John Gibson ( 1815 - 1875 )

Sturdy young men were required in the task of traveling to the tropics in search of orchids and other plants. Among the earliest -and youngest-of the plant collectors was John Gibson , a gardener working for the duke of Devonshire in the 1830s. The prior orchid collections of William Roxburgh and Dr. Robert Wight in India were very likely the stimuli by which Sir Joseph Paxton suggested to the duke that orchids should be sought there ,and young Gibson was sent.

John Gibson was born at Cheshire , England , in 1815 and began his gardening career under the supervision of his father ,who for many years was in the service of Sir Edmund Antrobus , at Eaton Hall, near Congleton ,Cheshire. At seventeen years of age young Gibson was apprenticed to Joseph paxton ,then gardener to the duke of Devonshire , at Chatsworth. Here it was that Gibson found his beginnings in the world of orchidology.

Orchids were then beginning to become popular among cultivators ,and the Chatsworth plants, placed in a two-light frame in a bed of tan bark, evoked much interest and curiosity . Paxton ,aware of John Gibson's enthusiasm for these novel and beautiful plants , sent him to study their cultivation under Mr. Cooper , a successful orchid grower of the day.

By 1835 the duke had begun the formation of a fine private orchid collection , and at Paxton's suggestion he decided on expediting a trip to India for the purpose of obtaining plants.In preparation for this expedition , Gibson was sent to London to inspect the major nurseries ,especially to take notice of the orchids and rare plants at the Loddiges firm,and the herbaria of Mr.Lambert and others. Thereafter , in mid 1835 it was arranged that Gibson should accompany Lord Auckland , the newly appointed governor general , in charge of a large collection of medicinal plants for introduction into India . He left England in September , stopping and staying over in Madeira ,Rio de Janeiro, and the Cape of Good Hope over a period of several weeks . Arriving at Culcutta in March 1836, he presented Lord Auckland's consignement of plants to Dr, Nathaniel Wallich ,then director of the Calcutta Botanic Garden . Having fulfilled this duty , he was free to begin his quest for orchids , and at Dr. Wallich's suggestion he proceeded to Chirra Poongee, in the khasia Hills. This was prior to the establishment of an overland route to India , so it was necessary to wait until the seasonal rains had filled the tributaries of the Brahmapootin River, which then afforded the only direct means of reaching the planned collecting site high in the Himalayas.

Gibson discovered many species , which were regularly dispatched to Dr. Wallich through direct postal communication ,who then fowarded the collections to England . At the end of the collecting period , late in 1836,Gibson returned to Calcutta . He left this city again with his collections in March 1837, arriving back in London early in July . Besides the other plants he brought back , he introduced many orchids , among which could be mentioned Dendrobium Devonianum ,Dendrobium cambridgeanum , Dendrobium formosum, Dendrobium paxtonii, Dendrobium densiflorum , Dendrobium gibsonii, Anoectochilus setaceus , Phaius albus ,Phaius wallichii, Vanda teres , Coelogyne gardneriana ,Coelogyne wallichiana , Saccolabium denticulatum ,Saccolabium calceolare , and Camarotis purpurea .

On his return to Chatsworth Gibson was appinted foreman of the exotic plant department under Joseph Paxton. In 1849 he left Chatsworth , accepting an appointment as superintendent of Victoria Park, then under construction. Greenwich Park was added under his supervision in 1850, and Battersea Park was added under his supervision in 1850, and Battersea Park was entrusted to him in 1858. Soon afterward , Kennington Park, the grounds of Chelsea Hospital , and those of the Royal Military Asylum were placed under his charge.

Gibson was one of the first public gardens to break away from the formal symmetry of flower gardening, bringing to focus instead , the beauty and form of individual plants and naturalists groupings . His influence proved lasting .

In the London International Horticultural Exhibition and congress of 1866, Gibson took a very active part. Working with a detemination and skill that contributed largely to the success of that occasion , he laid out plans for the interior of the huge tent used to the exhibition and carried out its superintendence with such success that the phrase of the grand event.

One the death of Mr. J.Mann in 1871 , Gibson was elected to fill the vacant position of superintendent of St. James , the Green ,Hyde Park , and Kensington Gardens. Gibson , however, had for some time been afflicted with paralysis -a malady that necessitated hie removing himself given to his son. His condition was steadily worsened , and on 11 June 1875 he died at his home, Argyle Lodge, South Kensington.

References

Gardener's Chronicle . 1872. John Gibson . No.26.

Gardener's Chronicle . 1875. Obituary .Vol. 3,no. 55.

Lemmon , Kenneth. 1963 .The Covered Garden. London: Museum Press Ltd.vanSteenis ,C.G.G. J. 1950. Cyclopaedia of Collections. Flora malesiana . Vol. 1 ,ser. 1.