Dr Allan Armitage A frenetic frenzy for flowers…and more! By Sean James
Giving one of his trademark plant walkabouts, Dr. Armitage uses stories and frank opinions to inspire gardeners and the general public on the beauty and wonder of plants.
T
here’s a list of the top 10 ‘Spheres of Influence’ in the floriculture industry — a list, chosen by industry profes- sionals, of those who’ve contributed the most to the
flower trade. Only ONE of the people on the list is alive…and he’s Canadian! Born and raised in Montreal, Dr. Allan Armit- age started his working life with really no interest in horticul- ture. He had many jobs — from working in the food process- ing industry to teaching to…grave digging, where he began to realize the positive impacts that gardening could have. What’s the connection? He started planting a few plants around the headstones and was amazed at the difference it made to the family members, brightening the otherwise terrible day. Through a series of events (fortunate events for us garden-
ers), he ended up researching new plants in Michigan, and then teaching and researching at the University of Georgia in Athens, Ga. Since then, he’s published over 350 papers, written 13 books and lectured all over the world, including at Canada’s prestigious Niagara Parks School of Horticulture. Known affectionately to his students as Dr. A, he spent his career in Georgia, teaching students about what makes
localgardener.net
plants good, how to test them and choose the best and then getting the word out to the industry and the public about those plants. He’s discovered many great varieties in his trav- els. Many have been brought to his attention in the hope of bringing them to the attention of the world. Most folks who’ve planted up a pot by the front door have encountered one of Allan’s introductions. Probably his most wide-spread introduction is the Margarita sweet potato vine, with its bold- textured, chartreuse leaves and vigourous growth. It can be found from Munich to Minneapolis and beyond! One gets tired, in a great way, just watching Dr. Armitage
wax eloquent about perennials and annuals during one of his trademark plant walkabout tours. He feels we take horticul- ture too seriously; he rants and raves about poor plant breed- ing; he rips the tops of plants to pass them around, saying, when folks look dismayed, “Baaahhhh, it probably needed dead-heading anyway!” Then they chuckle. He takes the curse off our fear of making mistakes. He shows us new varieties of plants and, in some cases, the merits of older varieties versus newer, less hardy cultivars. He makes a difference — possibly
Fall 2016 • 45
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80