Cambridge experts have recreated a 336-year-old garden to commemorate John Ray, the 17th-century botanist who coined the terms petal and pollen. Ray, widely regarded as the father of natural history, created his first known garden while a young college tutor at Cambridge in the 1650s.
Garden Recreated at Trinity College
Gardeners at Trinity College, Cambridge dug up their front lawn to reimagine the historic garden Ray planted, marking the 400th anniversary of his birth next year. Using clues from a 1690 engraving, they placed the garden in the exact location Ray used, in front of a descendant of the apple tree that inspired Isaac Newton.
Plants from Ray's Records
Head gardener Karen Wells translated Ray's book from Latin to determine what plants he grew. Ray recorded many plants in his landmark text, Catalogue of Plants Growing Around Cambridge (1660). He tried to grow about 700 different types, including fenland lichens and fungi, but Wells focused on drought-tolerant, pollinator-friendly plants like wood avens, betony, golden rod, pasqueflower, and white-flowered moth mullein.
“As soon as I planted the mullein, a bee started foraging on the flower,” Wells said. Another medieval herb, Good King Henry, nods to King Henry VIII, who founded Trinity College in 1546.
Historical Significance
The garden sits beneath Newton's former rooms. In 2005, scientists found metallic residues in the soil, pinpointing Newton's private laboratory. Professor Richard Serjeantson called the spot “the most scientifically important piece of land in the 17th century.”
Ray, the son of a blacksmith, arrived at Cambridge at age 16. His passion for local plants inspired naturalists to document flora systematically. Serjeantson noted the garden's appeal in an age conscious of carbon footprints and invasive species.
