Thomas Fairchild, a practical nurseryman in Georgian London, shook the horticultural world by revealing the sexual reproduction of plants. Although alarmed at the prospect of interfering with God's natural design, he could not resist the inevitable consequence of his discovery - the selective breeding of plant varieties. This early form of genetic engineering aroused as much controversy then as genetically modified plants are causing now and scientific debate raged furiously. But Fairchild s experiments produced masses of new flowers, colours, scents and forms and were the beginning of the huge variety of flowers in our gardens and parks now.