Jim Fisk, clematarian
MJohnson
Jim Fisk, MBE, clematis expert, was born on March 9, 1912. He died on
August 17, 2004, aged 92.
Clematis expert whose new varieties helped to restore the plant's
status in British gardens
IT IS largely thanks to Jim Fisk that clematis can be found in almost
every size, style and type of garden.
Fisk left school aged 14 and that year, 1926, he went to work at
Notcutts Nursery in Woodbridge, Suffolk, for ten shillings a week. It
was there that he fell in love with clematis although Notcutts was,
and still is, a general nursery selling a wide variety of plants.
During the war he joined the Royal Navy and served in the
Mediterranean. In 1946 he used his demob money (Pounds 80) to set up
Fisk's Clematis Nursery in Westleton, Suffolk. It was one of the first
specialist nurseries but it was a modest affair, the only garden
building being a small greenhouse. In order to make ends meet he
worked as the village postman until 9am, which gave him the rest of
the day to work with his beloved plants.
Within a few years he had made a local man, Edward Collett, partner in
his business. Together they toured flower shows in a second-hand lorry
kitted out with a couple of hammocks and a Primus stove for overnight
stays.
Fisk's expertise was in introducing new plants. A "new" plant in
itself was not enough for Fisk, who would test and trial every
introduction and put it on sale only if he felt it worthwhile.
His rigorous search for excellence made Fisk a beacon for clematarians
throughout the world. Through this international network of growers he
made many superb introductions such as the large, striped, pink
'Doctor Ruppel' from Argentina, the violet 'Haku Ookan' from Japan,
and the vigorous, deep blue C. macropetala 'Wessleton', named after
his home village of Westleton but using the old spelling.
During the Cold War, Fisk followed in the footsteps of the Empress
Josephine, who imported roses from this country during the Napoleonic
Wars. He introduced clematis from behind the Iron Curtain. They came
from the worldfamous breeder Brother Stephan Franck in Poland and
included the silvery-blue 'Fryderyk Chopin'.
As Fisk's reputation grew, so too did the demand for his plants.
Orders poured in from Australia, America, Japan, Argentina, the
Netherlands, Hong Kong and New Zealand.
Fisk became editor of the Royal Horticultural Society's clematis
handbook, while his magnificent clematis displays were a regular part
of the society's Chelsea Flower Show for more than 30 years and set a
new standard for exhibitors.
His influence went far beyond clematis specialists, thanks to his
books including Success With Clematis (1962) and Clematis, The Queen
of the Climbers (1975). His style was authoritative, warm and fluent
even when dealing with the vexed question of pronunciation: "... it
will always be called by its proper name, clematis, which comes from
the Greek and means 'a vine branch'. Clematis, should always be
pronounced with a short 'a' as in the word 'America', all three
syllables being equally accented: clem a tis".
The foreword to Fisk's Success with Clematis was written by Rowland
Jackman, descendant of the great George Jackman, who produced one of
our most popular hybrids, the large purple Jackmanii, in 1862.
The latter half of the 19th century had been a boom time for clematis.
Jackman's nursery list included 343. By the early 20th century
clematis wilt, a devastating fungal disease, together with a dearth of
interesting varieties, made clematis an unpopular garden plant.
Effective fungicide and Fisk's introductions put clematis back on the
garden map and, in 1997, Fisk's work was recognised with the MBE for
services to horticulture.
The accolade was not enough to prevent the closure of his nursery two
years later, due to Fisk's age (he was 87) and competition from garden
centres.
Friends and colleagues, including the former chairman of the British
Clematis Society' Dr John Howells, remember Fisk with great affection
as a modest, gentle and generous man who was always willing to share
his expertise and help others in the field.
Fisk was an honorary member of both the British Clematis Society and
the International Clematis Society and, for his 80th birthday, the
British society dedicated a day's meeting to a celebration of Fisk's
contribution to the plant.
Messages poured in from all over the world, including one from the US
which said that, if there were royalty in the world of clematis, Jim
Fisk would be king.
Copyright (C) The Times, 2004
CAPTION(S):
Jim Fisk and a Clematis flammula at The Maltings, Snape, 1982: "If
there were royalty in the world of clematis," said one of his
admirers, "Jim Fisk would be king"
Bob Feigel
wrote:
>The Times (London, England), Sept 18, 2004 p42
>
>Jim Fisk, MBE, clematis expert, was born on March 9, 1912. He died on
>August 17, 2004, aged 92.
>
>Clematis expert whose new varieties helped to restore the plant's
>status in British gardens
>
>IT IS largely thanks to Jim Fisk that clematis can be found in almost
>every size, style and type of garden.
As I look out the west facing window of my studio, the trees on the
hills and the valley beyond are covered in what looks like billowing
bridal veils, waterfalls and white cotton sheets . Tomorrow, I'll walk
into bush hung with endless falls of white spring clematis, take in
the deep perfume and say a few words for Jim Fisk, clematarian.
Then again, I may just have another drink ... b
"When weaving nets, all threads count." - Charlie Chan
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Wax-up and drop-in of Surfing's Golden Years: <http://www.surfwriter.net>
Brad Ferguson
<b...@surfwriter.net.not> wrote:
> As I look out the west facing window of my studio, the trees on the
> hills and the valley beyond are covered in what looks like billowing
> bridal veils, waterfalls and white cotton sheets . Tomorrow, I'll walk
> into bush hung with endless falls of white spring clematis, take in
> the deep perfume and say a few words for Jim Fisk, clematarian.
That was nice.
Here in rural Maryland, it turned fall on Sunday, following a couple of
lousy days thanks to the remnants of Hurricane Ivan. There was the
hint of a chill in the air at dusk, with overnight temps in the low 40s
F. The dogs love it. So do I.
MJohnson
It grows best with neglect.
M