introduction of flowers is due, and of many a plant 
Gerard could say with pride, they “ are strangers to 
England, notwithstanding I have them in my garden.” 
Most plants were grown for use, but others “we have 
them,” says Gerard, “ in our London gardens rather 
more for toyes of pleasure than any vertues they are 
possessed with.” Some of the first potatoes introduced 
were grown in London. Gerard had those in his garden 
direct from Virginia, and prized them as “ a meat for 
pleasure.” Jerusalem artichokes were brought to London 
by him, and grown there in early days (1617). Parkin¬ 
son also had them, calling them “ Potatos of Canada.” 
Bananas were first seen in England in Johnson’s the 
herbalist’s shop in Snow Hill. At a much later date— 
early in last century—the fuchsia was made known for 
the first time to Lee, a celebrated gardener, who saw a 
pot of this attractive plant in the window of a house in 
Wapping, where a sailor had brought it as a present to 
his wife. So attached to it was she, that she only parted 
with it when a sum of eight guineas was offered, besides 
two of the young rooted cuttings. London can claim 
so many flowers, it would be tedious to enumerate 
them all. The first cedars in this country grew in the 
Chelsea Physic Garden, some of the first orchids at 
Loddige’s Garden in Hackney, and many things have 
emanated from Veitch’s Nursery, or the Botanical 
Gardens in Regent’s Park, or the gardens which used 
to belong to the Royal Horticultural Society in South 
Kensington. The chrysanthemum in early days flourished 
in Stoke Newington, and one of the very first results of 
