Under Moore's tenure during the period of so-called "pteridomania", the garden increased the number of fern species cultivated there by fifty percent and was renamed the Chelsea Physic Garden in 1875.

[2] He made a special study of ferns, most of his independent works being devoted to that group of plants; but he also acquired a knowledge of garden plants and florists' flowers generally, which was probably greater than that of any of his contemporaries.

He was constantly called upon to act as judge at horticultural shows, and only a short time before his death was engaged in classifying the Narcissi for the Daffodil Congress.

After three or four years of infirm health, he died at the Chelsea Botanical Garden on 1 January 1887, and was buried in Brompton cemetery.

[2] Besides papers on ferns in various botanical journals, Moore's chief publications were : Moore also wrote the article 'Horticulture' in the ninth edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica, in conjunction with Dr. Maxwell Masters, afterwards published in an expanded form as The Epitome of Gardening, 8vo, 1881.