The Botany of Imperialism
Sometime a great tree can grow from a tiny seed, and sometimes a bloody great weed. The Chelsea Physic Garden has been collecting and cultivating medicinal and useful plants since 1673, and has been responsible for some of each. The garden occupies almost four acres of some of the most desirable real estate in London, just across the road from the River Thames. They pay a rent of five pounds a year for this, a figure that was set in…