Thomas Davey (florist)

Thomas Davey (c. 1758 – 25 April 1833) was a British florist and nurseryman based in Camberwell, Surrey, and later in Chelsea, Middlesex, both now in London, England.

[2] His shop was noted for its window displays, which one year featured a painting of "the most beautiful tulips, as Bonaparte, Washington and the Duke of Wirtenberg".

[15] He was part of what Anna Pavord has called a "widespread cult of florists' flowers" beginning in the 19th century,[1] but a cult that faced opposition or indifference from botanists who preferred pure types to the flowers bred by the florists which existed purely for appearance, had no role in agriculture, and did not fit into existing taxonomies.

[17] He produced his own cultivars and grew those of amateur gardeners, particularly the "laced"[18] varieties popular with London growers which had only been bred for the first time in the early 1770s.

[16] A "well-known tulip-fancier",[21] along with contemporaries such as James Maddock of Walworth and Luke Pope of Handsworth, Davey capitalised on and helped to foster a renewed interest in that species.

[19][25] The hybrid pelargonium "Daveyanum" (Davey's stork's-bill), which he grew from seed, was named after him by the botanist Robert Sweet[2][26] who also drew extensively on plants bred at James Colvill's nursery in the King's Road in his work.

[10] Thomas Davey died at the age of 77[28] on 25 April 1833[11] and was buried at St Luke's Church in Sydney Street, Chelsea.

Let each young flow'ret fresh with life, With all their early beauties rife, Together join in mournful strife, A wreath to thread; Let roses twine with vermeil cheek, With lily of the valley meek, And tulips gay with many a streak, For Davey's dead!

But from his garden death has torn, No more he 'll greet the rising morn; Be fill'd with tears, ye flowers forlorn; Your friend is dead!