On this day in 2023, a blue plaque was set to commemorate the life and legacy of famous horticulturalist Frederick Sander, also known as 'The Orchid King', in St Albans.
The plaque was set to be installed at the site of Frederick's first shop located at 21 George Street.
Frederick's great-granddaughter, Anne Sander, along with her family, was expected to be present for the unveiling, and members of the public were invited to attend the ceremony.
Born Heinrich Friedrich Conrad Sander in 1847, Frederick emigrated to Britain in 1865. He married English woman Elizabeth Fearnley around 1870.
In 1875, the family moved to St Albans, where Frederick established a business selling seeds from his George Street shop.
He later acquired four acres of land in the Camp area, where he built a family home and set up a large number of greenhouses dedicated to selling orchids.
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Frederick was known for his relentless pursuit of new orchid varieties and, at one point, employed 23 collectors to search Asia and South America for unknown species.
In 1885, he began work on the publication Reichenbachia, named after German orchidologist Heinrich Gustav Reichenbach. The publication depicted orchids life-sized, with text in English, French, and German, and was illustrated by Frederick's future son-in-law, Henry Moon.
Despite experiencing erratic fortunes throughout his career, Frederick's eventual commercial success allowed him to expand his operations, establishing nurseries in Bruges, Belgium.
At the time, Anne Sander recalled: "Bruges nursery was thriving, due mainly to a Swedish gentleman, Milstrom, who Frederick brought in as the general administrator while Frederick concentrated on the orchids and plants.
"The Belgium nursery made a profit under Milstrom thanks to the Belgian workforce."
However, after World War I, the Victorian and Edwardian fascination with orchids began to wane, leading to a decline in the business.
Frederick fell ill during a visit to Bruges in 1920 and died. He was brought back by his family to be buried at Hatfield Road cemetery.
This blue plaque was the eighth to be installed by Blue Plaques St Albans, a voluntary organisation dedicated to commemorating notable individuals connected to the city.
[From the Herts Ad of June 1, 2023]
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