The palette of plants available to gardeners has grown exponentially from medieval times to the present day. The first recorded plant introductions were brought by the Romans as they colonised much of Europe. The colonial expansions of those self-same countries from the Renaissance onwards means that plants have been spreading further to include the Americas, Asia and Australasia in every possible direction. Add in the efforts of the plant breeders who have been selectively growing the best plants since human settlement began, and the plant hunters of the 18th and 19th centuries, and you end up with an ever-growing figure of X million ornamental plants currently in cultivation.
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How do the heritage gardeners of today make sense of this enormous resource available to them as they restore or recreate the historic gardens in their care? Do they stick slavishly to the historically correct plants that were available when the garden was first planted, or do they take advantage of the improvements that have been bred into cultivars since then? Is there the freedom to interpret planting styles to reflect our own current needs for all year interest, drought/disease resistance or sustainable gardening methods?