Plant PERSONS of the day are: James Lee and Lewis Kennedy
James Lee
Alright, so this is a new task for me, and sadly, I can't find a good image of Lewis Kennedy. This was the 18th century so times were a little different. First a little basic information about each and then a bit about how they came together and their influence on horticulture.
James Lee: Lee was a Scottish gardener who lived from 1715 to 1795. He actually apprenticed with Philip Miller (story for another time) at the famous Chelsea Physic Garden (which sadly I missed when last I was in London). He was personal gardener to the Duke of Argyll and imported many exotic species for him. He was a correspondent of Linnaeus, and was an early adopter and promoter of the binomial system. In 1760 he published An Introduction to Botany. Early editions of this book are still available if you go shopping for rare books. Mighty tempting to pick up a copy.
I came across a rather interesting tale about James Lee, a bit of a local legend if you will. Apparently someone told him of an amazing plant in Wapping that he simply had to see. Upon seeing the plant, he pleaded for it from a woman who was reluctant to hand it over, as it had been brought from the West Indies by her husband, who had left again on a voyage. He emptied his pockets of about eight guineas and promised to bring her the first offspring of his propagation efforts. Long story short, the new plant was a smashing success as he kept a pair of blooming plants in a window and droves of people came to pay a guinea to have it. Sadly he never made good on his promise to the sailor's wife, but made over 300
guineas that season. The plant you wonder? The very beautiful Fuchsia!
One of the most famous introductions made into the horticultural world, still popular. Thanks to Kennedy and Lewis.
Lewis Kennedy: Lewis Kennedy was a gardener to Lord Bolton at Chiswick and was the initial proprietor of "The Vineyard" at Hammersmith. Lived from 1721 to 1782. About 1745 he entered into partnership with Lee. Here, since I can't find a picture of him, see him through the work of his grandson Lewis Kennedy (gets confusing eh?). Here is a great page about the Kennedys. Basically it goes Lewis Kennedy, John Kennedy, Lewis Kennedy.
Listed as "the best example of formal terraced gardens in Scotland"
So now we get into the fascinating tale of Empress Josephine, the first wife of Napoleon. In the early years of the 19th century, when James Lee Jr. and John Kennedy were in charge of the nursery, Empress Josephine employed them in many capacities at the gardens of Malmaison. Lewis's son John Kennedy and his son Lewis Kennedy actually had a special permit to travel between England and France at the time (of war) to consult and advise her on her collection. They reportedly sent her many roses, she was bad at paying her bills, and helped sponsor James Niven at the Cape of Good Hope (another era of continued botanical collections and introductions from the very new and untapped regions of South Africa). Pelargonias, heaths, ixias, oh my. The nursery was the first in the world to test hardiness on some of these plants.
"The Vineyard" at Hammersmith: Actually did start out as a vineyard. Around the middle of the 18th century they were producing a good quantity of Burgundy wine. A thatched house was build with wine cellars beneath it and they turned it into one of the most successful horticultural nurserys ever seen. "For many years, this nursery was deservedly considered the first in the world" - John Claudius Loudon. Course he was Scottish too, probably just biased :). The nursery was also very popular with the Russian Grand Duchess Catherine Pavlovna who made a special visit when Czar Alexander 1 visited England. Did I mention they introduced the Dahlia in 1818 to the public? The other hugely significant contribution was the introduction of the China Rose in 1787. This greatly broadened the scents of roses when they were hybridized with other roses like the damasks. It was kept in operation until 1885 when the site was developed for Olympia Hall. Next time you are in Hammersmith, wander into Olympia Hall and imagine the changes these two men brought to the world. I'm still influenced by them today.
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