Lawrence Johnston
Encyclopedia
Major Lawrence Waterbury Johnston (1871–1958) was a British
soldier and garden
creator.
, France
, into a family of wealthy American
East Coast stockbrokers from Baltimore. He went to England
to study at Trinity College
, Cambridge
. Soon after his graduation, he became a naturalised British subject. He joined the British Army
and served in the Second Boer War
and later World War I
with the Northumberland Hussars
, being commissioned in 1901 and reaching the rank of Major
.
he created at Hidcote Manor Garden
, now in the care of the National Trust
. He and his mother, Gertrude Winthrop, bought Hidcote Manor in 1907, and he started a programme of 40 years' work on the garden. An enthusiastic plant collector, he sponsored and undertook several expeditions in Europe, Asia, Africa and South America to bring back rare specimens.
He was a close friend of socialite
garden designer
Norah Lindsay
whose home was nearby in Sutton Courtenay Manor
, Oxfordshire.
After bequeathing his Hidcote estate to the National Trust, Johnston moved to France in 1948. At the time of his death in 1958 he was working on another garden at Serre de la Madone, Menton
, which he left to Nancy Lindsay, the daughter of Norah Lindsay.
A rose
— the bright yellow semi-double climber "Lawrence Johnston" — bears his name.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
soldier and garden
Garden
A garden is a planned space, usually outdoors, set aside for the display, cultivation, and enjoyment of plants and other forms of nature. The garden can incorporate both natural and man-made materials. The most common form today is known as a residential garden, but the term garden has...
creator.
Early years & military career
Johnston was born in ParisParis
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, into a family of wealthy American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
East Coast stockbrokers from Baltimore. He went to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
to study at Trinity College
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
, Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
. Soon after his graduation, he became a naturalised British subject. He joined the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
and served in the Second Boer War
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902 between the British Empire and the Afrikaans-speaking Dutch settlers of two independent Boer republics, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State...
and later World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
with the Northumberland Hussars
Northumberland Hussars
The Northumberland Hussars is a Squadron of The Queen's Own Yeomanry is an armoured Squadron of the British Territorial Army. It is part of a Formation Reconnaissance Regiment, equipped with the FV107 Scimitar and FV103 Spartan type armoured reconnaissance vehicles...
, being commissioned in 1901 and reaching the rank of Major
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
.
Legacy
He travelled extensively and was interested in the arts. Johnston is remembered today for the garden designGarden design
Garden design is the art and process of designing and creating plans for layout and planting of gardens and landscapes. Garden design may be done by the garden owner themselves, or by professionals of varying levels of experience and expertise...
he created at Hidcote Manor Garden
Hidcote Manor Garden
Hidcote Manor Garden is a garden located on the outskirts of the small village of Hidcote Bartrim, near Chipping Campden, Gloucestershire, England and owned by the National Trust....
, now in the care of the National Trust
National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty
The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as the National Trust, is a conservation organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland...
. He and his mother, Gertrude Winthrop, bought Hidcote Manor in 1907, and he started a programme of 40 years' work on the garden. An enthusiastic plant collector, he sponsored and undertook several expeditions in Europe, Asia, Africa and South America to bring back rare specimens.
He was a close friend of socialite
Socialite
A socialite is a person who participates in social activities and spends a significant amount of time entertaining and being entertained at fashionable upper-class events....
garden designer
Garden designer
The term garden designer can refer either to an amateur or a professional who designs the plan and features of gardens. Amateurs design their gardens for their own properties. Professionals, with experienced skills, design gardens that benefit clients...
Norah Lindsay
Norah Lindsay
Norah Lindsay was a socialite garden designer who between the World wars became a major influence on garden design and planting in the United Kingdom and on the Continent.- Biography :...
whose home was nearby in Sutton Courtenay Manor
Sutton Courtenay
Sutton Courtenay is a village and civil parish on the River Thames south of Abingdon and northwest of Didcot. It was part of Berkshire until the 1974 boundary changes transferred it to Oxfordshire.-Today:...
, Oxfordshire.
After bequeathing his Hidcote estate to the National Trust, Johnston moved to France in 1948. At the time of his death in 1958 he was working on another garden at Serre de la Madone, Menton
Menton
Menton is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France.Situated on the French Riviera, along the Franco-Italian border, it is nicknamed la perle de la France ....
, which he left to Nancy Lindsay, the daughter of Norah Lindsay.
A rose
Rose
A rose is a woody perennial of the genus Rosa, within the family Rosaceae. There are over 100 species. They form a group of erect shrubs, and climbing or trailing plants, with stems that are often armed with sharp prickles. Flowers are large and showy, in colours ranging from white through yellows...
— the bright yellow semi-double climber "Lawrence Johnston" — bears his name.