Harkness, Peter (William) 1929–

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HARKNESS, Peter (William) 1929–

PERSONAL: Born October 29, 1929, in Croydon, England; son of Verney Leigh (a civil servant) and Olivia Amy (a homemaker; maiden name, Austin) Harkness; married, 1955; wife's name, Margaret Rosemary (a secretary); children: Anne Olivia Harkness Chambers, Rosemary Ellice Harkness Stewart. Ethnicity: "Anglo Irish." Education: Hertford College, Oxford, B.A., 1953, M.A., 1956. Politics: Conservative. Religion: Anglican. Hobbies and other interests: Ecclesiology, local history, birdwatching, wild flowers, travel.

ADDRESSES: Home—7 Cloisters Rd., Letchworth Garden City SG6 3JR, England. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER: Rose grower and breeder, 1953–89. R. Harkness and Co. Ltd., managing director, 1977–89; also managing director of Harkness New Roses Ltd. City of Glasgow, Scotland, advisor to International Rose Trials, 1986–99; Letchworth Garden City Heritage Foundation, chair, 1999–2004. Garden House Hospice, chair, 1990–96.

MEMBER: Royal National Rose Society (vice president, 1998–), Rose Growers' Association (chair, 1983–85), British Association of Rose Breeders (president, 1986–89), Worshipful Company of Gardeners (liveryman), Letchworth Garden City Rotary Club (president, 1990–91).

AWARDS, HONORS: Dean Hole Medal, Royal National Rose Society, 1996; Paul Harris fellow, Rotary, 1999.

WRITINGS:

Modern Roses, Century, 1987, published as Modern Garden Roses, Globe Pequot Press (Chester, CT), 1988.

The Photographic Encyclopedia of Roses, Colour Library Books (London, England), 1991.

Roses to Enjoy, Royal National Rose Society (London, England), 1993.

Roses for Today, British Association of Rose Breeders (England), 1995.

Favourite Roses, Ward Lock (London, England), 1996.

The First Seventy-five Years (local history), Osprey (Oxford, England), 1998.

All Saints … and Sinners (local history), Midway Clarke, 1999.

The Rose: An Illustrated History, Firefly Books (Buffalo, NY), 2003, published as The Rose: A Colourful Inheritance, Scriptum Cartago (London, England), 2003.

Coauthor of Roses, 1993. Contributor to books, including The Royal Horticultural Society Gardeners' Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers, DK, 1989; The Royal Horticultural Society A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants, DK, 1996; Botanica's Roses, Random House (Australia), 1998; Welcome Rain, 1998; and The Royal Horticultural Society Encyclopedia of Gardening, DK, 2002. Contributor to rose magazines. Editor, Rose, 1991–96.

Some of Harkness's writings have been published in German, Polish, and Dutch.

WORK IN PROGRESS: Research on roses in Hertfordshire, England.

SIDELIGHTS: Peter Harkness told CA: "Though writing is something I've always enjoyed as a hobby, my motivation for all save one book has been the request to write it by a commissioning editor (or in the case of the Rose magazine, the offer of the job as editor). The exception is All Saints … and Sinners, about my local village church, which was written out of curiosity—a desire to find out all the history of its ancient fabric and the people who have worshiped there for the past 800-plus years.

"The style of local historian Reginald Hine and his approach to subjects with a scholarly yet light touch have been an influence on my work; and the style of my brother Jack, combining wit, brevity, wisdom, and elegance, is something I'd like to have attained. Jack, who lived from 1918 to 1994, wrote rose books, two of which have classic status in rose literature.

"My writing process is to think; read all relevant sources, noting passages and their references on the word processor; write to specialists, where their input is thought useful for consultation; access material and sort it in a helpful sequence; then start writing. Undoubtedly the presence of deadlines for copy is a spur to getting the writing done."