Lambertus Bobbink

A Great Rosarian

On this day, the Asbury Park Press reported that Lambertus Bobbink, one of the country's best-known florists, was honored at the New York Botanical Gardens.
In fact, the author, Pearl Buck, was there to dedicate a rose garden and unveil a plaque to Bobbink that read:

"Lambertus C. Bobbink, a great rosarian whose counsel and generosity helped to make this garden possible for the enjoyment of all."

Bobbink immigrated to the United States from Holland in 1896. He purchased a few acres of land in Rutherford, New Jersey.
In 1898, Frederick Atkins, an English nurseryman, became Bobbink’s partner in the business, forming Bobbink and Atkins, one of the world’s largest horticultural organizations at the time.
Both Bobbink and Atkins had homes on Herrick Street, which was just around the corner from their business on Paterson Avenue.
The two florists accomplished some major milestones together:
In 1911, Bobbink & Atkins successfully grew the first crop of Hybrid Tea Roses in the United States. 
Twenty-four years later, in 1935, Bobbink introduced the Azalea Rutherfordiana. Now, this azalea didn't memorialize a person, but a place - Bobbink's adopted hometown, Rutherford, New Jersey.
 


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Lambertus Bobbink
Lambertus Bobbink

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