<p><strong>Plants </strong>/ English roots </p><p><strong>Lupin </strong>– cultivated for thousands of years, originally as a fodder plant, as far apart as ancient Egypt and the Peruvian Andes. e tall colourful spires popular in English gardens have their origin in North American species that arrived in Britain in the 1820s. </p><p><strong>Delphinium </strong>– modern day varieties are </p><p>the result of interbreeding of species from many parts of the world, from the Swiss Alps to Siberia. ey have been a part of the English garden since at least Tudor times. <br><strong>Phlox </strong>– arrived in Europe from Virginia, North America in the early 18th century before crossing the channel a century later. Many varieties have been bred since not only in England but also in the Netherlands and United States. </p><p><strong>Rose </strong>– the English rose is the result of centuries of breeding of many varieties of rose from around world. One of these is the Damask rose, named aſter the Syrian city of Damascus, famous for its fragrance. It is thought to have first been brought to England by the Crusaders. </p><p><strong>Hydrangea </strong>– first introduced from </p><p>Pennsylvania, North America in 1736. In the nineteenth century they became a favourite of plant hunters and botanists, including the famous Joseph Banks who brought more varieties back from China and Japan. </p><p><strong>Hollyhock </strong>– possible origins range </p><p>from and Syria to India but mostly likely to be natives of China. is statuesque plant worked its way along the Silk Road over many centuries and is first mentioned in English literature in John Gardiners poem ’Feate of Gardenini’ in 1440. </p><p>Crossing borders </p><p><strong>Sweet William </strong>– first appeared in </p><p>English botanist John Gerard’s garden catalogue in 1596 having made their way from mountainous regions of southern Europe, such as the Pyrenees and the Carpathians. e flower may have been named aſter William Shakespeare. </p><p>ere is possibly nothing more </p><p><strong>Tulip </strong>- originally a wild flower </p><p>associated with the English than their gardens but like the inhabitants of these islands many of the plants found in the quintessential cottage garden have their roots elsewhere. </p><p>growing in the Central Asia and were first cultivated by the Turks as early as 1,000 AD. e flower was introduced to Europe in the 17th century by Carolus Clusius, a famous biologist from Vienna. At one time they were so sought aſter one bulb could cost as much as a house. </p><p><strong>Sweet pea </strong>– a favourite of English </p><p>gardeners for three centuries. A dried specimen grown in a Middlesex garden in 1700 can still be found in the Natural History Museum. Sweet peas probably came here from Sicily but may have originated further afield in Sri Lanka. <br><strong>Peony </strong>– cultivated in China for over a thousand years, their medical properties were known `to the ancient Greeks and Romans. ey made their way to monastic gardens in northern Europe, including England, in the early middle ages. </p><p>Root &amp; Branch&nbsp;08 <br>Root &amp; Branch&nbsp;09 </p>