ABSTRACT
Cultivating Plants According to the botanist Matthias de Lobel (1538-1616), his native Southern Netherlands occupied the rst rank in botanical and horticultural matters in all of Europe. In this single country more plants, shrubs and trees could be found than in any other – not excluding ‘ancient Greece, spacious Spain, the whole of Germany, England and France, and even Italy which is so well cultivated’. He particularly emphasized that plants and owers from all over the world were brought to this ‘most famous market [emporium] of Europe’, and were cultivated there, in spite of the adverse climate, but thanks to the hard work, diligence and perseverance of the inhabitants.1
