Benjamin Samuel Williams

Benjamin Samuel Williams

Benjamin Samuel Williams (born March 2, 1824 in Hoddesdon , Hertfordshire , † June 24, 1890 in Holloway (London) ) was an English commercial gardener . Its official botanical author abbreviation is " BSWilliams ".

Life

Benjamin Samuel Williams was born on March 2, 1824, the fourth son of James Williams, who was a gardener for John Warner in The Woodlands . Williams left school at the age of 14 and began working as a gardener with the instruction of his father. At the age of 17 he left the garden in Hoddesdon to work in a different position for six years. During this time he worked with violets ( Viola ) and buttercups ( Ranunculus ). He then worked briefly at the Adam Paul & Son nursery in Chestnut. He then returned to The Woodlands , where he became foreman for the orchards and vegetable gardens under his father. John Warner recognized his skills and appointed him orchid breeder for the extensive orchid collection on his property. Williams soon built a reputation for being one of the best and most successful orchid growers of his generation. He worked for a few more years with John Warner and received at least one first prize for his orchids at show competitions in London.

From 1856 to 1861 he worked as a gardener for Robert Parker in Holloway on Seven Sisters Road. He then turned to Upper Holloway on business; the operation of Victoria and Paradise Nurseries enjoyed worldwide reputation for its plants and seeds. Williams continued to participate intensively with his orchids in exhibitions in London, Manchester, in continental Europe and in the United States and won numerous awards.

At the suggestion of John Lindley , Williams worked as an author for the first time in 1851; he wrote a series of articles for the Gardeners' Chronicle entitled Orchids for the Millions . This series of articles on the cultivation of orchids formed the basis for his work The Orchid Growers' Manual , which appeared in seven editions until 1894. His two-volume work Choice Stove and Greenhouse Plants on flower and leaf decoration plants was published in three editions. The work Select Ferns and Lycopods also became popular. For the work Orchidaceous Plants by Robert Warner , begun in 1862 , he wrote the comments on the culture of the respective plants. In 1881 he supported Robert Warner again, this time with the publication of the monthly illustrated magazine The Orchid Album , which became very well known.

The growing enthusiasm for orchids in broader sections of the population is in large part due to Williams. He was an avid supporter of movements that promoted gardening culture. For over forty years he supported the Gardeners' Royal Benevolent Institution . He served on the Floral Committee of the Royal Horticultural Society as well as on the Committee hosting the International Horticultural Exhibition in 1866.

By 1888, Williams suffered from a steadily worsening painful illness. Shortly after the death of his wife, he died on June 24, 1890.

Works

• The Orchid grower's manual . 7th edition. 1894 (first edition: 1852).
• together with Robert Warner : Select orchidaceous plants… (1862–1891).
• Select Ferns and Lycopods: British and exotic . 1868.

literature

• Robert Zander : Zander concise dictionary of plant names. Edited by Fritz Encke , Günther Buchheim, Siegmund Seybold . 13th, revised and expanded edition. Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart 1984, ISBN 3-8001-5042-5 .

Web links

Commons : Benjamin Samuel Williams  - Collection of Images, Videos and Audio Files

• Author entry and list of the described plant names for Benjamin Samuel Williams at the IPNI
• Digitized works in the Botanicus Digital Library
• Biography at orchids.co.in (English)