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The Garden
August 2003
Viewpoint
What exactly is a plantsman?
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Plant lover, expert, enthusiast - or merely a keen gardener? Nigel Colborn considers whether, in the 21st century, the term ‘plantsman’ has become corrupted
Image: David Banks |
A language, if it is to survive, must be fluid and adaptable. Changing times demand changing uses, but few tongues have proven to be as malleable - or as corruptible - as English. Now, in gardening circles and beyond, the term ‘plantsman’ seems to be on the brink of an etymological robbery.
I’m not sure who coined it, but when I first encountered the word ‘plantsman’ some decades ago, the meaning was immediately clear: someone who knew plants extensively and loved them deeply.
The legendary Graham Stuart Thomas, whose death earlier this year we regret so much, was often referred to as a great plantsman. Not only did he know a huge amount about an extensive range of plants, but also the man was, quite clearly, absolutely potty about them. Few people could convey a plant’s special characteristics or could lay bare its faults, in such a loving and passionate way as did GST. To achieve his level of expertise and depth of knowledge takes many years of devoted study and demands a blotting-paper mind.
Anyone who is truly a ‘plantsman’ will eat, sleep, drink and live plants. Dropped into a strange continent, a plantsman could speed past a flower shape in a hedgerow and make an educated guess at the botanical family and genus, possibly identifying the species, too.
Bring a plantsman into a well-stocked garden, and you will be told not only the correct names, but also the plants’ origins, which gardens they do particularly well in, and which cultivars are better or worse.
Put a group of plantsmen together, on a flower-rich mountainside, and not only will they keep on finding interesting plants, but also will rummage about for what they would call ‘better forms’ of the same species. And that is what separates a plantsman from a field botanist. The former - though many plantsmen are also first-rate field botanists - assess plants for their horticultural value; the latter are interested for different reasons.
Sexist term?
The curse of political correctness - and all its associated insincerities - had not laid its ugly shadow over gardening language when the term ‘plantsman’ was coined. Then, as now, there were probably more female than male plantsmen, and although the term ‘plantswoman’ was frequently bandied about, the expression ‘plantsperson’ just seemed silly.
Surely the ‘man’ in ‘plantsman’ is common gender - not masculine - and its use should not, therefore, give offence. Nonetheless, I’m told that in the USA the expression ‘plantsman’ could be construed as being sexist, and therefore is politically incorrect. And since the publishing industry is transatlantic, the skids could be under the word anyway.
The plantsman’s garden
In recent years, as more hardware has crept into garden design, the term ‘plantsman’ has slipped in its meaning. Those who abhorred the trends of the 1990s for decking, excessive paving, bare gravel and blue fences, but who loved gardening for the sake of their plants, started to be known as ‘plantsmen’. Certain garden enthusiasts began to use the term ‘plantsman’s garden’ if it was strong on plants, but poor on design. Someone recently asked me, ‘Are you keen on design, or are you a plantsman?’ My answer was ‘yes’.
Then, last spring, BBC television launched a new gardening series, The Plantsman. This would be a programme that real plant lovers could enjoy, learn from, be inspired by, I thought. It was to be presented by a young, energetic horticulturist whose knowledge of and love of plants was said to be boundless.
Chris Collins was certainly energetic and enthusiastic. He and the camera twitched and jerked their way through the series, leaving one feeling seasick and confused. No doubt the programme was entertaining for some, and possibly helpful for gardening beginners, but his plant knowledge seemed superficial or absent, or perhaps purposely concealed by directors and producer who feared imparting too much information, and thereby losing audience size.
However, I am not looking to criticise the programme but to question the series’ title. The Plantsman seemed such an odd name for what amounted to a run of hastily improvised planting schemes for specific sites. What I hoped to watch was an expert who inspired with his or her intense passion and extensive plant knowledge. Instead, a ‘plantsman’ was defined merely as someone who develops recipes for instant planting schemes.
The 21st-century plantsman
So how should we define 21st-century plantsmen and how do we evaluate their contribution to horticulture? Some, after all, have less-endearing qualities. They can be pedantic or even downright rude. When Edwardian plantsman William Robinson was presented with an offering from a guest, he retorted, ‘This plant isn’t worth knowing and it isn’t worth growing’, before hurling it across his lawn at Gravetye Manor.
But Robinson was the boorish exception. True plantsmen are generous to a fault, not just with knowledge, but with plants, seeds and actions rather than words. Anyone with a plant collection could qualify, provided they have also developed an encyclopedic knowledge. If they have introduced new and interesting species, that will help too, but above all, I see a plantsman as someone like, well, Roy Lancaster. Who, after all, could have contributed more than he, not just of knowledge, but with a true and infectious passion for plants in all their wonderful diversity.
So where does that leave us? Do we really need a replacement term for today’s plant expert, and if so, what? Plantscholar? Would ‘plantmaster’ be politically correct? Anthophile? Plant freak? Petal Pusher?
No, the alternatives are dreadful. ‘Plantsman’ is the only obvious choice, so instead of giving it up, we had better grab it back and try to ensure it is not subverted.
Nigel Colborn is a writer, broadcaster and member of RHS Council
What do you think?
Which qualities make a plantsman? Is the term now outmoded, or do you think it is misused? E-mail your comments to Viewpoint and please include your postal address.
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