156:, near the home of Francis's parents. The couple had three children, Elizabeth, Henry W., and Frances. Francis's parents were Henry W. and Aurelia King. The senior Kings lived at an estate called Wilder Park, which they had inherited from wealthy businessman Seth Wadhams, who had originally named it White Birch. Louisa's mother-in-law was a skilled gardener, having cultivated 200 varieties of herbs, flowers, plants, and fruit trees, and her library was well-stocked with books on horticulture. Under the instruction and encouragement of the elder Mrs. King, Louisa King developed both an academic interest in the study of plants as well as a practical enjoyment of the hands-on work of gardening: amending soils, pruning, and controlling pests.
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280:(WNF&GA). King, who served as the first president of the WNF&GA from 1914 to 1921, saw horticulture and gardening as a means for women to establish themselves in the world; under her guidance, the WNF&GA established scholarships for women to pursue academic study of agriculture, botany, and landscape architecture. During
338:
King was once toasted by the Prince of the
Netherlands, tongue-in-cheek, as the "King of America", and she has also been called the "fairy godmother of gardening in America", the "dean of American gardeners", and "the best-beloved and best-known American woman gardener" of her era. She was elected a
291:
In the postwar years, gardening in small suburban plots grew in popularity, spurred by the nine-volume series of books that King edited (and some of which she wrote), known as "The Little Garden" series. These books were directed at a wider audience than that of King's earlier books, which spoke to
234:. As an advocate of "modern" gardening, King favored gardens that fit naturally into the landscape; she promoted solid fields of color as opposed to the scattered arrangements used by more traditional Victorian era gardeners. King counted among her correspondents and friends
268:
King believed that gardening and garden clubs could be important forces to promote democracy and peace. In 1911, she founded the Garden Club of
Michigan, serving as its first president. Two years later, she was one of the cofounders and original vice-presidents of the
149:, the third of five children of Alfred and Elizabeth Blythe (Ramsay) Yeomans. Her father was a Presbyterian minister. She received secondary education from private schools in New Jersey and so far as is known did not go on to college.
176:. The couple built a home called Orchard House, and Louisa King began to create gardens there, with the assistance of gardener Frank Ackney. In the planning of her garden, Louisa King was influenced by the then-popular books
1029:
West, Susan D. "Mrs. Francis King: A Practicum
Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Landscape Architecture (Natural Resources and Environment)". Thesis, University of Michigan,
562:
The original greenhouse used by
Aurelia and Louisa King still stands (as of 2008) at the south end of Wilder Park (now part of the Elmhurst Park District); it is believed to be the oldest extant greenhouse in
450:
King was the general editor for the book series The Little Garden Series published in 9 volumes during the 1920s. She wrote 2 of the 9 books herself. The first 5 books in the series were published by the
288:: 15,000 so-called "farmerettes" worked in agriculture, replacing men called into military service. For her role in these efforts, King was awarded the National War Garden Commission’s bronze medal.
304:, naming it Kingstree, and set up a smaller garden there. She established the state's first plowing contest. She continued to lecture and write; and she served as a gardening advisor to
265:, garden planning, and tool care. It is still considered a classic, and Gertrude Jekyll, who had become a friend and admirer of King's work, wrote the preface.
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197:
Louisa King quickly rose to prominence as a lecturer, author, and organizer of garden clubs. By 1910, she was contributing articles to magazines such as
347:. The Medal of Honor (also known as the Gold Medal) of the Garden Club of America was bestowed on her in 1923, making her the second recipient (after
300:
Her husband's unexpected death in 1927 forced the sale of
Orchard House. King traveled in Europe and then settled in New York. She bought a home in
277:
276:
In 1914, she helped to found the Women's
National Agricultural and Horticultural Association, which two years later changed its name to the
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273:
in
Philadelphia (GCA), which had a substantial influence on how landscape architecture developed as a profession in subsequent decades.
351:) of one of the GCA's highest awards and one that was given out only four times in the first two decades of the GCA's existence.
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have been named for her, and the
Dogwood Collection at the National Arboretum in Washington, D.C., was created in her honor.
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344:
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the affluent. King's descriptive prose was supplemented by plant lists, garden diagrams, photographs, and illustrations.
483:
958:
Begg, Virginia Lopez (1993), "King, Louisa
Yeomans (Mrs. Francis)", in Birnbaum, Charles A.; Crowder, Lisa E. (eds.),
978:
949:
1063:
121:
Yeomans; October 17, 1863 – January 16, 1948) was an
American gardener and author who became a leading advocate of
315:, Louisa King proposed an International Horticultural Society, writing, "Gardeners never fight with each other."
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A Chronicle: The History of Woman's National Farm & Garden Association, Incorporated: 1914-1984
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Marker honoring Louisa Boyd Yeomans King. National Arboretum Dogwood Collection, Washington, D.C.
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in cooperation with the Atlantic Monthly Press. The titles and authors of the 9 volumes are:
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On June 28, 1890, she married a wealthy Chicago man, Francis King (1862–1927), and moved to
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261:, appeared in 1915, the first of ten books published in a 15-year period on topics such as
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903:
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There are several cultivars named in honor of Alice Howard Harding (Mrs. Edward Harding).
8:
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964:, Washington, DC: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, pp. 74–76
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684:"Mrs. Louisa Yeoman King: "The Fairy Godmother of Gardening" Alma, Michigan 1863-1948"
343:. In 1921, she became the first woman to receive the George Robert White Medal of the
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King corresponded with notable British and American gardeners of the day, including
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Louisa Yeomans King died on January 16, 1948, aged 84, at her daughter's home in
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713:
The Once & Future Gardener: Garden Writing from the Golden Age of Magazines
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194:. The garden at Orchard House would later feature in a number of her writings.
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223:. For three years, starting in 1922, she wrote a monthly gardening column for
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In 1902, as a result of poor health, Francis King moved to a sanitarium in
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431:. By Rohde, Eleanour Sinclair. Boston, MA: Hale, Cushman, & Flint.
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American gardener, author, and advocate of gardening and horticulture
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1009:(revised ed.), New York, NY: Facts on File, pp. 398–399,
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354:
567:. A major restoration of the conservatory was completed in 2014.
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The Garden Club of America: One Hundred Years of a Growing Legacy
961:
Pioneers of American Landscape Design: An Annotated Bibliography
425:
King, Louisa Yeomans (Mrs. Francis) (1932). "American Gardens".
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Oakes, Elizabeth H., ed. (2007), "King, Louisa Boyd Yeomans",
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330:
973:. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press. pp. 96–97.
932:
Bailey, Martha J., ed. (1994), "King, Louisa Boyd Yeomans",
322:; her ashes are scattered at Kingstree in South Hartford.
686:. Clarke Historical Library, Central Michigan University
656:. Clarke Historical Library, Central Michigan University
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936:
American Women in Science: A Biographical Dictionary
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Louisa Boyd Yeomans was born on October 17, 1863 in
840:"Louise Yeomans King: Dean of American Gardeners".
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455:. The last 4 books in the series were published by
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873:"Lost Ladies of Garden Writing: Mrs. Francis King"
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861:. Friends of the National Arboretum, Fall 2012.
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133:movement. She wrote on horticultural topics as
654:"Finding aid for Mrs. Francis King Collection"
278:Woman's National Farm & Garden Association
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284:, the WNF&GA and GCA helped organize the
436:King, Louisa Yeomans (Mrs. Francis) (1936).
414:King, Louisa Yeomans (Mrs. Francis) (1923).
403:King, Louisa Yeomans (Mrs. Francis) (1921).
391:King, Louisa Yeomans (Mrs. Francis) (1921).
379:King, Louisa Yeomans (Mrs. Francis) (1915).
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889:"Lost Ladies of Gardening: Alice Harding"
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409:. New York, NY: Charles Scribner's Sons.
385:. New York, NY: Charles Scribner's Sons.
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971:Chicago Gardens: The Early History
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497:The Little Garden for Little Money
387:With a preface by Gertrude Jekyll.
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940:, Denver, CO: ABC-CLIO, pp.
871:Michel, Carol J. (July 7, 2022).
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534:by Frances Edge McIlvaine (1928)
1007:Encyclopedia of World Scientists
887:Michel, Carol J. (May 5, 2022).
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179:Elizabeth and Her German Garden
711:Clayton, Virginia Tuttle, ed.
528:by Ella Porter McKinney (1927)
1:
786:"The Garden Club of Michigan"
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474:by Mrs. Edward Harding (1923)
406:Pages from a Garden Note-book
969:Maloney, Cathy Jean (2008).
508:by Glendon A. Stevens (1926)
478:Variety in the Little Garden
471:Peonies in the Little Garden
417:Variety in the Little Garden
286:Woman's Land Army of America
7:
790:The Garden Club of Michigan
532:Spring in the Little Garden
485:Design in the Little Garden
480:by Mrs. Francis King (1923)
466:by Mrs. Francis King (1921)
341:Royal Horticultural Society
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904:"Wilder Park Conservatory"
816:. Smithsonian Books, 2012.
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505:Roses in the Little Garden
500:by Kate L. Brewster (1924)
382:The Well-Considered Garden
259:The Well-Considered Garden
988:Nolan, Martha A. (1985).
842:Michigan History Magazine
525:Iris in the Little Garden
513:The Little Kitchen Garden
457:Little, Brown and Company
242:and landscape architects
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715:. David R. Godine, 2000.
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446:The Little Garden Series
302:South Hartford, New York
252:Martha Brookes Hutcheson
88:South Hartford, New York
1064:Writers from New Jersey
772:American Horticulturist
565:DuPage County, Illinois
428:The Story of the Garden
349:Charles Sprague Sargent
236:Charles Sprague Sargent
908:Elmhurst Park District
902:Karabetsos, Michelle.
453:Atlantic Monthly Press
438:Planning Your Planting
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326:Recognition and legacy
271:Garden Club of America
188:A Woman's Hardy Garden
169:
168:King at her typewriter
147:Washington, New Jersey
56:Washington, New Jersey
855:"Who Is Louisa King?"
373:Selected publications
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320:Milton, Massachusetts
210:Saturday Evening Post
192:Helena Rutherfurd Ely
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141:Early life and family
75:Milton, Massachusetts
853:Myer, Mary Eugenia.
296:Later life and death
248:Ellen Biddle Shipman
774:: 8. February 1992.
399:King's best seller.
311:A supporter of the
257:King's first book,
184:Elizabeth von Arnim
42:Louisa Boyd Yeomans
23:Louisa Yeomans King
1059:American gardeners
440:. Montgomery Ward.
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154:Elmhurst, Illinois
1016:978-0-8160-6158-7
464:The Little Garden
394:The Little Garden
135:Mrs. Francis King
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658:. Retrieved
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106:Francis King
69:(1948-01-16)
1049:1948 deaths
1044:1863 births
755:Begg (1993)
282:World War I
215:Garden Life
190:(1903), by
182:(1898), by
131:garden club
86:Kingstree,
1038:Categories
690:9 November
660:9 November
652:Matyn, M.
572:References
540:B00085H3VG
95:Occupation
48:1863-10-17
998:924193250
363:gladiolus
355:Cultivars
308:in 1936.
123:gardening
367:daffodil
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913:23 June
795:27 July
547:28-8608
238:of the
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520:(1926)
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365:, and
250:, and
217:, and
186:, and
160:Career
103:Spouse
98:writer
1030:1994.
553:Notes
359:tulip
1011:ISBN
994:OCLC
975:ISBN
946:ISBN
915:2023
797:2020
692:2015
662:2015
543:LCCN
536:ASIN
125:and
90:, US
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64:Died
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38:Born
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