Harold Basil Christian
Harold Basil Christian (28 October 1871 – 12 May 1950) was a Cape Colony-born Rhodesian farmer, horticulturist, and botanist.
He served in the Imperial Light Horse of the British Army during the Second Boer War, during which he fought in the Siege of Ladysmith.
Christian initially attempted to grow imported European plants on his farm, but these tree species, which tend to be conifers, were not well-suited to the region's heat, dryness, and low altitude.
Harold Basil Christian was born on 28 October 1871 in Port Elizabeth, Cape Colony (today South Africa).
[2][3] After graduating from Eton, Christian returned to South Africa and served in the British Army in the Second Boer War.
[2] An article in the journal Rhodesiana wrote that this story is "reasonably possible", as the British South Africa Company had used the term "Rhodesia" since 1895.
[2] While working in the Northern Cape during his career in the mining business, Christian likely heard much about the colony of Rhodesia to the north.
[2][3] He originally planted imported European alpines, inspired by the designs of the English gardeners he knew growing up on his father's farm in South Africa.
[2][3] However, the imported plants, which thrive in high altitudes, cooler temperatures, and generous amounts of water, were not suited to the hot, dry climate of Southern Africa.
[2][3] In 1916, Christian's farm surveyor went to a hill close by, uprooted an Aloe cameronii, and planted it "to hide the stark appearance of this unsightly rock".
[2][3] Their marriage was held at the Cathedral of St Mary and All Saints in Salisbury, and was solemnized by Bishop William Carter of the Anglican Diocese of Cape Town.
[2][3] In addition to gardening, which began as a hobby, Christian was an active farmer and leading figure in the Rhodesian agriculture community.
[2][3] They met for breakfast at the King Edward Hotel in Port Elizabeth, where they were both so engaged that neither man touched his food.
[3] For the next decade and half, Christian spent much time preparing a book on tropical African aloe species.
[2] He filled several large leather-bound notebooks and plant registers with the fruits of his studies, but the idea of a book ultimately did not come about.
[2] In 1947, he went on a thorough cycad tour of South Africa with Inez Clare Verdoorn and others, where they traveled from the Transvaal through Natal and examined all known localities of encephalartos.
B. Richards serving as witnesses, Christian signed a codicil to his will in which he granted part of his farm, including his garden, to the state.
[2] Christian's decision to leave his garden to the state was appreciatively received by The Rhodesia Herald, which published an article on 8 June 1948 that read, "If the offer of the owner Mr.
Basil Christian is accepted by the Rhodesian Government, the finest and most complete collection of aloes and cycads in the world will become the property of the Colony for all time.
"[2] Christian said in an interview his work could not have been achieved and his collection could not have been expanded such were it not for the botanists at Kew and the South African government's Division of Botany, who frequently sent him new specimens.
[2][3] Some doubts existed about whether Christian had planned to donate his entire 707-acre Ewanrigg Farm, or only the 14.5 acres that were declared a national monument in 1943.
[2] The matter was resolved amicably when his executor, his wife's lawyer, and the Minister of Internal Affairs agreed that the Christian's intention was that the entirety of Ewanrigg should be transferred to the government's Natural Resources Board and the Commission for the Preservation of Natural and Historical Monuments and Relics.
