William Forsyth (writer)

William Forsyth (1737 – 1804) was a Scottish botanist and horticulturist, best known for his expertise in fruit trees and his role as Superintendent of the Royal Gardens of Kensington Palace and St. James's Palace. He was a founding member of the Linnean Society.

Forsyth was born in Oldmeldrum, Aberdeenshire. He initially trained as a gardener and came to London in the early 1760s. His skills quickly earned him recognition, and he was appointed head gardener at the Chelsea Physic Garden in 1771, a position he held until 1784.

Forsyth's most significant contribution was in the field of fruit tree cultivation. He developed a method for treating decayed and damaged fruit trees, outlined in his book "A Treatise on the Culture and Management of Fruit-Trees; in which a new Method of Pruning and Training is fully described," published in 1802. This book, and the specific composition of a paste or plaster he recommended for repairing tree wounds, became widely discussed and debated at the time. The effectiveness of his method was subject to scrutiny and some controversy, with others claiming similar discoveries or questioning the efficacy of his specific formula.

He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1774, recognizing his botanical knowledge and horticultural skills. In 1784, he became Superintendent of the Royal Gardens, a position that afforded him further opportunity to experiment and implement his horticultural techniques. He died in London in 1804. The flowering shrub genus Forsythia was named in his honor by Swedish botanist Carl Peter Thunberg.