That there's some corner of a foreign field
That is forver England. there shall be
In that rich earth a richer dust concealed;
A dust whom England bore, shaped, made aware,
Gave, once, her flowers to love, her ways to roam,
A body of England's, breathing English air,
Washed by the rivers, blest by suns of home.
The Soldier, Rupert Brooke, 1887-1915
The Nasturtium came to England from the New World in the 16th century, at the same time as tobacco. It was then banished to the kitchen garden and grown for centuries as a salad. Its name, Nasturtium, which it shares with watercress, comes from the Latin phrase for "twisted nose" and it refers to the peppery taste they have in common. It botanical name comes from the Greek word meaning trophy because the flowers and leaves are shaped like helmets and shields---perhaps another explanation for its symbolism.
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