Peter Barr (1826–1909) was a Scottish nurseryman and merchant, best known for
daffodils.
Life
He was born in
Govan, Lanarkshire, the son of James Barr, a mill owner, and his wife, Mary Findlay. From a seed shop in
Glasgow, he moved to a seed merchant's in
Newry, and then went into business in 1852 in a partnership in
Worcester, concentrating on
bulb
In botany, a bulb is structurally a short stem with fleshy leaves or leaf basesBell, A.D. 1997. ''Plant form: an illustrated guide to flowering plant morphology''. Oxford University Press, Oxford, U.K. that function as food storage organs duri ...
s.
After a change of partners, Barr in 1860 was in the bulb trade in
King Street, St James's in London. He was known for his catalogues, and for gaining the interest of British gardeners in daffodils, then neglected, inspired by the work of
John Parkinson in the 17th century.
Legacy
The Peter Barr Memorial Cup is awarded each year by the
Royal Horticultural Society to somebody who has done good work in relation to daffodils.
Notes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Barr, Peter
1826 births
1909 deaths
Nurserymen
Victoria Medal of Honour (Horticulture) recipients
People from Govan
19th-century Scottish businesspeople