The Ingenious Mr.Fairchild: The Forgotten Father of the Flower Garden

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Thomas Fairchild, a practical nurseryman in Georgian London, shook the horticultural world by revealing the sexual reproduction of plants. Although alarmed at the prospect of interfering with God's natural design, he could not resist the inevitable consequence of his discovery - the selective breeding of plant varieties. This early form of genetic engineering aroused as much controversy then as genetically modified plants are causing now and scientific debate raged furiously. But Fairchild s experiments produced masses of new flowers, colours, scents and forms and were the beginning of the huge variety of flowers in our gardens and parks now.

Reviews

'A deeply researched and beautifully written account. Its author should be congratulated for restoring Fairchild to his place in the plantsman's pantheon' The Times

An enjoyable, informal biography, rich in historic colour, of this often overlooked founding father of modern garden hybrids - House and Gardens

,Leapman brings this world to life' - The Sunday Times

Entertaining digressions... draws interesting parallels between 18th century attitudes to hybridisation and current concerns over GM crops - Daily Telegraph

,.... a beguiling perambulation around the Georgian nursery trade.... a charming tour of what grew in early Georgian London' - Sir Roy Strong, Daily Mail

...Fairchild's ideal biographer. - The Times

Author Bio

Michael Leapman is a journalist who writes regularly on gardening for the Sunday Telegraph, The Economist, the Mail on Sunday and Gardens Illustrated. He also contributes to The Times media page. A former editor of the Times Diary, he worked for the paper in New York. He is a keen gardener with an allotment in Brixton.