Plantsman

"…is usually intended to mean a connoisseur of plants or an expert gardener."

In her article, Raphael also quotes botanist David McClintock (writing in the

"A plantsman is one who loves plants for their own sake and knows how to cherish them. This… concept… may include a botanist: it certainly includes a host of admirable amateurs who may not know what a chromosome looks like or what taxonomy means, but they know the growing plant, wild or cultivated, first-hand. To my mind they are the cream of those in the plant world, a fund of invaluable first-hand information." He stresses the value of practical experience, saying:

"It is much to be regretted that so few botanists, amateurs or professional, know even how to take cuttings or propagate a plant. How much better to do this, circumspectly, and so get to know the living plant better, than just press and dry the specimen."^[5]

Notable plantsmen and women

Irish nurseryman William Baylor Hartland (1836–1912) specialised in daffodils in the late 19th century from his nursery in Cork. He was also an authority on apples.^[9] Because of their in-depth knowledge, specialist plant-breeders may be considered as plantsmen in their own fields (though the term is often taken to imply a more encyclopaedic interest in a wide range of plants).

Influential garden writers such as

Reginald Farrer (1880–1920) was a notable plant-hunter and influential writer in the more specialised area of alpine plants and rock gardening.^[15][16]

Modern plantsmen

Notable modern British plantsmen include Roy Lancaster,^[17][18] the late Christopher Lloyd of Great Dixter (1921–2006)^[19] and the late Beth Chatto (1923–2018).^[20] American nurserymen and plant-collectors who qualify for the title include plant-breeder Dan Heims of Terra Nova Nurseries (who styles himself a "hortiholic"),^[21] Dan Hinkley, co-founder of Heronswood (now an independent author, lecturer and horticultural consultant),^[22] and Tony Avent, owner of the renowned Plant Delights Nursery.^[23]