Our speaker the evening of April 16th will be Charles Lyte, from Devon, England.  Charles started life working for a great old nursery, Wallaces of Tunbridge Wells, which specialised in rhododendrons, as well as lilies and irises.  He went on to become a journalist, training on a provincial paper; worked in Zimbabwe (then Southern Rhodesia), but the majority of his career was in Fleet Street.  The latter part was devoted to garden writing, and for eight years he organised a show garden at the Chelsea Flower Show for his daily newspaper. 

 

Charles has written a number of books, including biographies of Sir Joseph Banks (who introduced Rhododendron canadense to England in 1767); Frank Kingdon-Ward, and a book called The Plant Hunters.  He is retired now, but a great deal of his time is spent recovering and planting a garden, part of which is a disused stone quarry.  His lecture title is ‘Rhododendron Adventurers’:Kingdon-Ward and the other great rhododendron collectors—a subject that is always fascinating, in this case clearly presented with authority.