Miller's father
was a market gardener in London and Miller himself is
reported to have had a small florist garden. It is also
reported that the Chelsea Physic Garden was actually established
on the site of his father's garden. Whether his father
was gardener to the apothecaries' may be open to question
but Miller's companys garden at Chelsea was put in charge
in 1722. Johnson (History of Gardening, 1829) states
that Miller was particularly suited to the nature or state
of horticulture of his time. Extra plants of all kinds
and from all places were being imported and "hothouse"
and conservatories were being rapidly constructed to contain
these plants.
He published in 1724 The Gardener's and Florists
Dictionary or a Complete System of Horticulture.
This may have been the production of several gardens.
However in 173l, he published a greatly improved
edition entitled, The Gardener's Dictionary
containing the Methods of Cultivating and Improving
the Kitchen, Fruit and Flower Gardens. The 9th
edition was edited by Professor Martyn in 1792.
This book surpassed all those of the 18th Century
as any language and was translated in Dutch, French,
and German. It was the only book that was a standard
reference for a century in both England and America.
In the 7th edition (1759) he adopted the Linnaean
system of classification. The edition enlarged by
Thomas Martyn (1735-1825), Professor of Botany at
Cambridge University, has been considered the largest
gardening manual to have ever existed. Miller is
credited with introducing about 200 American
plants.
