John Seden (1840–1921) was a hybridist and

horticulturist Horticulture is the branch of agriculture that deals with the art, science, technology, and business of plant cultivation. It includes the cultivation of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, herbs, sprouts, mushrooms, algae, flowers, seaweeds and no ...

best known for the hybrids he created while in the employment of

Veitch Nurseries The Veitch Nurseries were the largest group of family-run plant nurseries in Europe during the 19th century. Started by John Veitch sometime before 1808, the original nursery grew substantially over several decades and was eventually split into t ...

. He was trained in hybridizing by John Dominy in 1861. In 1873 he began hybridizing tuberous

begonia ''Begonia'' is a genus of perennial flowering plants in the family Begoniaceae. The genus contains more than 2,000 different plant species. The Begonias are native to moist subtropical and tropical climates. Some species are commonly grown ind ...

s which in turn formed the basis from which modern garden begonias are derived.

References

Robert Olby Robert Cecil Olby (born in Beckenham on October 4, 1933; died December 31, 2020) was a research professor in the Department of History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Pittsburgh. Formerly Reader at the University of Leeds, UK, Robert ...

(2000). "Mendelism: from hybrids and trade to a science", '' Comptes Rendus de l’Académie des Sciences - Series III - Sciences de la Vie'', Volume 323, Issue 12, Pages 1043-1051. *Shirley Heriz-Smith (1989). "James Veitch & Sons of Exeter and Chelsea", ''

Garden History The Garden History Society was an organisation in the United Kingdom established to study the history of gardening and to protect historic gardens. In 2015 it became The Gardens Trust, having merged with the Association of Gardens Trusts. It was f ...

'', Vol. 17, No. 2, pp. 135–153

External links

List of Plants Raised by John Seden
{{DEFAULTSORT:Seden, John 1840 births 1921 deaths People from Dedham, Essex English horticulturists Veitch Nurseries Victoria Medal of Honour recipients