Hoosier Gardener

An informed, yet personal take on natural gardening in Indiana and other dirty topics.

An informed, yet personal take on natural gardening in Indiana and other dirty topics.

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Internationally known Hoosier plantsman Greg Speichert dies in Philadelphia

UPDATED Nov. 25, 2010 to correct date of death.

UPDATED to add funeral home information.

Solan Pruzin Funeral Home and Crematory of Schererville, Ind., is handling the arrangements for Greg, but no details are available at this time.

Donations in lieu of flowers can be made to the Indiana University Foundation for the benefit of Hilltop Gardens, to either the Hilltop General Operating Fund (38IU02050) or the Hilltop 21st Century Endowment Fund (37IU02052).

Also, condolences can be posted online at www.gardeningwithgreg.com.

Below posting made Nov. 6, 2010

I’m so sad to report that Greg Speichert, a well known plantsman and head of Hilltop Botanical Garden and Nature Center at Indiana University in Bloomington, passed away Nov. 4, 2010 in Philadelphia. Perhaps best known as a water garden plant specialist, Greg was a member of the local organizing committee for the Garden Writers Association’s annual symposium, driving from Bloomington for meetings and corresponding through e-mail.

Greg, 48, was so taken with his job as director of Hilltop. He had great plans to develop the asset into a botanical center and expand its reach and reputation. He’d been there three years and seemed totally  energized by the opportunities he found in Bloomington.

Below is from Tim Wood of Spring Meadow Nursery in Michigan.

I am sad to say that my dear friend Greg Speichert died Thursday night in Philadelphia while attending the Independent Plant Breeders Conference at Longwood gardens. I just got back from the breeders conference this evening and heard the news from Dan Heims on Facebook this evening. I am in shock right now, but I know that many of you knew Greg and would want to know the news. He was an intentionality known plant expert and had many friends around the world.

I can’t tell you when I first met Greg, but I can tell you it was a was a great day when I did. We talked for hours about all types of plants, plant breeding, gardening, and friends we had in common. We laughed and talked like old friends that had known each other for years. I knew that I had met someone very special. He was so genuine and honest. He was so much more than just a plantman – even though he was one of the most knowledgeable horticulturists I had ever met. He was full of joy. He loved plants. He loved learning about plants – so much so that it was an obsession. It was his life calling and he took it very seriously. It was who he was.

Let me tell you a little bit about Greg and his passion for plants:
In his youth, Greg became interested in daffodils so he joined the daffodil society. Utilizing plant society sales, friends, auctions, trades and mail order catalogs he acquired every species and  daffodil cultivar in existence. He grew them, documented them, photographed them, studied them and took notes on them. Once he learned everything possible about daffodils he stopped, quit the daffodil society and then joined the Iris Society and the began again, This is how he lived. He just continued to learn new plant groups until he know it all. Then move on to the next group. For example during his ornamental grass phase – he corresponded with all of the foremost experts and breeders of ornamental grasses in Germany and translated these first hand plant descriptions into English. He was a pioneer in ornamental grasses, water plants and perennials in general.

He is perhaps best known as a water gardening and water plant expert. He and his wife Sue owned and operated a nursery in that specialized water garden plants. Together they wrote the Encyclopedia of Water Garden Plants (Timber Press) and published a water gardening magazine. It is said that he introduced over 300 new hardy and tropical marginals and over 100 new native water plants to the water gardening industry.

I have never met anyone else like Greg and I doubt I ever will.

Beyond his crazy knowledge of plants, Greg was a gentle soul. Genuine, thoughtful, helpful and interested in other people. I remember him telling me about a plant hunting trip he made to China and the plants he had found there. He wanted so badly to share this experience with me that he later planned a trip to take me to China. Unfortunately due to health complications we never made the trip.

When I saw him this week at Longwood, he was the same enthusiastic, happy guy I had known and loved. He told me he was getting into Iris breeding. With a smile he told me all the old iris breeders gone. It was the perfect time pick up where they had left off. Unfortunately for us – he too is gone. So suddenly, so unexpectedly he is gone. While I am very sad to have to write this, I feel so blessed to have seen him again, one last time. To have seen his smile again. He was among friends, he was learning about plants, and he was happy.


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Comments

  1. Anna Sandos says

    Anyone know the arrangements for Greg. Been looking in our local papers back home(we live in FL now) can’t find anything. Known Greg for almost 30 years. Sue is a dear one. Lost track of them when they moved south and I moved even farther south!
    Thank you so much Anna

  2. Bill Lee says

    Anybody know an address so I can send Sue a card? Haven’t been able to find any obits online. I knew Greg and Sue through Garden Writers and I always tried to hang around them when we toured gardens because Greg could always identify plants we saw.
    (email privately at BLEE811@aol.com)
    Bill Lee

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