what did them move?

[greenfinger]

When I read a book or article about planthunters I'm always puzzled about their drive. They travelled in discomfort, danger for own life, dirt, you name it.  I find them a bit strange, perhaps even complicated characters. What did they do it for? Greed, need for recognition, addiction to high adrenaline levels, their love for plants and foreign countries...? What do we still know about them? Freqently only a few plants named after them.
All the elements that make a good novel are in the books of their lives and accomplishments. That's why I like to read them.

[Pixydish]

I have just finished reading The Orchid Thief: A True Story of Beauty and Obsession by Susan Orlean (1994). This is a very interesting book which outlines the history of orchid collecting, including a great deal of information about wealthy collectors from England who would send their 'men' across the seas to hunt orchids for them. After reading this book, I am amazed that there is a single wild orchid left anywhere on the planet.
 The author spent two years following a very eccentric plant dealer, John Laroche, who had been arrested, along with some Seminole Indians, for poaching rare orchids out of a south florida swamp. She weaves the story of this extremely strange man in with the enitre history of orchid collecting and then explores the world of orchid fanatics and the politics of orchid hybridizing. A fascinating book.

[greenfinger]

I recently read the book "Seeds of Fortune. A gardening dynasty' by Sue Shephard and with a foreword by Roy Lancaster. Its subject are the Veitch family: most important European cultivators and hybridisers in the 19th century. Their work would have been impossible without the planthunters on their pay-roll.
Published by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, London, 2003.
ISBN 0 7475 6066 8

[Pixydish]

I have seen this book on the shelf at our local library several times and each time have been in the middle of researching something else, so didn't check the book out. Now I will go get it and give it a read!

[greenfinger]

Nice girl to take the advice of a nonagenarian to heart. The oldies are not yet finished!

[greenfinger]

The name Dan Hinkley has been mentioned in previous message on this forum.
Although he's probably not sponsored by rich patrons or commercial nurseries (Veitch Nursery f.i.) as his wellknown predecessors were, he can be put in the broader context of several successive generations of remarkable men who ventured themselves in remote and often unhealthy countries, often in peril for own sanity and life.
During the last 200 years they gathered plants from all corners of the different continents. From then on garden landscape was changed dramatically.
This is what the book "The Plant Hunters. Two hundred years of adventure and discovery around the world." is about.
By Musgrave Toby, Gardner Chris and Musgrave Will, Ward Lock, London, 1998, reprint 1999, 224 pp.

[Pixydish]

Yes, if you go to Heronswood's website you can catch up with Dan and his excursions. What a remarkable fellow! I admit to a bit of jealousy where his travels are concerned. Oh to see some of the plants he does in their native habitats! Who knows how much longer our earth will be able to support such things? He leads a terribly interesting life. I'm sure there will be a book about him that will be worth a read!

[bossgard]

Since the postings on this topic seem to be rather old, I thought maybe the members would like an update on Mr. Dan Hinkley, whose name is mentioned several times. From the ?The American Gardener? magazine, published by the American Horticultural Society (November/December 2007) comes this information that Mr. Hinkley ?will act as an advisor for the new plants team at Monrovia, a wholesale nursery business headquartered in California (USA). Hinkley will help assess Monrovia?s current plant evaluations as well as seek out additional plants to trial in an effort to discover new varieties. . . . . Hinkley will be speaking on behalf of Monrovia at several upcoming horticultural events next year, including the Philadelphia Flower Show and the Northwest Flower & Garden Show.?

[ideasguy]

Ah, you had me recalling some vivid memories!
I'd love to "do" the Northwest Flower & Garden show again. That was a wonderful week for me.

Dont worry about the postings being old, Toby. Its good to see so many "well read" members giving references to good reading material. I'm afraid I have very little time to read at present, but it will be nice to do some catch up later.

[bossgard]

You say that you have ?vivid? memories of your visit to the Pacific Northwest and the Seattle area. I hope that they were good! I assume that some of them are personal, but tell me about the Northwest Garden Show. I?ve never attended the show and it?s only about 20 miles from where I live, but it gets quite a bit of good press from the Garden writers in the area. I know you have had a booth for the IdeasGenie family of software, I believe also that you have some friends in the Seattle area, tell us about your experiences as first the exhibitor and then as a general attendee.

How about hearing from other members who have attended flower shows around the world? Isn?t there quite a bit of this activity in the UK, doesn?t royalty also get involved in these? I?ve heard of the Chelsea Flower Show, have you been to it?

Were you able to visit any of the local area gardens while you were here?

If anybody wants additional information about the Northwest Flower Show try http://gardenshow.com . The dates are Feb. 20-24 in Seattle. (This is not a paid announcement.)

[ideasguy]

The Northwest show was brilliant Toby. It was 5 long days of talking and doing demos. It was my first experience of doing demos of my software, so that in itself was very interesting, as I got to find out what was of most interest. Lassooing was the clear favourite.
Heres a page with an account of that experience:~
http://www.ideasgenie.co.uk/demos/GA027-8/ga027-8.html

I made contact with a great guy from Seattle in 2002. Heres his website:
http://www.scn.org/earth/garden/
When I discovered that I was going to the Flower Show I gave him the details of our booth.
It was a real pleasure when Peter and Carol walked up and introduced themselves. Heres a photo of the meeting:
http://www.ideasgenie.co.uk/boothphotos-4.html
I graciously accepted their offer to visit their Garden of Dreams, and Peter arrived at the show gates on Friday, picked me up and left me back later that afternoon.
Theres an account of my visit to the Garden of Dreams in the text associated with the above photo.
I can tell you, it was a real pleasure to be there.

Another highlight was meeting up with Bobbi, one of my very first Ideas Genie customers. We had exchanged many emails, so it was lovely to meet up with her. Heres Bobbi's garden:
http://www.ideasforgardens.com/photopages/washington.html
Oops - the page isnt working just now - I gotta fix that!

As for Chelsea. By sheer co-incoidence, I'm going in 2008
Its my first visit. Heres the link with my announcement:
http://www.flowergenie.co.uk/ideas/forum/index.php/topic,501.0.html
Perhaps we should continue this discussion on that thread, rather than wander off topic on this thread by André (sorry Greenfinger!)