The History of Tropical Gardens – Advent of the ‘Conservatory’

Attempts to bring back tropical specimens on the earliest shipping expeditions often resulted in disappointment or disaster.

Live plants nearly always died before they managed to reach European shores, and the ones that made it, soon withered and perished in the unfamiliar climate. Seeds were also not much more successful, as by the time they were planted, most had lost their ability to successfully germinate.

The invention of the ‘greenhouse’ or ‘conservatory’ in the 17th century was an attempt to solve these environmental difficulties.

Kew Gardens first effort, the ‘Orangery,’ was constructed in 1761. The structure was very large, and at first heated with hot-air flues then later by hot water. Temperatures were very hard to master; it had yet to transpire that glass could be the solution. Glass was not yet utilised in these early efforts due to prohibitive tax laws which existed; the use of good quality glass in Britain during this era was too expensive.  

However, the repeal of the Britain’s glass tax in 1845 saw the rise in production of affordable and good quality glass, resulting in literally thousands of glass house structures appearing all over gardens throughout England.

The transportation of tropical plants had also greatly improved due to a London scientist called Nathanial Ward. Ward in one of his experiments had sealed a piece of mould with a caterpillar in a glass jar. He discovered that, after several months, a small grass stem began growing from the mould, with moisture collecting on the inside.

This revelation gave birth to the ‘Wardian’ case (pic above), which was very successful at greatly improving the efficiency of tropical plant transportation on ships. 

The cases themselves also became something of a ‘rage’ in Victorian England. Known as ‘terraria’ gardens – these small indoor gardens were proudly presented as a form of trendy interior decoration in ‘well to do’ homes throughout England.