Robert Buist: The Scotsman Who Shaped American Gardens
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast:
November 14, 1805
Robert Buist, florist and nurseryman was born near Edinburgh, Scotland.
Trained at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, Buist emigrated to Philadelphia in 1828 at age 23, where he would become one of America's most influential early nurserymen.
Buist's journey in American horticulture began with positions at two prestigious Philadelphia gardens:
First at Landreth's, one of America's oldest seed houses
Then at Henry Pratt's magnificent Lemon Hill estate, considered one of the finest gardens in the United States
In 1830, Buist made a pivotal move by purchasing Bernard M'Mahon's historic nursery with partner Thomas Hibbert. The business, which he later named Rosedale, grew to include:
- A thriving rose-growing operation
- An extensive seed division
- Innovative greenhouses
- Over 135 acres of nursery grounds
Buist's most famous contribution to American gardening was perhaps his role in popularizing the poinsettia. After acquiring a specimen from Joel Poinsett in 1825, he named it Euphorbia poinsettia.
When he shared the plant with his Scottish friend James McNab in 1834, it was renamed Poinsettia pulcherrima by botanist Robert Graham - a change that irritated Buist for the rest of his life.
His written works became gardening classics:
The American Flower Garden Directory (1832)
The Rose Manual (1844)
The Family Kitchen Gardener (c1847)
A fascinating historical footnote: The Family Kitchen Gardener became the gardening bible of an unlikely reader - Confederate General Stonewall Jackson.
When Jackson discovered gardening in middle age, he filled the margins with notes like "plant this" next to vegetables he wanted to try.
Today, Buist's legacy lives on in Philadelphia through:
- The historic Buist Sophora tree, still standing where his nursery once operated
- His contributions to the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, where he served as treasurer and vice-president
- The countless gardens influenced by his pioneering work in American horticulture
