This Gardens Trust online series of talks, organised in association with Devon Gardens Trust, is part of a longer program from The Gardens Trust for autumn/winter 2021/22 on Commercial Plant Nurseries, Plant Hunters and Pioneers. The four part series begins Monday, October 4 and runs through Monday, October 25, beginning at 1 pm Eastern time.
When the Scot, John Veitch, arrived in Devon in the late 18th Century to lay out the grounds at Killerton, the foundations were laid for the establishment of one of the most remarkable horticultural dynasties. John’s son James pioneered the sending of his own plant collectors abroad on difficult and often dangerous journeys in search of new plants, which was fueled by the insatiable appetite of the Victorian elite who were prepared to pay high prices for a new exotic novelty. Between 1840 and 1912, Messrs. Veitch sent 23 plant collectors to various continents in search of new plants for our homes and gardens.
Five generations of the Veitch family took charge of the businesses and in the years that followed, they claimed many firsts. These included many hundreds of new plant introductions, pioneering hybridisation work including the creation of the first official orchid hybrid, the introduction of the Giant Redwood, new fuchsias, dahlias, escallonias, Ceanothus, orchids, pitcher plants, rhododendrons and the tuberous begonia to name but a few. Success brought further success including expansion to London from where the business grew into an institution of immense importance. In addition, James Junior and his son, Sir Harry Veitch were very much involved with the Royal Horticultural Society and later, Sir Harry helped organise the Royal International Horticultural Exhibition of 1912; the precursor to the Chelsea Flower Show before receiving the first knighthood in horticulture.
Plant Hunters & Pioneers – Veitch Nurseries Tickets, Mon 4 Oct 2021 at 18:00 | Eventbrite
The schedule begins on October 4th with a lecture on The Early Years, followed by Plant Hunters for Veitch: The Lobb Brothers on October 11, then on October 18 James Veitch & Sons Pioneering Hybridists and Plant Introductions, and finally, on October 25, Robert Veitch & Son.
Lecturer Caradoc Doy trained at Bicton College of Agriculture (1986) and Pershore College of Horticulture (1987-1990), and following a career with some leading nurseries and garden centres around the U.K., He has become an authority on the history of the Veitch nurseries and their plant hunters, which led him to publish a centenary edition of Hortus Veitchii by James H. Veitch in 2006. In 2003, he staged a Veitch exhibit at St. Bridget Nurseries, Exeter and at the Devon County Show in 2004 which received a Large Gold Medal (both on behalf of St. Bridget Nurseries). Caradoc was featured on BBC TV in May 2012 where he helped stage an exhibit at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show for Plant Heritage, winning a Silver Gilt Medal and meeting HM The Queen. Caradoc travels widely to give talks about Veitch and their pioneering plant hunters and other horticultural stories.
The ticket (through Eventbrite) is for the entire course of 4 sessions, and tickets are not available for individual sessions. £20. Attendees will be sent a Zoom link 2 days prior to the start of the first talk, which will be the same link throughout (If you do not receive this link please contact us), and a link to the recorded session will be sent shortly after each session and will be available for 1 week. Register HERE.
