Harry Veitch - Death and Legacy

Death and Legacy

Lady Veitch died in 1921, and soon afterward Sir Harry left off his horticultural activities and lived in complete retirement at his homes in Kensington and East Burnham Park, Slough, Buckinghamshire, where he died on 6 July 1924, at the age of eighty-four. In the obituary for him published in the Gardeners' Chronicle on 12 July 1924 it was stated,

"Sir Harry Veitch may be regarded as the most outstanding figure in contemporary horticulture, and during the last fifty years no one has exercised so great an influence on all things pertaining to gardening".

During his lifetime Sir Harry and his wife amassed a substantial art collection, which also included decorative art. On his death he bequeathed the entire collection to the Royal Albert Memorial Museum in Exeter, including works by Myles Birket Foster (1825 – 1899) and Kate Greenaway (1846 – 1901).

At the end of every July, the Royal Albert Memorial Museum holds the "Veitch Memorial Lecture ", a plant-orientated lecture in memory of Sir Harry Veitch.

Sir Harry's name lives on, with the beautiful Masdevallia harryana and Masdevallia veitchiana, which were discovered by Veitchian collectors, being named in his honour. Other plants named in his honour include Odontoglossum harryanum ("Harry's Odontoglossum"), Viburnum harryanum ("Sir Harry Veitch's Viburnum") and Nepenthes × harryana.

The standard author abbreviation H.J.Veitch is used to indicate this individual as the author when citing a botanical name.