Last year's group visited the
Chelsea
Physic Garden in the heart of London and provided us with a nice synopsis
of the place. It's a good place to start. My own impressions of the garden
were set primarily by its history: I was in a garden that had been in
continuous operation with the same general purpose for 327 years! Wow!
What's more, this garden was very likely the site of introduction into
Western Knowledge of many important plants. I joined a tour of the garden
given by a knowledgeable volunteer. Among the many interesting facts shared
with us were:
-the gate to the garden is the original one (below left)
-the high wall was erected soon after the garden was founded because of
problems with plants 'disappearing'
-the emblem (below center) represents the physician battling the
dragon of disease (and the rhinoceros is given due prominence on top because
of its purported aphrodisiac)
-the statue of Hans Sloane (a key figure in Western medicine; below
right) honors the man who insured the future of the garden by deeding
the land in perpetuity on the conditions that (1) it be used only for
the original purpose of research and teaching and (2) that the garden
introduce 50 new plants to medicine/botany each year (which it had done
until 50 years ago or so)
A typical bit of English humour was demonstrated when the guide explained that the main gate, where the emblem below sits, and located on a busy embankment road, is used only for 2 purposes: (1) when royalty visits and the red carpet is laid down with great pomp and circumstance; and (2) when manure is delivered... because it's the only entrance to the garden where a small truck can get in... and for this purpose they roll out a tarp instead of red carpet..
Above: the public entrance to the garden is lined with lavender; the focal point is Hans Sloane's statue. To the right of the statue is a rock garden that has been there for over 200 years.
Below: A large butterfly bush (Buddleia davidii), is a popular shrub in both English and American gardens, but I was struck by the fact that it had become a common weed along London railway lines and abandoned yards!
Above: Like Kew, the Chelsea Physic Garden has a few beds with plants arranged in taxonomic logic; that is, plants are grouped by family. While not as large as Kew's, the beds bore interesting plants with useful properties.
Below: As mentioned in last year's report, many notable figures are associated with the garden. A series of beds honor some of these and one of them is William Curtis, original publisher of Curtis' Botanical Magazine - still published today and printing the most exquisite of botanical illustrations.
