Zinnia & Sensibility: naming and growing an equatorial flower

With the scientific voyages of the mid-18th century, many previously unknown plants reached Britain and the Continent. Naturalists on these expeditions sent seeds to their sponsors, as well as to wealthy individuals. In Europe, botanists eagerly welcomed new seeds from Asia and America. They competed to describe them first, as this offered a chance to make a name for oneself in botany.
Many exotic flowers quickly became known within expert circles, and wealthy amateur gardeners competed in a friendly manner to be the first to successfully cultivate the new species. But how quickly did new species such as the zinnia come to the attention of the public, and make their way into the gardens of the middle classes? Would, for example, Jane Austen have known the zinnia, which reached Britain in 1753? Let’s find out more.

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Could Heroines of Regency Novels Have Enjoyed the Fragrance of Wisterias?

The purple-blue blossoms of the wisteria delight the eye, and their sweet fragrance enchants the soul. Today, this beautiful plant adorns gardens, cottages and manor houses across Britain. The popular Regency-era series Bridgerton shows Bridgerton House with wisteria in full bloom climbing up the facade. But is this historically accurate? Did wisterias bloom in gardens during the Regency period? And would Jane Austen have enjoyed the blossoms, too? Let’s find out.

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Were Dahlias a Typical Garden Plant of the Regency Period?

From August to October, dahlias turn gardens into a sea of vivid colours. The Victorians loved the exuberant plant. But how was the flower perceived in the Regency period? Was it commonly found in the gardens of ordinary people, or was it only a favourite of botanists?
In a Regency novel by Georgette Heyer, we find the following humorous lines:
(Venetia) directed an aged and obstinate gardener to tie up the dahlias. It seemed improbable that he would do so, for he regarded them as upstarts and intruders, which in his young days had never been heard of, and always became distressingly deaf whenever Venetia mentioned them.
These lines always make me smile. Yet, how much historical correctness do they contain? Let’s find out.

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Cultivated Roses – a New Craze Begins

Brief histories of the rose often state that Empress Josephine, wife of Napoleon, kicked-off the craze for the cultivated rose (or: garden rose) in Europe. She certainly had a large collection of roses at her estate in Malmaison / France. Without doubt, she influenced many cultivators and botanists. Her patronage made great botanical works about roses possible, such as Pierre-Joseph Redouté’s famous book „Les Roses“.

However, she entered the stage of rose collecting in 1804, when she created her famous garden. By then, many amateur gardeners and botanists had already yielded to a new ‘fever’: the craze for the garden rose. Let’s have a look at some of the British plant enthusiasts that collected and developed cultivated roses into new varieties. Continue reading