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Collecting Antique Plants. The History and Culture of the Old Florists' Flowers

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greenfinger:
In this book Roy Genders compares old fashioned flowers with antique furniture, china, glass or early English water colours.
"They are collecors' plants which are eagerly sought by those who love the quaint old flowers and do not wish to see them disappear, though they have become as difficulr to find as pieces of early Wedgwood (...) They are not only appreciated for their beauty but also for their scarcity value. They are plants steeped in the history of these islands and some of them were taken up by those who worked at home in the early days of the industrial revolution when these lovely flowers brought interest and beauty into the home."
By these "early days" he means the years before 1850, when the workers still worked at home and were their own boss.
"The old plants have not become scarce because they were in any way difficult to manage or because of tender constitution. That many have survived for the last four hundred years, clearly shows them to be almost indestructible but they are plants which require care in their culture, neither do they lend themselves to modern methods of mass production. They have survived in cottage gardens because of the loving care bestowed upon them by several generations of plant lovers."

Ref.: Pelham Books Ltd., London, 1971.

greenfinger:
George, in this book is a little paragraph about your Sweet Rocket.

ideasguy:
Thats the one, André, and a very good account of the scent. That plant really does have a lovely fragrance, and better still, it fills the air. You wont miss it as you walk past!
I find if it is given space it forms a bushy shape. In my garden they grow 3ft and more. Once you have them in your garden, they are there for life,it seems. I inherited mine in this garden from my dad's time, so they've seeded around the garden for over 20 years now.
Any more nice ones to tell us about from the book?

greenfinger:
Some of my own "Old Florists' Flowers". Polyanthus and Auriculas are two species of the Primulas. Highly recommandable!

ideasguy:
Nice photos, Andre. One for the Master Database there (with a "name")
I love those flowers, as you know.

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