The Wardian cases invented by an English botanist Dr Nathaniel Bagshaw Ward (1791-1868) were the beginning of the concept of bottle gardens, plant cases or terrariums.

Victorian Tabletop Wardian Case

The history of Wardian Cases is a very interesting story, and has led us all the way from the 1830s to the present day.  Our ability and knowledge of how to grow plants in a closed bottle started in England with a very observant medical doctor with an interest in botany and entomology, who discovered Wardian Cases, which were named after him.

Wardian cases started with Dr Ward, who practised as a physician in the East End of London and pursued his interests in botany and entomology in his spare time. He developed an admirable skill for scientific observation and deduction.  When he was conducting an experiment some time around 1829 which involved keeping a moth pupa in a sealed jar, he noticed that a fern and some grass had started to develop in the soil in the bottom of the jar.  The experiment then branched into finding out how long the ferns could survive in this sheltered environment and led to one of the most important botanic discoveries of the Victorian Age, Wardian Cases.

Victorian Wardian Case -HP 505

The difference between this and what had been done previously was Ward's observation of the tightly sealed environment, kept independent from surrounding atmospheric conditions. One of the first people to use this new device was Joseph Dalton Hooker when he shipped plants back to England from his Antarctic expedition.

In July 1833, Ward conducted his first major experiment by shipping two custom built cases filled with a number of native British ferns and grasses to Sydney, Australia.  After a six month journey, the Wardian cases arrived in Sydney Harbour with all the plants alive and thriving.

The Wardian cases were then cleaned out and filled with a number of Australian native species which had been impossible to transport in the past.  In February 1835 the Wardian cases were sent on their return journey.  The stormy journey back to Dr Ward in London took eight months, and subjected the cases to all sorts of abuse, but when he inspected the contents he deemed the experiment a resounding success.

Soon these terrariums, or Wardian Cases as they were now commonly known, were widespread in England and a national passion developed for cultivating exotic plants, particularly ferns, in the sheltered environs of these increasingly ornate Wardian cases.

 

The Wardian Case being filled in the photograph remained in use at Kew until the 1960s when air transport and other means superseded it.

The principle behind Dr Ward’s discovery is that once humidity has been established in a sealed, transparent container, moisture from the soil and transpiration from the leaves runs down into the soil and creates a self-supporting environment. 

In 1854, Dr. Ward delivered a lecture on his discovery to the Royal Society at the Chelsea Physic Garden, at which time it was acknowledged that his Wardian cases had changed the face of commerce world-wide.

The story didn't end there, because these days  people love to have Wardian Cases, or terrariums in their homes.  Once the self-supporting environment has been established it is much easier to look after the plants in a Wardian Case than  in an open container.

Back to top