100 years ago, a young English gardener, E·h· Wilson, set foot on the land of China and began his long-term and far-reaching work of collecting and introducing flowers and plants to the west. Being in the "kingdom of flowers", he was deeply moved and intoxicated. Later, with his deeper understanding of flowers in China, he realized that flowers in China have a decisive influence on gardens all over the world. ......
100 years ago, a young English gardener, E·h· Wilson, set foot on the land of China and began his long-term and far-reaching work of collecting and introducing flowers and plants to the west. Being in the "kingdom of flowers", he was deeply moved and intoxicated. Later, as he learned more about flowers in China, he realized that flowers in China had a decisive influence on gardens all over the world. On 19 13, he wrote an influential book, The Naturalist in Western China. This book was renamed Garden China when it was reprinted on 1929. For more than half a century, the title "Mother of China Gardens" has been accepted by many botanists and gardeners. In China, although many people are familiar with this statement, their understanding of its connotation is limited. The author makes a brief exposition on this.
First, the contribution of China Oriental Garden to the West
The Chinese nation has loved flowers since ancient times. More than 2500 years ago, flowers played a very important role in beautifying our lives and expressing our feelings. The poems about peach blossom, peony and day lily in The Book of Songs well illustrate that in the long historical process, our ancestors cultivated many world-famous gorgeous flowers. Moreover, China's flowers were introduced to the west through the Silk Road a long time ago, such as peach blossoms, day lilies and other flowers originating in China, which were introduced to Europe about 2,000 years ago.
After entering modern times, with the progress of social economy and the rapid development of garden art, Britain, France and other western countries have more demand for exotic flowers and plants overseas. At that time, western businessmen who came to China quickly became interested in many unusual and beautiful flowers in China, and tried their best to introduce the seedlings of flowers in China.
Before the Opium War, as the main place for westerners to trade with China, Guangzhou was a very developed city in flower gardening. The climate here is warm and humid, and there are many kinds of flowers and trees, so it is known as the "Flower City". At that time, there was a large garden area in the southeast suburb of Guangzhou-Flower Belt (or Flower Land), which was a very famous trading center for flower seedlings and bonsai. This is an important place for early western merchant ship owners to buy China flowers.
On the other hand, western missionaries in Beijing, especially French P.D. Incarville, who has a certain botanical foundation and works in the Royal Garden of China, also actively sent some flower seedlings found in Beijing gardens to the European Botanical Gardens in Petersburg, Paris and London through inland trade routes. Among them, the plants sent from Tang Zhi include Korean pine, cycad, horn wormwood, Acorus gramineus, Chinese cabbage and some Corydalis plants. In addition, there are Platycladus orientalis, Sophora japonica, Ailanthus altissima, Luan tree, Gleditsia sinensis and other common greening trees in Beijing. And jujube (Ziziphus jujuba), Lycium chinense and dye plant Polygonum blue. Relevant records show that in the second half of the18th century, the west introduced many flowers and ornamental trees from China through various channels, including carnation, rose, rose, camellia, chrysanthemum, peony, peony, Yingchun, cycad, ginkgo, peony, horn wormwood, cuiju, Platycladus orientalis, Sophora japonica, Ailanthus altissima, Luan tree and Gleditsia sinensis. Among them, Paeonia lactiflora, Cuiju and Artemisia scoparia are very common flower plants cultivated later, and they are all given beautiful names. For example, Paeonia lactiflora, which is called gorgeous leedingheart by westerners, is quite rich in color. Cuiju is a beautiful flower and a specialty of our country. It is very popular in the west and is called "China Aster" by westerners. Some trees also reflect a similar situation. For example, Ailanthus altissima is also a widely cultivated greening plant in Europe, and it is called the tree of heaven. Luan tree is called golden rain tree in the west. After entering the19th century, Cole was sent by Yuan Qiu, an Englishman, and Reavis, a tea inspector of the British East India Company, and collected a large number of seedlings such as Tang Di, gardenia, honeysuckle, rose, rhododendron, wisteria and Tibetan primrose from the coastal areas of Guangdong, China, and sent them back to Britain.
Among the early western flowers introduced to China, chrysanthemums and roses are undoubtedly the most striking. Chrysanthemum has a long history of cultivation in China, and there are many varieties. This beautiful flower quickly caught the attention of European businessmen.
Around 1688, the Dutch, known as "sea drivers", introduced six beautiful chrysanthemum varieties, the colors of which were light red, white, purple, light yellow, pink and purple. 175 1 year, Osbak, a student of Linnaeus, a famous Swedish naturalist, brought back a kind of wild chrysanthemum from Macau to Europe. 1789, Banks, then president of the Royal Society, reintroduced chrysanthemums to China. It is said that chrysanthemums grown in Britain are mainly cultivated from this kind of chrysanthemum. Later, between 1798 and 1808, eight new varieties were directly introduced to Britain.
1804, some capable British landscape artists established the "London Horticultural Society" (1860 was renamed the "Royal Horticultural Society"). The establishment of this society has greatly promoted the collection of ornamental plants in China in the western world, especially in Britain. An English scholar once wrote: The flowers in China are completely different from our own flowers, not only in the types of plants, but also in the way they are used and the aesthetic value revealed when they are arranged. ..... even symbolism used in gardens and plants in the Far East provides a source of ideas. By the end of 18, things in China had become a fad. "Because of this, this society has tried to introduce a large number of flowers from China since its establishment. Including chrysanthemums.
An important reason why chrysanthemums are valued by westerners is that chrysanthemums bloom in autumn with few flowers and a long flowering period. As a seasonal flower, its ornamental value is very prominent. Saben, then secretary of the Horticultural Society, pointed this out. At the same time, he believes that although the Botanical Garden of Horticultural Society has planted 12 chrysanthemum varieties, according to relevant information, there are still a large number of chrysanthemum varieties in China, which is very necessary for further collection.
Horticultural Society introduced new chrysanthemum varieties and other flowers to China in 182 1 and 1823 respectively. They sent back 30 new varieties of chrysanthemum and a large number of other ornamental plants. Coupled with the continuous introduction of Reavis and others from Guangzhou, from 182 1 to 1826, Saben described more than 68 chrysanthemum varieties. Later, almost all the better chrysanthemum varieties along the coast of Guangdong were introduced to Britain.
After the First Opium War 1843, Fu Qiong was sent by the Horticultural Society to collect garden plants in the southern port city opened in China at that time. He is regarded by the west as a man who "indisputably opened a new era in the history of plant collection in China". He has visited China four times and introduced 190 species and varieties of garden plants and economic plants, including peony, peony, camellia, anemone, rhododendron, rose, honeysuckle and clematis, among which 120 species is unprecedented in the west. In particular, he introduced a chrysanthemum variety from Zhoushan-"Zhoushan Daisy". This kind of chrysanthemum was sent back to England by Fu Qiong in 1846. In the following 20 years, with the help of western gardeners, this small flower cultivated various widely cultivated fireworks strains. The introduction of "Zhoushan Daisy" in Fu Qiong is considered to have opened up a new era in the history of chrysanthemum breeding.
Because of its importance, western countries have made rapid progress in chrysanthemum breeding and made great achievements. By 1852, compared with China, shine on you has already surpassed the blue trend. Today, it is not only one of the most widely cultivated flowers, but also one of the four cut flowers deeply loved by people all over the world. It is also one of the most commercially valuable flowers. No wonder some people think that chrysanthemum is definitely the most important garden plant introduced from the Far East in the West.
There are many important garden flowers imported from China in the west, and roses are the kind that can complement each other with chrysanthemums in the early days. The role of Chinese rose in western gardens and home decoration is no less than that of chrysanthemum. Rose is also a very old ornamental flower in China, which blooms in the four seasons in the south and has a long flowering period. So it is called rose, commonly known as moon red. Rose is an important flower introduced from China in modern times, which plays a very important role in western gardening today. Known as the "queen of flowers" in the west, it is said that more than 20 thousand varieties have been cultivated. This seems to be the result of westerners' special liking for Rosa plants. American botanist H.S.Reed believes that the rose and rose plants cultivated in the West mainly come from three varieties in China. The first is the rose. /kloc-was introduced to India by the staff of the British East India Company in the 0/7th century, and was introduced to the Netherlands through India in178/0/year, so it was mistaken for being native to India. 1789, the Bank of England brought the rose back to England for cultivation. Almost at the same time, it was also introduced to Vienna Botanical Garden in Austria for cultivation. The other kind is Rosa multiflora (or Rosa multiflora). Specimens of this species were collected by an attaché of the British Mission in China on 1793. A variety of it was introduced to Britain in 1804. There is also a third species, Eupatorium odoratum, 1808 introduced to Britain. Based on the directional hybridization and cultivation of these three species, many kinds of roses and roses have been obtained in the west.
Of course, because China is the modern distribution center of Rosa, westerners have introduced more than three species of Rosa from China. 1792, the attaché of the British Mission picked clematis bracteata in China and brought it back to Britain. 1807, R. Bankisiae of banksiaco was introduced to Britain. 1823, collectors sent by the British Horticultural Society introduced some new varieties of roses from China. Later, Fu Qiong, who was sent to China by the same organization to collect horticultural plants, collected many seedlings of Rosa plants in Xiamen and Shanghai, including a variety named "five-color rose" collected by Ningbo locals. Since then, Britain and other European countries have continuously introduced ornamental plants of Rosa from China.
During this period, many flowers and trees introduced to the West were widely cultivated, and Lilium lancifolium introduced from southern China by Cole was one of them. Lilium lancifolium It is a common bulbous flower in all parts of China and has a long cultivation history in China. Its orange petals, rolled into a ball, dotted with purple and black spots, are particularly graceful with slender and stretched flowers. Under Cole's leadership, gardens became popular rapidly in Europe. Because of its morphological characteristics, this flower was called "Tiger Lily" by westerners, and later became one of the most widely cultivated lily varieties in the world. A large number of Tibetan spring newspapers (P. sinensis) introduced by Reavis and Potts were later widely planted in Britain.
In addition, the seeds of Ailanthus altissima sent back by French missionaries were cultivated into a large number of saplings, which were widely used as street trees in British and French cities. /kloc-In the middle of the 9th century, Fu Qiong introduced palm from Zhoushan, China, and now it has been widely cultivated in the west. He introduced to the west that elm leaf plums and Caragana flowers were also cultivated in the west. In addition, some species of Muxianghua, which originated in southern China, are widely cultivated in Mediterranean coastal gardens. Because China has such rich flower resources, Fu Qiong believes that "we have to admit that China is indeed a' central flower country'."
The reason of "China-Mother of Gardens" comes from: www.paper800.com II of paper net opened western gardens for free.
/kloc-In the second half of the 9th century, French missionary Tan Weidao and British customs official Han Erli collected flowers in the mountainous area of southwest Sichuan and near Yichang, Hubei, making westerners realize that there are still a lot of exotic flowers and trees in the alpine valleys of western Hubei, eastern Sichuan and northwest China. At that time, Professor Sha Jiande, a botanist at Harvard University, thought: "Obviously, there are so many new plants suitable for temperate climate in urban parks and gardens in no place in the world as in western China." . So at 1897, he suggested that the famous British Weicher company send people to those places to collect seedlings of new plants. 1899, Wilson, a young British gardener, was sent to China by Wecher Flowers and Trees Company. Because of his successful collection in that area, he was called "the man who opened the West Garden".
If Wilson's work is regarded as an integral stage of western introduction in China, it is not difficult to find that, unlike the previous stage when Fu Qiong and others mainly introduced original cultivated flowers from China, westerners mainly introduced wild flowers from China at this stage, so the number is larger. Many flowers are even more attractive, such as Davidia involucrata and Fragrant Fruit Tree, which are not only unique to China, but also considered by some western scholars as the most beautiful ornamental trees in the northern hemisphere. Therefore, it has the characteristics of development and domestication; The location also entered the midwest of China from eastern China.
Wilson came to China for the first time, and both of them were employed by the Vehicular Company. The time is from 1899 to 1902 and 1903 to 1905, respectively, and each has a clear mission of introducing Davidia involucrata and Meconopsis.
Compared with many ornamental plants in China, Davidia involucrata has the meaning of "being kept in the inner room, and no one knows her". This beautiful ornamental tree specimen with flower buds as the object for pigeons to spread their wings was first collected by French missionary Tan Weidao in Baoxing, western Sichuan, China. It not only has high ornamental value, but also is an ancient tree species unique to China. French botanists also specially attached a beautiful color picture to their works about this plant. Davidia involucrata is called "dove tree" or "handkerchief tree" because of its flower bud shape. Perhaps it was the description of the tree and its exquisite illustrations that attracted the attention of businessmen, and Weicher Company came up with the idea of introducing it.
From 65438 to 0899, Wilson came to China to collect saplings. With the help of local guides, he easily found this woody plant which he thought was "the most interesting and beautiful" in the north temperate zone, and collected a large number of seeds and seedlings. Successfully introduced to Britain and other western countries for cultivation. Now, many Davidia involucrata have grown into towering trees as high as five or six feet or even higher. This beautiful pigeon tree is not only widely cultivated in Europe and America, but also a world-famous ornamental tree species.
Wilson's first visit to China not only successfully introduced Davidia involucrata, but also brought a large number of other ornamental plants. The places he went to at that time, such as northern Hubei and eastern Sichuan, were the centers of China Acer and other woody plants, so his introduction included many woody plants with great ornamental value, such as delicate and charming Magnolia, which had considerable flowers, leaves and delicious fruits. In addition, there are mangroves (Alsophila spinulosa), Acer negundo, Fraxinus mandshurica (Alsophila spinulosa), Viburnum, Abies fargesii and Clematis Montana. There are also some famous ornamental rhododendrons discovered by Tan Weidao, Fagus and Henle Li in their early years, including Rhododedren disclor and Rh. Arrow bamboo, with bright red flowers, is fragrant and pleasant.
Meconopsis, introduced to China for the second time by Wilson, is a beautiful flower of Papaveraceae, which grows on high mountains. People living in Chinese mainland seldom know about it, except in some areas of Yunnan, Tibet and Qinghai. /kloc-at the end of 0/9, Pratt, a British animal collector, visited Kangding area in western Sichuan. After returning home, his description of the beauty of this plant attracted people's attention. It may be this reason that aroused the desire of westerners to introduce this beautiful flower. 1903, Wilson was once again employed by the same company to introduce this beautiful flower to China. The places Wilson went to this time were mainly western Sichuan and other places. Meconopsis with bright yellow flowers and Meconopsis purpurea with different styles have been successfully introduced from northwest Sichuan to the west, but the popularity of these two kinds of flowers is not as good as Davidia involucrata.