This talk looks at the origins of some of our favourite quintessentially ‘English’ garden plants : Including a look at some early introductions from the Romans which we still love and continue to grow today, plants brought back from the Crusades including medicinal and decorative plants, those which resulted from the exploits of Elizabethan explorers who accidentally introduced us to potatoes and tobacco, plants brought to our gardens by the English gardener responsible for the fashionable 'Tulip ‘Semper Augustus'’and it’s impact on Dutch and gardening history and some of our favourite garden plants that are still commonly grown from Victorian nurseries sourced in China and Japan.
Course aim
This provides a trip through history to see where some of our favourite ‘English’ plants actually came from and when they first arrived in our gardens, including a quick quiz to guess the origin of some of our favourite plants.
Do I need any particular skills or experience?
- This course is for beginners and improvers
By the end of the course I should be able to:
- Understand where one of more of our 'English' garden plants actually came from.
- Identify at least one of our favourite plants which were introduced in the Roman period.
- Determine one or more plants in my own or a favourite garden that are actually plant introductions and not English at all.
What else do I need to know?
It would be useful to have a notepad etc and there will be opportunities to participate in group discussions and ideas sharing.
View full course information sheet
