I’D popped into the garden centre to collect some more food for my slugs, otherwise known as flowers. We have a deal, the slugs and I, they eat about half what I plant but leave the rest, although the beer traps are working – and that can’t be a bad way to go.

However, needs must, I’ve never been particularly successful at growing plants from seeds, so the nurseries are the option, even if it’s not the cheapest – not for snail fodder, anyway.

Anyway, I was mulling over what to buy and I reflected on what an amazing array of choice we have these days. However, if you were transported to a Tudor garden (I’m thinking the squire, not the serf), you’d still recognise most of the plants. The main difference is that the Tudor’s saw plants as attractive but also useful – growing foxgloves for the digitalis drug, rosemary, roses, peony and vegetables.

Flowering plants appeared in great numbers in the fossil record about 140 million years ago, although they probably originated about a 100 million years earlier. Before the flowers, the Earth’s vegetation was dominated by ferns and conifers – now, its flowering plants that make up about 90 per cent of all plant species. It’s also interesting that when you cast your eye over a colourful nursery, you are looking at a global panorama.

Petunias, which belong to the nightshade family, originate from Brazil and Argentina, coming to Europe via Spanish explorers. Dahlias originate from Mexico and Central America, as do marigolds. Roses hail from China and lilies and tulips are from Central Asia. The good news is pansies are a native species in our hedgerows, as are primroses, knapweed and ragged robin.

Over the years, our gardens have evolved into a truly worldwide flower show.