One author notes that the Victorians liked to heat their conservatories. It was a matter of ambition and pride to be able to grow and display the most exotic, rare, and tender plants and then to be able to take tea amongst them. The design of many of these conservatories was very elaborate and the survivors bear witness to the skills of Victorian craftsmen. Although the passion for palms never surpassed the craze for ferns, palms had a special fascination for the Victorians as reflected in the growth of the Kew collection. This excerpt is the first two pages of the article that originally appeared in the April 1997 issue of Principes .
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