JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER.  November  i,  1900. 
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up  and  transferred  them  to  his  own  domain.  They  answered  a 
double  purpose,  reminding  him  of  a  pleasant  ramble  and  also  adorning 
his  garden.  London,  always  the  centre  of  English  progress,  took 
the  lead  in  horticulture  as  in  other  things,  amongst  our  ancestors, 
and  its  inhabitants  were  so  fortunately  situated  in  the  matter  of 
obtaining  wild  flowers  that  they  could  obtain  a  great  variety  of 
species  of  an  attractive  nature.  Even  yet,  though  building  operations 
have  swept  the  immediate  suburbs  of  most  wild  flowers,  the  outer 
suburbs  afford  some  that  are  rare  and  local.  The  richness  of  the  early 
London  flora  is  quite  explained  by  the  great  diversity  of  the  scenery 
around  it,  and  the  fertility  due  to  numerous  streamlets,  ponds,  and 
marshes.  It  has  been  estimated  that  the  flowering  plants  of  Old 
London  were  between  800  and  900  species  at  least. 
Though  we  have  reached  the  year  1900  we  still  find  many  wild 
flowers  occupy  a  place  in  humble  gardens,  and  we  have  about  larger 
grounds  some  descendants  of  native  species  which  we  scarcely 
recognise.  They  have  risen  in  the  world,  and,  like  a  City  merchant 
whose  ancestor  was  a  coalheaver  or  scavenger,  their  present  lustre 
eclipses  their  parentage.  Great  have  been  the  changes  wrought  by 
richer  soil  and  skilful  crossing  in  the  course  of  years.  To  a  certain 
extent  we  can  trace  the  history  of  wild  flowers  under  cultivation,  but 
we  do  not  know  all  that  were  transplanted  by  our  ancestors.  Some 
that  were  showy  enough  did  not  thrive  permanently  when  growing 
away  from  their  native  haunts,  and  some  again  which  had  popularity 
for  awhile,  were  afterwards  discarded  as  weeds. 
Perhaps,  plants  of  the  Eosaceous  tribe  might  be  placed  in  the  first 
rank  of  those  likely  to  be  transferred,  from  rural  scenes,  to  town  and 
village  gardens.  The  charms  of  the  Oriental  Roses  were  known  in 
Britain  centuries  ago,  but  the  flowers  being  seldom  attainable,  people 
contented  themselves  with  such  Roses  as  our  colder  clime  can  furnish. 
I  suppose  the  favourite  amongst  these  was  the  poet’s  E.lantine,  the 
Sweetbrier,  still  popular,  though  now  varied  by  cultivation.  Five 
centuries  ago  some  Amsterdam  folks  formed  a  Society  of  the  Eglantine, 
having  for  its  motto  “  Blossoming  by  Love.”  It  does  cot  appear  to  be 
a  London  wild  flower,  probably  it  never  was,  but  has  occurred 
sparingly  in  some  southern  counties  on  gravel  or  chalk.  The  Burnet, 
or  Scotch  Rose,  has  been  notfced  seemingly  wild  about  South  England, 
but  its  home  is  Scotland  and  Ireland.  Sir  J.  Sibbald  is  reported  to  have 
introduced  it  into  gardens  towards  the  end  of  last  century  ;  since  then 
a  host  of  varieties,  English  and  foreign,  have  had  their  turn  of 
popularity.  One  Glasgow  nursery  was  said  to  have  produced  300 
varieties  of  R.  spinosissima,  many  obtained  by  a  method  called  random 
in-and-in-breeding,  mixing  several  sorts  in  one  plantation. 
Visiting  one  day  an  old  village  house,  I  observed  that  along  its 
hedges  R.  arvensis  was  blooming  freely,  evidently  planted  there  long 
since.  The  branches  extend  many  feet ;  its  handsome  white  flowers 
are  mostly  in  fours  and  fives.  The  fruit  is  said  to  have  a  pleasant 
flavour,  and  this  trailing  Dog  Rose  was  no  doubt  often  planted  in 
gardens.  About  1830  the  London  nurseries  displayed  what  was 
called  the  Double  Hep  Rose,  a  plant  having  large  petals  of  pale  pink, 
the  history  of  which  is  uncertain.  According  to  Mr.  Sabine  it  came 
from  some  one  of  the  common  garden  Roses,  which  had  been  fertilised 
by  the  pollen  of  a  sport  of  R.  arvensis,  found  in  Devonshire.  Whether 
this  Double  Hep  Rose  still  exists  I  cannot  say.  Then  they  cultivated 
in  some  London  gardens  the  close  -  styled  species  of  Dog  Rose 
(ft.  stylosa),  which  occurred  in  thickets  or  copses  of  North  Middlesex. 
By  management  gardeners  got  this  to  grow  upright,  as  a  slender 
shrub,  8  or  10  feet  high.  Another  wild  Rose,  a  double  variety  of 
which  was  common  in  gardens,  is  R.  cinnamomea.  The  flowers  of 
this  species  have  really  little  scent,  but  what  they  have  has  been 
compared  to  Cinnamon.  Some  think  it  a  doubtful  native  ;  it  grows 
wild,  however,  in  most  European  countries.  The  broad  petals  are 
light  crimson  or  else  purplish ;  the  round  fruit  is  an  orange  colour. 
It  is  possible  that  the  Downy-leaved  Dog  Rose  (R.  tomentosa)^ 
formerly  common  near  London,-  may  have  been  sometimes  introduced 
into  gardens,  though  Sir  James  Smith  states  that  it  does  not  improve- 
even  in  good  soil. 
Before  Privet  and  other  evergreens  became  popular  for  hedgerows 
a  variety  of  native  species  were  called  into  requisition.  Hawthorn, 
Sloe,  Elm,  Maple,  Elder,  and  Hazel  were  commonly  used.  Around 
old  market  gardens  and  nurseries  of  London  I  have  seen  several  species 
of  Prunus  or  Pyrus  mixed  with  other  shrubs.  The  Bird  Cherry  once 
grew  wild  about  Hampstead,  perhaps  elsewhere  near  London,  but  I 
never  noticed  this  in  suburban  hedges,  though  it  may  be  found  in  some 
farther  west  and  south.  The  wild  Cherry  was  not  unfrequent,  of 
several  varieties,  though  it  has  vanished  from  copses  in  the  suburbs 
for  many  years;  slips  were  probably  brought  to  London  for  experiment 
by  Georgian  gardeners  Of  course  there  was  the  Crab  (Pyrus  Malus)- 
still  found  wild  in  what  yet  remain  of  London  copses,  and  some 
nurserymen  cultivated  it  in  their  grounds,  for  the  flavour  of  some 
varieties  was  much  approved  when  baked ;  also  the  expressed  juice 
was  popular  as  a  remedy  for  sprains  and  scalds.  Here  and  there  in  a 
hedge  appeared  P.  Area,  the  white  wild  Pear,  remarkable  for  its  hard 
wood  and  downy  young  branches.  Suburban  hedges  also  showed  the 
wild  Service  Tree  (P.  torminalis),  net  unfrequent  formerly  near  London. 
Early  in  this  century  the  fruit,  which  is  not  much  larger  than  the 
haw,  was  sold  about  the  streets  during  autumn. 
Sundry  smaller  species  of  the  Rosaceous  tribe,  well-known 
wildlings,  become  familiar  objects  along  garden  beds.  Before  the 
foreign  Spirseas  were  popular,  indoors  and  out,  one  of  the  native 
species  was  cultivated,  the  Meadowsweet,  also  honoured  with  the  title 
of  “Qmenof  the  Meadows.”  It  was  liked  for  its  show  of  feathery 
flowers  and  its  strong  perfume,  which,  however,  in  a  confined  space 
has  several  times  proved  dangerous.  This  was  easily  obtainable  from 
many  brooks  or  ditches  that  flowed  into  the  Thames  and  Lea.  The 
foliage,  too,  when  dried  has  an  aromatic  flavour,  which  has  been 
compared  to  that  of  green  tea  or  the  Orange  flower.  Another  Spiraea," 
the  common  Dropwort,  partial  to  chalk,  and  having  little  scent,  has  in 
the  hands  of  gardeners  produced  a  beautiful  double-flowered  variety. 
Several  botanis's  maintain  that  the  Willow-leaved  Dropwort  is- 
British  ;  certainly  it  ocenrs  plentifully  about  North  Wales,  but  it 
may  have  been  imported  from  Germany.  This  is  more  of  a  shrub 
than  the  other  Spiraeas,  exhibiting  rose-coloured  clusters  of  flowers. 
Amongst  other  proofs  that  the  Avens  or  Herb  Bennet  was  well 
known  to  the  monks  is  the  frequency  with  which  we  discover  it  in 
thirteenth  century  carvings  on  walls  and  pillars.  Probably  it  was 
grown  in  gardens  quite  as  early  as  that  date.  Though  its  crimson 
stamens  and  plumed  seeds  are  noticeable,  it  was  rather  the  virtues  of 
the  plant  than  its  beauty  which  led  to  its  cultivation.  Where  this 
plant  grows  the  devil  dare  not  approach,  such  was  the  belief ;  also  it 
was  a  “  blessed  herb,”  and  dedicated  to  St.  Benedict.  The  root  .they 
boiled  in  various  liquors  to  impart  an  agreeable  flavour.  I  do  not 
know  if  any  traveller  brought  to  old  London  gardens  from  the 
northern  hills  the  Dryas,  or  Mountain  Avens,  possibly  he  might.  It 
is  an  Alpine  plant  which  would  have  been  an  adornment  to  rockwork. 
Since  the  Cinquefoils  were  plants  reputed  to  bring  good  luck  there 
was  a  reason  for  growing  them  near  the  home,  though  they  are 
inconspicuous  species  mostly.  An  exception  is  the  Silver  Weed 
(Po'entilla  anserina),  the  shining  foliage  and  yellow  flowers  making  it 
attractive ;  it  was  also  called  Wild  Tansy,  but  in  gardens  required 
plenty  of  moisture.  The  shrubby  Cinquefoil  was  observable  about 
some  old-style  gardens,  being  brought  from  the  north  ;  under 
cultivation  it  made  a  good  show  of  golden  blossoms  in  summer  and 
autumn.  It  was  in  the  kitchen  rather  than  the  flower  garden  that 
the  Salad  Burnet  was  grown,  even  till  last  century,  the  lerves  being 
used  for  salad  and  to  make  a  “  cool  tankard  ” — we  should  not  like  the 
flavour  now. — J.  R.  S.  C. 
