John Gerard
The General History of Plants
December 1, 1597
On this day, The Herbal, or General History of Plants, by John Gerard was first published.
In the Herbal, John shared over 800 species of plants and shared gorgeous woodcut illustrations. During his life, John was allowed to garden on land at Somerset House, and for a time, he served as the herbalist to King James I.
Today, the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust sells Christmas Cards that feature John Gerard’s woodcuts of Holly, Pears, and Mistletoe. The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust cares for Shakespeare's family homes and shares the love of Shakespeare from his hometown of Stratford-upon-Avon.
Anyway, if you’d like to support a great organization and enjoy the John Gerard Christmas cards and gift wrap, head on over to https://shop.shakespeare.org.uk/.
This post was featured onThe Daily Gardener podcast:
helping gardeners find their roots,
one story at a time
