Editing Royal Horticultural Society (section)

=== Founders ===

The creation of a British horticultural society was suggested by [[John Wedgwood (horticulturist)|John Wedgwood]] (son of [[Josiah Wedgwood]]) in 1800. His aims were fairly modest: he wanted to hold regular meetings, allowing the society's members the opportunity to present papers on their horticultural activities and discoveries, to encourage discussion of them, and to publish the results. The society would also award prizes for gardening achievements.

Wedgwood discussed the idea with his friends, but it was four years before the first meeting, of seven men, took place, on 7 March 1804 at [[Hatchards]] bookshop in [[Piccadilly]], London. Wedgwood was chairman; also present were [[William Townsend Aiton]] (successor to his father, [[William Aiton]], as Superintendent of [[Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew|Kew Gardens]]), Sir [[Joseph Banks]] (President of the [[Royal Society]]), [[James Dickson (biologist)|James Dickson]] (a nurseryman), [[William Forsyth (botanist)|William Forsyth]] (Superintendent of the gardens of [[St. James's Palace]] and [[Kensington Palace]]), [[Charles Francis Greville]] (a [[Lord of the Admiralty]]) and [[Richard Anthony Salisbury]], who became the Secretary of the new society.<ref name=lindley/>

Banks proposed his friend [[Thomas Andrew Knight]] for membership. The proposal was accepted, despite Knight's ongoing feud with Forsyth over a plaster for healing tree wounds which Forsyth was developing. Knight was president of the society from 1811 to 1838, and developed the society's aims and objectives to include a programme of practical research into fruit-breeding.<ref>{{cite news |title=Thomas Andrew Knight |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-morning-chronicle/131775202/ |access-date=14 September 2023 |work=The Morning Chronicle |date=19 December 1838 |archive-date=26 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240526120047/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-morning-chronicle/131775202/ |url-status=live }}</ref>