William Baylor Hartland

William Baylor Hartland (1836-1912) was a plantsman from Ireland.

Overview

Hartland's grandfather came to Ireland from the Kew Botanic Gardens. He established a nursery at Belview, Mallow, in 1774. Hartland's father, William, relocated the business to Cork in 1810. Hartland's brother, Henry Albert Hartland (1840-1893), was a well-known artist. [http://www.whytes.ie/Biographies/BiogsFtoL.htm Whytes Biographies of Irish Art and Irish Artists A-E ] ]

William Hartland moved his nursery from Temple Hill to Ard Cairn, Ballintemple, Cork, in 1890. His bulb farm was approximately 10 acres. Hartland sent flowers from his farm to various markets, including the one at Covent Garden. He also maintained the "Old Established Garden Seed Ware-House" at 24 Patrick Street, Cork.

William Hartland was a Guardian of the Cork Union and started a scheme of prizes for country plots. He called attention to the need for agricultural education and advocated the growing of early vegetables and flowers along the southern Irish seaboard.

Flower collection

Hartland began collecting bulbs around 1880, often acquiring them from old Irish gardens. While no species of narcissus is native to Ireland, the climatic conditions have proven favourable for the appearance of self-sown seeding varieties over a long period. In the 19th century, collectors in Ireland, such as Hartland and Fanny Currey, discovered narcissus varieties which were unknown elsewhere. For example, Hartland found the 'Bishop Mann' variety in an old garden of the Dioceses of St. Finbarr's, where Bishop Mann had been the last resident. The bulbs had been planted 150 years before at Bishopstown, now a suburb of Cork.

Hartland's first daffodil catalogue was "A little book of daffodils nearly 100 varieties as offered and collected by W.B.Hartland". The early catalogues were whimsical and did not always find favour with the horticultural establishment. His niece, Gertrude Hartland, illustrated many of his catalogues, including the influential "Floral Album of Daffodils" (1890) and later editions. The catalog for 1907-8 includes a list of old Irish apples entitled 'old lamps for new lamps'.

Other contributions

In 1890, Hartland located an old species now known as 'Ard Cairn Russet', a late keeping apple, and sent samples to the Royal Horticultural Society. He also collected tulips from Irish gardens and introduced the 'Mrs. Moon' variety. Outside of gardening, Hartland is known for producing a colourful tourist guide after a trip to the west of Ireland. He is also remembered by the naming of the Hartland's Avenue/Road area of Cork City in Lough Parish, the location of one of his nurseries.

Footnotes

References

* Keith Lambe and Patrick Bowe "A history of Gardening in Ireland" National Botanic Gardens 1995 ISBN 0-7076-1666-2.
* Irish Daily Independent 27 March 1893
* "East to Mahon, The Story of Blackrock, Ballintemple, Ballinlough, Ballinure and Mahon p.37-39", Richard Henchion, Dahadore Publications, 15 Wilton Lawn, Cork, 2005. ISBN 0-9541293-2-6

External links

* Irish Seed Savers Association, [http://66.249.93.104/search?q=cache:AS0Ye606jvcJ:www.irishseedsavers.ie/article.php%3Fartid%3D80+william+baylor+hartland&hl=en&gl=ie&ct=clnk&cd=3] , [http://66.249.93.104/search?q=cache:FBF_p8vu77IJ:www.irishseedsavers.ie/article.php%3Fartid%3D37+william+baylor+hartland&hl=en&gl=ie&ct=clnk&cd=4]
* Old House Gardens, [http://66.249.93.104/search?q=caeche:kKAl6LTURqIJ:www.oldhousegardens.com/news/sep03b.htm+william+baylor+hartland&hl=en&gl=ie&ct=clnk&cd=6]
* Obituary Guy Livingstone Wilson, [http://66.249.93.104/search?q=cache:S52-Na1G4PwJ:www.island.net/~rjbw/GLWObit.html+william+baylor+hartland&hl=en&gl=ie&ct=clnk&cd=9]