74 PRINCIPES [Vor 4l Priwipes,4I(2), 1997, pp. 74*83 "PalmTrees Shivering in a Surrey Shrubbery"-A Historyof Subtropical Gardening JIn,tRuvt{ot-ns Vandwen Botanical GardenAssociation, 5251 Oak Street, Varcouuer, British Columbia, Canad,a From the earliest times, gardenershave been dition was the Historia Naturalis Palmarurn, preoccupiedwith cultivating exotic plants in alien which took him from lB23 to lB53 to complete climates (Huxley I97B). Henry VIII's gardener and which is described by Prof. Comer as "the successfullygrew fruit such as figs, peaches,and most magnificenttreatment of palms that has been apricots againstthe warm, south-facingbrick walls produced" (Corner 1966). The half-hardy palms at royal palaces. Not much later, Sir Francis Brahea and, Trithrinax were included. The year Carewwas growingorange trees outdoorsin south- lB50 saw the publication of another great palm ern England. Extraordinarymeasures were needed book, Palms of British East Ind,ia by William Grif- to keep these delicate trees alive. In winter, fith (1810-1845). Other British palm pioneers of wooden huts were erected around them and they the 19th century included Alfred Wallace (1823- were heated with stoves when frosts threatened 1913), Henry Bates (1823-1892), and Richard (Rose l9B9). Howeverodespite these early begin- Spruce (lBI7-1893). A major contribution was "exotic" nings, the use of hardy palms and other made to the study of palms by the Italian botanist plants in the temperategarden really owesits ori- OdoardoBeccari (1843-1920) in the latter part of gins to eighteenth and nineteenth century Euro- the l9th century and early 20th century. pean botanical expeditions and to the Victorian In the l8th and l9th centuries,plant collectors voguefor botany and plant collecting. This article went on many exciting and dangerous voyages traces that history to the present-dayuse of such around the world to bring back specimens for plants in the Pacific North W'est. European collectors. One of the most famous was Sir Joseph Banks (1743-1820) who went with Palm Pioneersand PlantCollectors Captain Cook on his first voyagearound the world. When he became unofficial director of Kew Gar- Interest in palms and other tropical plants grew dens, he sent out other plant collectorswho added as European nations extended their influence in many more of the plants with which we are now tropical areas of the world. In particular, the familiar. From Britain, many of the plants were Dutch presencein the Far East led to an increase then sent to other tropical regions. For example, in Europeanknowledge of palms. In the latter part the Malaysian rubber industry owes its origin to of the l7th century,Rumphius (1627-1702) com- seedlingssent to the SingaporeBotanical Gardens piled his books on the flora of Amboina in the by Kew Gardens. Kew was also important in Moluccas Islands, describing about 50 speciesof spreading the cultivation of bananas around the palms. Alexander von Humboldt added greatly to world. A major breakthrough in plant collecting this knowledge through his voyagesof scientific took place in IB27 when the Wardian case was investigation to the Spanish Colonies in South invented and plants could be more safely trans- Americaoadding, amongothers, the genusJubaea, ported (Allen 1969). Deenaugh Goold-Adams "the which is usually consideredto be the hardiest of notes that, use of the Wardian case-meant the feather palms. Humboldt's travels and publi- that the more delicate tropical plants and the won- cations stirred up interest over South Americao ders of China had a chance of surviving the jour- which led, in turn, to the expeditionin IBIT to ney. The use of the Wardian case tumed the 1820 of Carl von Martius (1794-1868), the trickle of new introductions into a flood" (Goold- ooFather of Palms." One of the results of this expe- Adams 1987). 19971 REYNOLDS:SUBTROPICAL GARDENING 75 One of the earliest plant collectors was Robert Exotic plants such as palms provided a link' how- Fortune who made successful expeditions into ever weak, to wondrouslands: (Coats 1969). Although Dr' Von China and Japan Only in purple light of dreams may dwellers in temperatecli- Siebold sent seedsof the Windmill palm (Trachy- mates conjure up, perhaps, for themselues pictures of carpusforturrci) from Japan to Holland in 1830, it indescribable magni'fi'cenceof the aegetation that springs up was Robert Fortune who was responsiblefor their beneath rhe glowing sun of the tropics. The indiaid'ual plants themelues that languish imprisoneil in our hot-houes can but successfulintroduction as a staple of subtropical in faintly suggest ideas of their full and majestic d'eaelopment gardening.He first saw the palm on the islands of their natiae lands. Chusan off the coast of east China and collected S. Moody (IB@,) young plants in 1849 on a trip into the interior. The associationof palms with religion was part of China had been off-limits to European collectors their fascinationfor someVictorians.In 1864, The until the end of the Opium War in IB42 and in Palrn Tree by S. Moody was published. In it, she 1849, Europeanswere still restricted to 30 miles notes the many scriptural references to palms, from a treaty-port. Fortune wanted to collect green "it writing that has been the writer's earnest aim tea plants, which were far from the coast so, in throughout to endeavour' by unfolding the count- order to go undetected,he wore a Chinesecostume less lovely analogiessuggested by her subject, to had his head shaved in the Chinese style to and interest the reader in The Palm Tree - Servantof that he was a foreigner. On the joumey by conceal God and friend of man." Sometimesthis associa- the tea district, he came across the palm boat to tion seemsto have gone too far. One l9th century named after him. He ananged to that was to be enthusiastwrote: send some young plants via Hong Kong and Cal- cutta to William Hooker at Kew. He requested This distinguishedform of the palm, superiorto all otherplants, nour- "that he would forward one of them to the garden the noble bearing, the stemstriuing to reach the skies-its the materials clothing an'd'sheher - all these Albert at Osborne ishing fruits, for of His Royal Highness Prince combinedto createthe senseof a higher being inherent in it, if House, Isle of Wight." It is interesting to note that' not a godhead,then surely the d'welling of the same. in 1871, William Robinson wrote that a Chusan Minter (1990) "had Her Majesty's gardens at Osborne palm in In Europe, many of the newly introduced plants for many winters and attained a consid- stood out were housedin greenhousesranging from the great (Robinson 1871). Over a hundred erable height" Palm House at Kew built between1844 and lB4B Lancaster observedthat years later in 1989, Roy to more modest suburban home conservatories introductions are still alive trees from Fortune's built for the expanding middle class created by Osborne House, and and well outside at Kew, the Industrial Revolution (Minter 1990, Warren (1989). elsewhereLancaster 1991). The developmentof those glasshouseswas the result of the repeal of Britain's Glass Tax in The VictorianPassion for Plants 1845 and the growth of new industries producing cheaper glass. Heat was provided by stoves and the plant col- The many exotic plants found by so these conservatorieswere often called stove European lectors were eagerly welcomed by the housesor stoves.One author notes that middle classes,esfecially in Britain' The Victo- rians had a passionfor plants: the Virtoians liked to heat their eonsematories. It was a metter of ambition and pridc to be able to gron and d'isplay the most exotic, rare, and tend'er plants and then to be able to t(llte tea Plants-especially exoticplarxs, found' on heroic ad'aen- fecund, amongst them. of the globe-were one of the symboLs tures in the far comers Marston (1992) of the Victorian Age. As Britain's ind'utrial bue grew mnre prosperousand her Empire spread,so the Bitish public became The design of many of these conservatorieswas It was not such a more obsessed,uith nature in all its uarieties. very elaborate and the survivors bear witness to paradoxical as it might seemat sight. Partly fascination f'rst craftsmen. it was a reaction agaimt the accelerateddrift of the population the skills of Victorian "The rowards the ind.utrial cities, partly ct sheer reuelling in Although the passionfor palms never surpassed Wond,ersof Creation". Nothing wu more encouraging to an the crazefor fems, palms had a special fascination aggressiuelyexpansiue and' optimistic people than the ceaseless for the Victorians as reflected in the growth of the its explorers parade of new resou.rcesand' natural rnamels that Kew collection. Six palm species were grown at and entrepreneurswere bringing home the colonies. It from ten by 1787, 20 in 1813, 40 in seemedlike a diuine blessingon the nation. Kew in 7768, Mabev '9g9) 1830, and 420 ii 1BB2(Minter 1990). This public 76 PRINCIPES [Vor-.41 collection was eclipsed by that of Loddiges' Nurs- ical gardening was a leading horticultural writer ery in Hackney between lB20 and 1845, which in of the period, Shirley Hibberd. He had previously the latter year had upwards of 200 types of palms. written on the merits of foliage plants in The Fern The customersfor such a nursery required consid- Garden (1869) and New and Rare Beautiful- "The erable wealth. A writer commentedin lB3B, LeaaedPlants (1870). In 1871, the first addition culture of palms-is less a matter of nicety than of The Amateur's Flower Garden was published. '"The expense. They require a powerful moist heat, a This containeda chapteron SubtropicalGar- large massof rich earth in the pot, tub or bed and den" in which Hibberd explained someof the dif- ample space for the leaves-it would require to ficulties involved as well as the attractionsof thia have the roof elevated by degreesto sixty, eighty type of gardening.