John Parkinson (1567-1650) Last in line of great English herbalists, Parkinson was the first important English botanist and was  Apothecary to James I and Charles I. He has been called one of the most eminent gardeners of his day and is known for two monumental works Paradisi in Sole Paradisus Terrestris (Park-in-Sun’s Terrestrial Paradise, 1629), which describes the proper cultivation of plants, and Theatrum Botanicum (The Botanical Theatre or Theatre of Plants, 1640), the most complete treatise on plants of its time.