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Margaret Owen (plantswoman)

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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Tacyarg (talk | contribs) at 21:47, 17 October 2018 (top: did not mean to link to the National Railway Museum! Also added nationality). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Margaret Owen
Margaret Owen in 2013
Born
Margaret McAllister Mackay

(1930-11-27)27 November 1930
Lea Farm, Watford
Died24 October 2014(2014-10-24) (aged 83)
NationalityBritish
Occupation(s)Farmer, gardener
Known forcollections of plants: Camassia, Dictamnus, Galanthus, Nerine, Veratrum
Spouse(s)Godfrey Owen, (m. 9 October 1952, d. 1983)
Childrenfour
ParentScottish farmers

Margaret McAllister Owen née Mackay (1930–2014) was a British farmer and gardener. She collected, grew, arranged and exhibited plants, especially snowdrops, holding an annual snowdrop party in her Shropshire garden, The Patch, each year in February.[1] A snowdrop, Galanthus elwesii Margaret Owen was named after her.[2] She herself named a snowdrop after her husband, Galanthus elwesii Godfrey Owen.[3] She was the holder of the National Collection of camassias, and bred new colour forms of camassias.[4][5][6] She was awarded the Veitch Memorial Medal in 2013.[7]

Owen campaigned to save Rowley's House museum in Shrewsbury.[8][9] She also founded The Corbet Bed Embroiders Trust to create period hangings for the sixteenth-century Corbet Bed.[10][11][12]

She was awarded an MBE in 2010 for services to the Shrewsbury community.[13][14]

References

  1. ^ "Margaret Owen - obituary", Daily Telegraph, 8 November 2014
  2. ^ "Galanthus elwesii 'Margaret Owen'". RHS Plant Finder. Royal Horticultural Society. Retrieved 17 October 2018.
  3. ^ Byfield, Andy (27 February 2015). "Snowdrops: ten of the best". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 October 2018.
  4. ^ Bourne, Val (22 April 2010). "Camassias like it wet". The Oxford Times. Retrieved 17 October 2018.
  5. ^ "Camassia". Plant Heritage. Retrieved 17 October 2018.
  6. ^ Buchan, Ursula (18 June 2008). "Traditional virtues". The Spectator. Retrieved 17 October 2018.
  7. ^ "RHS President presents 33 honours at RHS Awards Ceremony". Royal Horticultural Society. RHS. Retrieved 17 October 2018.
  8. ^ Steel, Patrick (2006). "Shrewsbury faces the closure of its museum until 2009". Museums Journal. Retrieved 17 October 2018.
  9. ^ "Win claimed in museum fight". Shropshire Star. 22 November 2006. Retrieved 17 October 2018.
  10. ^ "CORBET BED EMBROIDERERS TRUST". Open Charities. Retrieved 17 October 2018.
  11. ^ "Lord Lieutenant marks end of bed project". Shropshire Star. 7 March 2010. Retrieved 17 October 2018.
  12. ^ Boyd, Peter (16 July 2003). "Corbet Bed 1593". Darwin Country. Shrewsbury Museums Service. Retrieved 17 October 2018.
  13. ^ "Charity fundraiser's MBE honour". BBC News. BBC. 31 December 2009. Retrieved 17 October 2018.
  14. ^ "County people rewarded in Queen's honours". Shropshire Star. 31 December 2009. Retrieved 17 October 2018.