Gardening – Plant exploration and travelling flowers

The Wardian case, named after its inventor, Dr Nathaniel Bagshaw Ward, was an invention that transformed the global transport of plants in the 19th century.  Ward discovered that plants growing within an airtight glass case could survive without being watered for a long period of time.

What began as a simple horticultural accident in Dr Ward’s home became one of the most valuable inventions, allowing early botanists like Sir Joseph Banks to transport new plant finds to England. By the 1870s the live plant trade was extensive, allowing plants to survive being transported great distances. 

Gardeners have also used this idea when taking flowers any distance—visiting friends who have moved into a new home, patients in hospital, a new baby or even funerals. 

You simply soak the flowers (stems) overnight in deep warm water and in the morning place them in an airtight plastic bag, breathe into the bag and secure it tightly with a rubber band.

Science tells us that one of the basic principles of people-plant survival is that we breathe in oxygen and expel carbon dioxide, a process reversed by the plant kingdom. Using our breath to sustain plant life is a useful secret when it comes to designing your own plastic bag travelling “Wardian case”.

If you are travelling any great distance, especially in hot weather, place the bag in a shaded or cool place in the car, and if you must stop overnight, place the bag in the refrigerator or a cool dark place. This will all help your bouquet to arrive in top condition.

When visiting people who have moved into a new home, I make gift-posies (tussie mussies). The stems are held together with an elastic band and wrapped in wet paper towels before being sprinkled with water and placed in the plastic bag, along with an extra breath of the life-giving carbon dioxide. I always include cuttings of herbs and scented pelargoniums, which allows for setting up a scented garden if the homeowners wish. 

Ward’s simple invention transformed the world of plant exploration and international trade, and had a major impact on ecosystems we value today. For example, the establishment of mango (Mangifera indica) production in Queensland, also relied on the Wardian case, used in the late 1840s to bring grafted mango trees from India.

Today, plants are transported by air in temperature-controlled polyethylene bags.