Victor Lemoine – flower breeder on a heroic scale

Victor Lemoine, 1823-1911, was a French flower breeder who worked on a heroic scale in the mid-19^th century and, I believe, led to the vast expansion of commercial floriculture we see now.
He was an almost unique person due to his vision and the perseverance required to bring it to fruition.
He was the developer of the so-called “French lilacs”, but that was not his principal activity.
Even his friends complained that he introduced too many new cultivars each year.
For example, he introduced more than 200 cultivars of lilac.
He was profoundly influenced by the Belgian breeder Louis Van Houtte (1810-1876), who was also larger than life.
It is a mystery why no one has written a biography of Lemoine.
Lemoine became very well-known both in France and later abroad during his lifetime, ultimately receiving the coveted Veitch Medal from the Royal Horticultural Society in London, but was then forgotten.
Reviving his memory pays him homage and restores him to his rightful place in history.

EHC2024: International Symposium on the History of Horticulture in Europe

J.M. Taylor

Van Houtte, flower breeder, France, nineteenth century, lilac

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2025.1438.20