George Sherman Avery, Jr. (August 3, 1903 – August 6, 1994) was an American

botanist Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek wo ...

, expert on

plant physiology Plant physiology is a subdiscipline of botany concerned with the functioning, or physiology, of plants. Closely related fields include plant morphology (structure of plants), plant ecology (interactions with the environment), phytochemistry (bi ...

, and prominent horticulturalist.Pace, Eric.
George Avery Jr., 92, Former Director Of Botanic Garden
" The New York Times, 8 Aug. 1994, p. 7.

Biography

Avery obtained his undergraduate degree at Tulane University, and pursued his master's degree from Dartmouth College. He earned his Ph.D. in plant physiology from the University of Wisconsin.Bonsai Book of Days - August 3
/ref> In 1931, Avery was brought on as professor of botany at Connecticut College. He was also director of the

Connecticut College Arboretum The Connecticut College Arboretum is a 300 ha (750 acres) arboretum and botanical gardens, founded in 1931, and located on the campus of Connecticut College and in the towns of New London and Waterford, Connecticut, United States. Collections A ...

. Avery left Connecticut to head the Brooklyn Botanic Garden (BBG) in 1944. Under his direction, the BBG underwent several expansion projects as it acquired more land. In 1945, Avery established the ''Plants & Gardens'' journal. While at the BBG, Avery took an interest in

bonsai Bonsai ( ja, 盆栽, , tray planting, ) is the Japanese art of growing and training miniature trees in pots, developed from the traditional Chinese art form of ''penjing''. Unlike ''penjing'', which utilizes traditional techniques to produce ...

horticulture. In 1948, he hired

Frank Okamura Frank Masao Okamura (May 5, 1911 – January 9, 2006) was a Japanese-born American horticulturalist who helped popularize the cultivation of bonsai in America. Biography Born in Hiroshima, Okamura emigrated to California at the age of 13. He lost ...

to help him take care of several bonsai housed at the garden, which were gifted by

Ernest F. Coe Ernest Francis Coe, also "Tom Coe" (March 21, 1866 – January 1, 1951) was an American landscape designer who envisioned a national park dedicated to the preservation of the Everglades, culminating in the establishment of Everglades National Park ...

in 1925. Avery began to work on a handbook for the care on bonsai with the help of horticulturalist Kanichiro Yashiroda, entitled ''Handbook on Dwarfed Potted Trees - The Bonsai of Japan''. It was first published in 1953. Avery served as president of the

Botanical Society of America The Botanical Society of America (BSA) represents professional and amateur botanists, researchers, educators and students in over 80 countries of the world. It functions as a United States nonprofit 501(c)(3) membership society. History The soci ...

in 1957. He left the BBG in 1969.

Awards

American Horticultural Society The American Horticultural Society (AHS) is a nonprofit, membership-based organization that promotes excellence in American horticulture. It is headquartered at River Farm in Alexandria, Virginia. History Established in 1922, the AHS is one of t ...

's Professional Award (1970) *

Scott Arboretum Scott Arboretum () is an arboretum coterminous with the campus of and operated by Swarthmore College. It is open to the public daily without charge. The arboretum was established and endowed by the Scott family in 1929 in honor of Arthur Hoyt Sc ...

's Arthur Hoyt Scott Medal and Award (1974)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Avery, George Sherman 20th-century American botanists 1903 births 1994 deaths People from Benton Harbor, Michigan Dartmouth College alumni Tulane University alumni University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health alumni