Henry Eckford was the most famous breeder of sweet pea

Sweet pea

Sweet pea is a flowering plant in the genus Lathyrus in the family Fabaceae , native to the eastern Mediterranean region from Sicily east to Crete....

s, transforming the plant from a minor horticultural subject into the queen of annuals. Liberty Hyde Bailey called him "the prince of specialists". In 1888 He moved to the town of Wem

Wem

Wem is a small market town in Shropshire, England. It is the administrative centre for the northern area committee of Shropshire Council, which has its headquarters at Edinburgh House in the centre of Wem. Wem railway station is on the Shrewsbury to Crewe railway line...

 in Shropshire

Shropshire

Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...

. It was in Wem that he perfected the breeding of his Grandiflora sweet peas, which in size of bloom and general performance were a great improvement over previous varieties.

Chronology

• 1823 - born in Stonehouse, near Edinburgh, Scotland.
• 1839 - apprenticed in the gardens of Beaufort Castle near Inverness (estate of Lord Lovat).
• 1854 - became head gardener at Coleshill, Berkshire (gardens of Earl of Radnor).
• 1854-1870 - experimented with the breeding of dahlias, pelargoniums and

verbenas.

• 1870 - in charge of the garden of Dr. Sankey at Sandywell, Gloucester. Here he was particularly encouraged in plant breeding work.
• 1879 - major work on sweet peas commenced.
• 1888 - moved to the town of Wem, Shropshire.

Legacy

In honour of Henry Eckford the town of Wem (specifically the Eckford Sweet Pea Society of Wem) holds each year in July a sweet pea show. In this there is a section for old fashioned varieties, always including many bred by Henry Eckford.

Henry Eckford was a Fellow of the Royal Horticultural Society

Royal Horticultural Society

The Royal Horticultural Society was founded in 1804 in London, England as the Horticultural Society of London, and gained its present name in a Royal Charter granted in 1861 by Prince Albert...

, and was awarded the Society's highest award, the Victoria Medal of Honour

Victoria Medal of Honour

The Victoria Medal of Honour is awarded to British horticulturists resident in the United Kingdom whom the Royal Horticultural Society Council considers deserving of special honour by the Society...

.