author
Samuel Browne Parsons
1819–1906
A pioneering American horticulturist, nurseryman, and rose expert, he helped make Flushing, Queens, a major center of 19th-century gardening. His writing reflects both practical know-how and a deep enthusiasm for plants, especially roses.
1 Audiobook
Parsons on the Rose A Treatise on the Propagation, Culture and History of the Rose
by Samuel Browne Parsons
About the author
Born in 1819, he was part of the well-known Parsons family of Flushing, New York, whose nursery work shaped the area's reputation for horticulture. Contemporary institutional histories describe Samuel Bowne Parsons as one of the key figures behind the Parsons nursery business, established in the late 1830s and associated with the introduction and cultivation of many notable plants.
He is best remembered by readers as the author of Parsons on the Rose, first published in 1883, a practical and historical guide to rose culture. Library records and botanical references also connect him with correspondence and plant work that show his standing in American horticulture during the 19th century.
Parsons died in 1906, but his name remained closely tied to the horticultural history of Queens. Today he stands out as both a working nurseryman and a writer who helped share gardening knowledge with a wider public.