Would you have applied for a job as a plant hunter in the 19th century? The first skill you would have needed was an adventurous spirit. Plant hunting botanists had to survive shipwreck, pirates, numerous accidents and foreign diseases, such as dysentery and yellow fever. Some never came home. I’ve been doing some research on medicinal plants and popular Victorian garden trees and, in this month’s blog, I take a look at a few of the specimens these brave, intrepid men brought back with them that still adorn our gardens today.

Rhododendrons and Camellias

The first plant hunters in China were amateurs. French missionaries in the 18th century, mainly Jesuit priests, were sent to China to convert people to Christianity. Many of the priests were interested in botany and sent home specimens and seeds. This sparked interest among nurseries and growers in France and Britain and they began to recruit specialists to track down foreign plants. Some of the best known plants found in China are Rhododendrons, Camellias and Magnolias. Their showy flowers delighted plant collectors with big gardens.

Magnolias are beautiful plants that produce showy pink or cream flowers in early spring. They got their name from Carl Linneaus, the Swedish botanist, in 1737 and were called after the French botanist Pierre Magnol who was born in the 17th century. Apparently they are one of the most primitive plants in botanical history as they existed in Europe, North America and Asia over 100 millions years ago.

Magnolias also have a medicinal history. The flower buds of Magnolia salicifolia are used in Asia to treat people suffering from headaches and allergies. Apparently a recent study showed that the bark from Magnolia officinalis might help people with Parkinson’s Disease.

Some thugs among the beauties from abroad

Not all new discoveries were beneficial, however. Rhododendron ponticum is the purple mauve variety and unfortunately its introduction to British and Irish gardens and parks in the 18th century has caused havoc as it is an invasive species. It has grown out of control in various parts of the country. I’ve seen it wild on the Comeragh mountains in Tipperary and in Connemara in the West of Ireland. Rhododendron ponticum forms dense clumps and can smother or starve other native plants of nutrients and sunlight. While it may look dramatic when in flower, it’s now regarded as a definite thug.

Japanese Knotweed is another horror. It arrived at Kew Gardens in 1850, originally from Asia where it grew on the side of volcanos. No wonder it can grow anywhere. It is now classed as an invasive species and has been spreading and causing problems in Ireland. Japanese Knotweed is difficult to eradicate and needs specialist removal. I’ve often seen signs along hedgerows warning the public not to touch it or, perish the thought, take cuttings home to their gardens!

Fuchsia

We probably all know and recognise the beautiful red and purple flowering Fuchsia. This plant was first discovered in South America in The Dominican Republic by Father Charles Plumier, a missionary and botanist in the late 17th century. He named it after the German botanist who had died 100 years earlier, Leonard Fuchs.

The modern Fuchsias we see today are a result of many decades of hybridising. The Fuchsia was extremely popular in Victorian times when all sorts of showy displays were used by head gardeners in big houses and where they had large glasshouses at their disposal.

Fuchsia brings back happy memories for me. I remember my grandparents had two Fuchsias on either side of the limestone steps leading up to their front door. They hacked back the shrubs drastically in the autumn and the Fuchsias would grow enormous by the following summer. The red dangling flowers were alive with the drone of bees on sunny days. I tried to grow it here in our garden but unfortunately Fuchsia doesn’t seem to like our limey dry soil. A pity. In a house of ours in Dublin it has grown the size of a small tree and definitely needs a trim.

Californian Redwood - (Sequoia sempervirens)

The giant trees of California in North America fascinated wealthy owners of big gardens in Victorian Britain and Ireland. A famous nursery at Killerton in Devon (owned by James Veitch) quickly acquired plant material to grow the massive redwoods. He began employing plant hunters to bring back exotic plants like Camellias, Magnolias, Rhododendrons and trees from different continents. Seeds of the Californian Redwoods were brought to Killerton in 1853 by William Lobb. Plants were grown on trial before being sold.

William Lobb had a life of adventure as a plant hunter, trekking across several continents for his employer, and the famous moss rose is named after him. He was born near Bodmin in Cornwall in 1809 and he and his brother Thomas were taken on by James Veitch, who was looking for plants to extend his nursery near Exeter. Two of the most famous trees William Lobb brought to England were The Monkey Puzzle Tree (Araucaria araucana) from Chile and the vast Wellingtonia (Sequoiadendron giganteum) from California.

My grandparents’ house also had a massive Wellingtonia, which was planted at the front as a specimen tree. It was there long before they arrived, of course. There’s an interesting story about the naming of the Sequoiadendron giganteum in the next section.

Wellingtonia (Sequoiadendron giganteum)

This mammoth conifer was first discovered in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountain range. William Lobb rushed the seed, shoots and saplings back to England as he knew the monster tree would create a craze in Victorian horticultural circles. Around the same time, a section of one 3000 year old tree was displayed in San Francisco where its hollowed out trunk accommodated a piano with an audience of forty people. It was used as a dramatic tourist attraction in its day.

This larger-than-life conifer became a status symbol in Britain and Ireland and was planted in the great gardens of wealthy landowners. However, the Americans did not take kindly to the British deciding to name it themselves. An American scientist wanted to call it the ‘Washingtonia’. When Lobb hurried back to James Veitch, it created great excitement and the Horticultural Society named it Wellingtonia gigantea in honour of the Duke of Wellington, who had recently died.

The Americans were naturally not happy. Not only had the British arrived and claimed one of their giant trees but they had also had the cheek to name it after an Englishman! After much debate, the botanical name Sequoiadendron giganteum was chosen as a compromise to reflect the tree’s link to the Californian Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens).

We still call it Wellingtonia here today and I’d no idea that the name caused such an argument. Emo Court is a grand 18th century house in County Laois with a fine garden, once the seat of the Earl of Portarlington but now owned by the Irish State, and it has a long avenue of Wellingtonias. It must have been an impressive sight in the Victorian era when visitors arrived by horse and carriage.

Passion Flower (Passiflora incarnata)

Passion Flower (Passiflora incarnata) has an interesting history. It was discovered as a medicinal plant in 1569 in Peru, South America, by a Spanish doctor called Monardes. It was grown by the Aztecs, Incas and other native Indians for thousands of years. Botanists were fascinated by its inflorescence and it acquired its name in 1633 when the Jesuit Ferrari saw instruments of the passion of Christ in the parts of the flower. Nowadays there are over 400 species of the Passiflora family, including the fruit-bearing one.

The plant was used as a herbal remedy during the 19th century and it is supposed to be helpful to soothe the nervous system after stress and shock. It was used during the First World War for soldiers with shell-shock.

Mexican Lobelia (Lobelia laxiflora)

Mexican Lobelia (Lobelia laxiflora) is native to the Americas and is a perennial herb or shrub that can reach from 1.5 to 3 metres in height. It is considered useful as a medicinal plant because it contains alkaloids. Alkaloids have a wide range of pharmacological activities, including anti-malarial (quinine), anti-asthma, anti-cancer and analgesic (morphine) to name just a few. In a warmer climate, Lobelias are easy to grow, are bright and colourful and they also attract hummingbirds.

Golden Chain Tree (Laburnum anagyroides)

Golden Chain Tree (Laburnum anagyroides) has its origins closer to home and hails from Southern Europe and the Balkans. It produces beautiful hanging golden pea-like flowers in Spring and is often grown on an arch. A dramatic display and much loved but one of its drawbacks is that all parts of the plant are poisonous. If you grow it in your garden, warn children not to touch the black pods with seeds as they can be lethal. Apparently the wood of a laburnum tree is highly prized by crafts people because it is unusually hard and yellow.