author
Matthew Crawford
1839–1918
An influential Ohio horticulturist, he helped popularize new varieties of gladiolus and wrote practical guides for growers at a time when flower and fruit culture was expanding quickly in the United States. His books are direct, useful, and grounded in long hands-on experience.
1 Audiobook
The Gladiolus: A Practical Treatise on the Culture of the Gladiolus
by Matthew Crawford
About the author
Born in 1839 and later based in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, Matthew Crawford built his reputation as a grower, nurseryman, and gardening writer. Surviving catalogues and book records link him closely with strawberries, small fruits, and especially gladiolus culture, showing a career rooted in practical horticulture and plant breeding.
Crawford is best remembered for The Gladiolus: A Practical Treatise on the Culture of the Gladiolus (1911), a concise guide drawn from years of observation and experiment. He also published works and catalogues on strawberry growing and small fruits, writing in a plain, helpful style meant for working gardeners rather than specialists.
He died in 1918. Later references remembered him as the "Gladiolus King of Ohio," a nickname that fits the lasting impression of his work: he was one of those early growers who turned patient field knowledge into books ordinary readers could actually use.