Eddie McRae was a wonderful gardener and a kind, lively man with a
true dedication to the preservation of wild lilies as well as to
hybridizing them. I had the privilege of assisting him in the writing
of his book and got to know him and to visit his species lily nursery
at Parkdale, Oregon. Every plant was an individual to him, and he
remembered every lily he had ever seen. As the obituary forwarded by
Arnold mentions, he was also a pillar of his community and very
active in promoting the annual Scottish festival in Portland, the
Highland Games. Public spaces in Sandy, the town where he lived most
recently, display rich plantings thanks to Eddie and his helpers.
When one of our great gardeners dies, we can reflect that
their memorial lives on all around us, in the beautiful plants they
grew and shared with all of us.
Jane McGary
At 06:39 PM 11/21/2008, you wrote:
> From the Lily group. A truly kind and generous man.
>
>
>Edward Austin McRae
>
>October 25, 1932 - November 16, 2008
>
>Edward A. McRae was born October 25, 1932, in Echt, Aberdeenshire,
>Scotland, the son of William McRae and Barbara Jeannie Smith McRae. He
>was reared by his grandparents William Smith and Wilhelmina Ferguson
>Smith after his mother's death in his infancy. After an apprenticeship
>at Fyvie Castle Gardens, he served in the Royal Air Force as a weather
>telegrapher in the Suez Canal. He then completed studies at the
>Edinburgh Royal Botanic Garden, remaining as botanical foreman for four
>years. In 1961 he joined Jan de Graaff's Oregon Bulb Farms, in Sandy,
>Oregon, hybridizing lilies there for over 25 years. In 1988, he began
>hybridizing lilies at Van der Salm Bulb Farms, in Woodland, Washington.
>Upon retirement in 1995, Ed founded the Species Lily Preservation Group,
>centered at Lava Nurseries in Parkdale, Oregon. During his career, he
>authored numerous articles on lilies and the book Lilies: A Guide for
>Growers and Collectors.