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, where he began systematically studying plants.
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, another Trinity alumnus.
Ray recorded many plants in his garden in his landmark text, Catalogue of Plants Growing Around Cambridge (1660). Head gardener Karen Wells translated the Latin text to identify the plants he grew. Ray attempted to grow about 700 plant types, including fenland lichens, fungi, and poisonous plants like American pokeweed. Wells focused on drought-tolerant, pollinator-friendly plants to encourage biodiversity and climate resilience.
Her planting list includes wood avens, betony, golden rod, pasqueflower, and white-flowered moth mullein. She also planted Good King Henry, a medieval herb referencing King Henry VIII, who founded Trinity College in 1546. Wells noted that the garden took shape before her eyes, saying, 'Creating this garden, I feel like I’ve time travelled.'
The site is also linked to Isaac Newton. In 2005, Prof Peter Spargo discovered soil residues indicating the location of Newton's private laboratory beneath his former rooms. Prof Richard Serjeantson, who teaches history at Trinity, said the garden could be on 'the most scientifically important spot of land in the 17th century.'
Ray, the son of a blacksmith, arrived at Cambridge on a scholarship at age 16. In his book on Cambridgeshire flora, he wrote about taking breaks from studies to ride or walk, sparking his interest in the natural world. Serjeantson noted the appeal of local plants in an age conscious of carbon footprints and invasive species.
