Adrian Slack (1933 – 3 June 2018) was a landscape gardener, plantsman, author and authority on carnivorous plants. He won 5 gold medals at the Chelsea Flower Show, and authored two books: Carnivorous Plants (1979, 2005) and Insect-Eating Plants and How to Grow Them (1986, 2006).12
Both of Adrian Slack's books are considered to have excellent cultivation information and are highly regarded in the carnivorous plant community. After a long time out of print, both of them have recently been reissued. Slack developed hundreds of cultivars and many have been named after him.3 The sundew species Drosera slackii he cultivated was named in his honour.45
Slack founded and ran Marston Exotics carnivorous plant nursery in England before suffering a stroke in 1986 that caused his early retirement.6
Slack was featured on a 1981 episode of Nature Watch7 and in an accompanying book published the same year.8
References
References
- "Funeral Notices".
- D'Amato, P. 1988. "Book review: Insect-Eating Plants and How to Grow Them" (PDF). Carnivorous Plant Newsletter 17(4): 125–126.
- Meyers-Rice, B. & J. Schlauer 2000. Cultivars developed by Adrian Slack. Carnivorous Plant Newsletter 29(4): 104–105.
- Cheek, M. 1987. A new species of Drosera from South Africa. Kew Bulletin 42(3): 738.
- Gibson, R. 2000. Drosera slackii – a living jewel from South Africa. Carnivorous Plant Newsletter 29(4): 107–109.
- The Savage Garden, Cultivating Carnivorous Plants by Peter D'Amato.
- Nature Watch: Adrian Slack. BFI Film & TV Database.
- Pettifer, J. & R. Brown 1981. Adrian Slack: Playing God with the Plants of Prey. In: Nature Watch. Michael Joseph, London. pp. 59–73. ISBN 0718119940.
- Cantley, R., M. Cheek, P.F. Gardner, P. Mann, B. Meyers-Rice, N. Parker & P. Temple 2000. "Favorite anecdotes on Adrian Slack" (PDF). Carnivorous Plant Newsletter 29(4): 109–116.
- D'Amato, P. 2000. Savage Garden: Slack-potting the dewy pine. Carnivorous Plant Newsletter 29(4): 101–102.
- Marthaler, O. 1996. "An addition to Adrian Slack's comment on Nepenthes burbidgeae (improbable) cuttings" (PDF). Carnivorous Plant Newsletter 25(3): 94–95.
- Parker, N. 1996. Carnivorous plants at Millfield School. The Carnivorous Plant Society Journal 19: 38–41.