Lawrie Metcalf
New Zealand botanist (1928–2017)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lawrence James Metcalf (1928–2017) was a New Zealand horticulturalist, botanist, conservationist and author of gardening and plant identification books.[1] Metcalf popularized and advocated for the planting of native or indigenous plant species in both public and private gardens and pioneered their propagation techniques (horticulture).[2][3] In 1991 the British Royal Horticultural Society recognized his work on the cultivation of New Zealand's native plants, with the Gold Veitch Memorial Medal.[4]
Lawrie Metcalf | |
|---|---|
Lawrie Metcalf | |
| Born | 18 August 1928 |
| Died | 18 August 2017 (aged 89) |
| Citizenship | New Zealand |
| Occupations | Horticulturalist and botanist |
| Relatives | Daughter: Victoria Metcalf |
| Writing career | |
| Genres | Gardening and plant guides |
| Subjects | Native and introduced plants in New Zealand. Hebes |
| Notable works | The Cultivation of New Zealand Trees and Shrubs Hebes: A Guide to Species, Hybrids and Allied Genera |
| Notable awards | Companion of the Queen's Service Order |
Professional work
Metcalf was a global authority on the Hebe genus, indigenous to New Zealand,[5] and planted widely around the world in public gardens with temperate climates[6][7][8][9]
As the Assistant Curator (later Assistant Director) of Christchurch Botanic Gardens, Metcalf founded and expanded its International Seed Exchange programme.[10][11]
After more than 20 years at Christchurch Botanic Gardens, Metcalf became the Director of Parks and Recreation at the Invercargill City Council until his retirement in 1992.[4] During his retirement Metcalf wrote many popular books on identifying New Zealand plants, and on native plant propagation and gardening.[4][12][13]
In 2017, the Herbarium at Christchurch Botanic Gardens was named in his honour.[14] It contains many dried plant specimens collected by Metcalf during his time as Assistant Curator and Assistant Director.
Awards
- 1975: Fellow of the New Zealand Institute of Park and Recreation Administration.
- 1978: The Loder Cup, presented to “encourage and honour New Zealanders who work to investigate, promote, retain and cherish our indigenous flora”.
- 1988: Associate on Honour (AHRIH) of the RNZIH.[15]
- 1988: Ian Galloway Outstanding Achievement Award, which “Recognizes outstanding contribution in the Parks, Amenity Horticulture and Open space”.
- 1991: Gold Veitch Memorial Medal, the highest honour from the Royal Horticultural Society to people outside the United Kingdom.
- 1999: Honorary Fellow of the New Zealand Institute of Landscape Architects,
- 2010: Appointed a Companion of the Queen’s Service Order (QSO)
- 2017: The Christchurch Botanic Gardens Herbarium was officially renamed the “Lawrie Metcalf Herbarium”.[10]
Bibliography
- Barnett, M. J., Gilpin, H. G. and Metcalf, L. J. Editors (1963) A Garden Century: the Christchurch Botanic Gardens, 1863–1963. Christchurch: Christchurch City Council.[16]
- Metcalf, L. J. (1972) The Cultivation of New Zealand Trees and Shrubs. Wellington, New Zealand: A. H. & A. W. Reed.[17]
- Metcalf, Lawrie (1993) The Cultivation of New Zealand Plants. Auckland, New Zealand: Godwit Press.[18]
- Metcalf, Lawrie (1995) The Propagation of New Zealand Native Plants. Auckland, New Zealand: Godwit Press.[19]
- Metcalf, Lawrie (1998) The Cultivation of New Zealand Native Grasses. Auckland, New Zealand: Godwit Press.[20]
- Metcalf, Lawrie (2002) A Photographic Guide to Trees of New Zealand. Auckland, New Zealand: New Holland Publishers.[21]
- Metcalf, Lawrie (2003) A Photographic Guide to Ferns of New Zealand. Auckland, New Zealand: New Holland Publishers.[22]
- Metcalf, Lawrie (2006) Hebes: a guide to species, hybrids and allied genera. Portland, Oregon, USA: Timber Press.[5]
- Metcalf, Lawrie (2006) Know Your New Zealand Trees. Auckland, New Zealand: New Holland Publishers.[23]
- Metcalf, Lawrie (2006) A Photographic Guide to Alpine Plants of New Zealand. Auckland, New Zealand: New Holland Publishers.[24]
- Metcalf, Lawrie (2007) The Propagation of New Zealand Native Plants (revised). New Zealand: Random House.[12]
- Metcalf, Lawrie (2008) The Cultivation of New Zealand Native Grasses (revised). Auckland, New Zealand: Godwit Press.[13]
- Metcalf, Lawrie (2009) Know Your New Zealand Native Plants. Auckland, New Zealand: New Holland Publishers.[25]
- Metcalf, L. J. (2011) The Cultivation of New Zealand Trees and Shrubs (revised and updated edition). Wellington, Auckland, New Zealand: Raupo, Penguin Group.[4]
- Metcalf, Lawrie and Edwards, Roy. (2014) New Zealand Native Ground Cover Plants: a practical guide for gardeners and landscapers. Christchurch: Canterbury University Press.[26]