"The Plantsmen" Nursery Era (1967-1975)
During the years 1967 to 1975 Jim, along with Eric Smith, ran ‘The Plantsmen’.
This was a small specialist nursery located in the grounds of a large country house. They offered a wide range of choice and desirable plants. Eric Smith, who had been an expert propagator with Hilliers, the famous nursery in Winchester founded by Edwin Hillier. Here he carried on hybridization work with Hosta, Hellebores and other perennials.
Jim had a lifelong passion for Onco irises. At the time he had probably seen and collected seed of more of these plants than anyone before and maybe since. The range of plants sometimes available from the nursery is staggering. Never before or since has such a range of these irises been available from one nursery.
Jim and Eric were truly plantsmen of the highest order, but not great businessmen, the nursery often suffering setbacks. Eric Smith retired from the nursery in 1975 and Jim carried on the business in his own name afterwards.
Appended here are two of the catalogues issued by "The Plantsmen".
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