Comments from Mr. PGC: Throughout history, many people have made lasting contributions to the world of plants. In these pages, we hope to pay tribute to some of them. Our concentration will be primarily on those who have introduced plants to the gardening world, those who have helped spread the word about gardening and those who have made significant contributions to landscaping and landscaping design around the world.

This list will be constantly growing as we add new names. If you have someone who you think should be on the list, please send us an Email.

  • Abel, Dr. Clarke (1780-1826)

    • British botanist and plant explorer in China in 1816. He was cursed with bad luck in his collections and most of the plants he tried to send back to England were lost at sea.

    The shrub, Abelia chinensis (Chinese Abelia) is named for him. It was introduced into England in 1844.

The genus, Achillea (Yarrow), was named for this Greek mythical hero. Common species of yarrow include Achillea millefolium and Achillea filipendulina

 

The genus, Adansonia, is named for this French botanist. Adansonia digitata is the genus of the Baobab or monkey bread tree found in Africa.

In 1699, he inherited Studley Royal estate (Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal Water Garden) in North Yorkshire and designed the famous crescent shaped moon ponds a quarter of a century later. He brought the natural landscape into the garden and surrounded it with large yew hedges.

English gardener known for hybridizing snowdrops (Galanthus sp.).

Plants named for him include Galanthus x allenii, Anemone nemorosa 'Allenii' and Corydallis x allensii.

Renowned English hybridizer of Dianthus species and author of the 1950 book, Carnations and All Dianthus‎ and 1953's Carnations for Everyman, he owned a nursery in Sussex, England.

The plants resulting from his hybridizing program bear the name Dianthus x allwoodii and, perhaps, the most widely grown cultivar is 'Doris'.

Alstroemeria pelegrina, commonly called the Peruvian Lily, is named after the Baron who was a student of Linnaeus.

 

Lady Amherst spent many years in India and introduced many of the plants she found there back to her native England. Included in this group are Clematis montana and Anemone vitifolia.

Plantsman and horticultural author, he was founder of the Alpine Garden Society. He travelled widely and brought many plants back to England to be introduced.

Plants named for him include Sedum 'Bertram Anderson', Thymus pulegiodies 'Bertram Anderson', Galanthus 'Bertram Anderson', and Pulmonaria longifolia 'Bertram Anderson'

Arends was a very prolific breeder of perennials and his specialty was the genus, Astilbe. He owned a nursery and lived in Ronsdorf, Germany and developed over 74 cultivars of the crosses which were given his name, Astilbe x arendsii. He used 4 species in his breeding efforts. They included A. japonica, A. thunbergii, A. astilboldes and A. chinensis.

Over his long career, he also hybridized Bergenia, Sedum, Phlox and Campanula.

In 1905, he introduced a hosta which he named Funkia fortunei var. robusta which is now known as the classic giant blue plant called Hosta sieboldiana 'Elegans'. This plant is found in the background of a large percentage of the new cultivars registered each year.

Other plants named in his honor included Rosa 'Georg Arends' and Rhododendron 'Georg Arends'


Dr. Armitage is well known as a writer, speaker and researcher on the topic of herbaceous perennials throughout the world.  He has evaluated garden plants in Montreal, Canada, East Lansing, Michigan and now in Athens, GA where he is a professor at the University of Georgia. He holds his B.S. from MacDonald College, Quebec, M.S. from University of Guelph, Ontario and his Ph.D. from Michigan State University.

Armitage is the author of 10 books. He is best known for his classroom and reference text, Herbaceous Garden Plants.

The genus, Artemisia, is named after this Greek mythological goddess. Common species in this genus include Artemisia schmidtiana and Artemisia tridentata.

French botanical artist worked at the Jardin du Roi (Jardin des Plantes) in Paris.

The genus, Aubrieta (Rock Cress), is named for him.

A world renowned rose breeder and writer, Austin lives in Shropshire, England. His breeding program centers on the Old Garden Roses (Gallicas, Damasks, Alba roses, etc.) with emphasis on repeat blooming and a wide flower color range. That unique breeding program has resulted in his own category of roses called simply, "Austin Roses."

In 2003, David Austin was awarded the Victoria Medal of Honor by the Royal Horticultural Society for his services to horticulture. He has received an Honorary MSc from the University of East London for his work on rose breeding and the lifetime achievement award from the Garden Centre Association in 2004.

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