George Frederick Dickson the Botanist

This further baptism record (see right), which belongs to G.F.Dickson's gardener's daughter, is - kind of - a hint at another and quite special field of activities and interest by G.F.Dickson, a passion for which he had a model at his disposal in his uncle

who himself did practical gardening, nursery and agriculture, but in particular was an internationally renowned and very productive author of standard works about the methods of gardening and agriculture.  Also this passion of G.F.Dickson's, for botanics and gardening, had to do with his connection to South America. There he came across a whole new spectrum of new plant species, often unknown in Europe, but A.v.Humboldt's research works had aroused interest in the matter. G.F.Dickson brought or imported quite a number of such "new" species as seeds to England, even making a number of new discoveries himself. Then he used to dedicate the plants - either immediately as seeds or after growing them in his garden - to the London Horticultural Society where further research and development were done.
 
Some of the species discovered by him were even named after him, like in the case of the Echinacea species "Echinacea Dicksoni" (see right).

Even abroad his merits as a Botanist were well known; the "

Wiener Illustrierte Garten-Zeitung

" (year 1896) reports about the "

Mina lobata

": "Diese schöne Pflanze ist aus Mexico schon im Jahre

1842

durch

G. F. Dickson

eingeführt worden."