by Erica Winston, RGC Historian
The Thatchers with their Lady Slipper Orchids
Last year we profiled several famous RGC members . One of them was Margaret Reid, who founded the Margaret Reid Wildflower Garden now owned and preserved by Triangle Land Conservancy. Margaret “transformed her woodland property into a horticultural treasure and . . . became a local expert on NC native plants” wrote Vicki C. in her engaging article. (Read the full profile below)
Vicki also wrote that Margaret’s native plant collecting buddy was Harry Thatcher, Vicki’s North Raleigh neighbor and native-plant mentor.
I recall their returning from plant rescue trips and unloading/dividing specimens in Harry’s driveway – specimens destined to be saved for posterity in their respective gardens. That’s where I first met Margaret in the 1970s. By then her hair had grayed a bit, but she had not slowed down in the least.
Shay B. commented on the article:
So much fun to read that article and see Harry Thatcher mentioned. My house in Raleigh, Thirteen Islands, is Harry and Lucille Thatcher’s house! I have a newspaper article about them. As I was reading Margaret’s profile, I was thinking that sounds like my garden!!
Shay kindly sent me a copy of that article, titled Wildflowers Are at Home with the Harry Thatchers from The Raleigh Times, May 13, 1972. The article goes on to say the Thatchers, Harry and Lucille, “roamed the woods in vacation time since childhood in search of their wild plants.
Carefully they removed a few of the pines and other trees and prepared the dozens of islands of … soil. They tried to provide the perfect soil conditions for maidenhair fern, Christmas ferns walking ferns, white and purple violets, wild ginger, pink, yellow and white lady slippers, irises, foam flowers, trilliums, Solomon seals, fringed orchids, spring beauties, trailing arbutus, claytonias, anemones, pitcher plants, Cherokee lilies, Dutchman’s breeches, trout lilies, primroses and Jack in the Pulpits. . . . Whether we wish to set out a small personal wildflower garden or establish a large floral sanctuary, we will find inspiration in the Thatcher’s lovely garden.”
Shay was a loving custodian of the Thatcher’s garden in her time living there. I found that exact kind inspiration under Shay’s kind tutelage as I was creating my woodland garden.
Another friend of both Margaret and the Thatcher’s was Charlotte Hilton Green who was also profiled by Laurie McDowell. (Read her profile under January on the right) Charlotte was a RGC member, and her garden land is preserved in the Charlotte Hilton Green Park on White Oak Road. The RGC has adopted this park and is helping maintain and improve it under Laurie’s leadership. Be sure to join in on one of the maintenance days and see it for yourself.
Nothing enhances our enjoyment of local gardens like connecting personally with the people who created or inspired them.