Gerard, John (1545-1612)

Gerard was the best known of the English herbalists, and his Herball is considered one of the most important English herbals. Being a barber-surgeon, medicine was his profession, however in the 16th Century, herb gardening and medicine were collaborative pursuits. Gerard was a very successful gardener, being appointed superintendent of Lord Burleighs gardens in the Strand, while also maintaining his own gardens at Holborn. In 1596, he published a list of his gardens contents, the Catalogus, the first complete catalog of the contents of a single garden. Gerards Herball included 182 native plants previously not described in any works, thus making a significant contribution to the advancement of the knowledge of English plants, describing both medicinal and decorative qualities of the plants.

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