Original watercolor by Alois Lunzer Dreer's Garden Book 1912. Image from University of Delaware - The Art of Botanical Illustration - Nursery and Seed Catalogs	William F. Dreer 1849-1918 Henry A. Dreer Nurseries by Kit Knotts - Click images to enlarge William Dreer was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the son of Henry A. Dreer. Henry Dreer opened a seed and florist store in Philadelphia in 1838. He soon saw the need for demonstration and experimental gardens which he established in 1839 in greenhouses on the estate of William Hamilton, "The Woodlands". From 1850 until his death in 1873, his greenhouses were located on 35th Street in Philadelphia, while his store expanded to several larger locations on Chestnut Street. Henry was one of the first to introduce color printing to bulb catalogs and seed packets.
Victoria at Dreer's Nurseries Image from Riverton Public School Riverton Project	William was active in the business and traveled widely to develop relationships with other seed houses and to study growing techniques. He took charge after Henry's death and moved the nursery to Riverton, New Jersey, the same year. The original site was 150 acres, purchased 10 years previous to the move. As Riverton's only large industry, the site grew to 295 acres, 14 greenhouses, and employed 250 people. The nursery specialized in bedding plants, palms, ferns and hybrid waterlilies. William Tricker was lead aquatics grower there in the late 1890s and early 1900s.
Seed trials at Dreer's Nurseries Image from Riverton Public School Riverton Project	In 1900, Dreer's introduced the hardy cultivars N. 'James Gurney'*, N. 'Wm. Falconer' and N. 'Wm. Doogue'. They were notably received in the United States as well as in France (André in Revue horticole 1900). In 1901, it introduced N. 'James Brydon'. These and other cultivars established it as a pioneer in waterlily hybridization. William Dreer died in Vermont in 1918 and Dreer's Nurseries closed in 1944. * This cultivar seems to have been lost soon after its introduction but created some confusion as George Pring named a tropical night blooming cultivar for James Gurney. See N. 'James Gurney' by Walter Pagels.
Hybridizing petunias at Dreer's Nurseries Image from Riverton Public School Riverton Project	References: Riverton Public School Riverton Project Read more about the Riverton Project Smithsonian Institution Libraries/American Seed and Nursery Industry University City Historical Society - Cemetary at the Woodlands University of Delaware - The Art of Botanical Illustration - Nursery and Seed Catalogs Winterthur Library - Dreer Letters

Fern house at Dreer's Nurseries	Tropical pond at Dreer's Nurseries	Iris Garden at Dreer's Nurseries
Images from Riverton Public School Riverton Project