John Simmons (1937-)

John Simmons started as an ‘improver gardener’ in the Arboretum in 1958 and rose to become one of our youngest ever Curators in 1972.

He oversaw a great period of change in the Living Collections Department, and improved the scientific quality of the collections by increasing emphasis on natural source material and introducing effective recording systems.

Wakehurst Place in Sussex became part of the Royal Botanic Gardens during his time. He instituted the innovative Marine Display in the disused basement of the Palm House, and wrote The Life of Plants, published 1974, which was used internationally as a school textbook.

Simmons was pivotal in obtaining funding for and overseeing the design of the Princess of Wales Conservatory. He proudly reported that it offered the largest display glasshouse area in the world. Still an incredibly striking and efficient building, with ‘its vast area providing an array of computer-controlled habitat’ for plants from desert cacti to the Giant Amazon Waterlily (Victoria amazonica). Initial proposals for such a conservatory were made in the 1960s, and a design brief was submitted in 1972, but it was 15 years before it opened in 1987.

Victoria Medal of Honour 1987

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