E.H. Wilson

As I add more woody plants to my yard, I've been running across the name of E.H. Wilson quite a bit.  He is the person who first introduced many Asian trees and shrubs into cultivation. I bought his most famous book, "Aristocrats of the Garden," several months ago, and I've found that his opinion about many cultivated plants is still valid  100 years after they were written.

It also seems like he had a more interesting life than the references in horticultural encyclopedias would suggest.  I've ordered a two volume account of his travels:  "A Naturalist in Western China with Vasculum, Camera, and Gun," so I will fill you in on what more I discover.