Quick Facts
Biography
Thomas Rivers (1798–1877) was an English nurseryman, known for new varieties of roses and fruits.
Life
The son of Thomas and Jane Rivers of Sawbridgeworth, Hertfordshire, he was born there on 27 December 1798. His John Rivers from Berkshire, established the Rivers family nurseries at Sawbridgeworth between 1720 and 1730. On the retirement of his father in 1827, Rivers concentrated on the cultivation of roses.
As a practical nurseryman, by the introduction of the "Early Rivers" plum, Rivers both extended the fruit season and enabled British fruit-growers to compete with European rivals. He also developed small fruit trees, and n 1854 took part in founding the British Pomological Society.
Rivers died on 17 October 1877, and was buried at Sawbridgeworth.
Works
Rivers published:
- Catalogue of Roses, 1833.
- The Rose Amateur's Guide 1837, 11th edition 1877.
- Miniature Fruit Garden; or the Culture of Pyramidal Fruit Trees, 1840, 20th edition 1891.
- The Orchard House; or the Cultivation of Fruit Trees in Pots under Glass, 1850; 5th edition, 1858; 6th edition, 1859;16th edition edited by his son T. F. Rivers, 1879.
He also contributed to gardening journals, beginning with a paper on apple cultivation in Loudon's Gardener's Magazine in 1827.
Family
By his marriage in 1827 to Mary Ann, Rivers left two sons and four daughters. His son Thomas Francis Rivers took over the family business and edited his father's works. It was Thomas Francis Rivers who introduced the Conference pear.