Death of respected plantswoman and snowdrop lover, Ruby Baker

[Maggi Young]

I have just been given the very sad news that the respected plantswoman and snowdrop lover, Ruby Baker, has passed away.


 Ruby Baker  - photo by John Weagle -from a forum post wishing Ruby Baker birthday greetings in October, 2013.

Probably one of the greatest galanthophiles, Ruby Baker was known throughout the world and very much admired both for her knowledge and kindness.

Mrs Baker and her late husband David are  both commemorated by snowdrops bearing their name.



Forumist Hagen Engelmann has named one of his selections from Galanthus peshmenii as
G. 'Ruby's Geburtstagsblumen'

Other plants have been named for the charming Mrs Baker - such as a white-eyed mauve Vinca 'Ruby Baker’

In a   Telegraph article of 15th March 2011 about the snowdrop world's "immortals" by Val Bourne,   Ruby Baker was described as "everyone's favourite galanthophile" - I don't think anyone could better that as a description of the lady.
Ruby Baker will be very sadly missed.

[emma T]

I had the honour of meeting her , she was wonderful , one of a kind . The snowdrop world has lost a legend RIP Ruby

[Alan_b]

I only knew Ruby Baker by sight and by reputation but I'm very sad to learn of her death.

[johnw]

A sad day indeed, she was The Pillar of the snowdrop world.

johnw

[Hagen Engelmann]

Ruby had a lot of friends on the continent too.
She was our galanthophile harbor and port in UK.
To meet her, was the galanthus heaven on earth.
She was the crossover for such a lot of snowdrop information.
But at first, she was a unique, warm and friendly person.
We are missing you, Ruby.

[Brian Ellis]

What sad news.  Ruby was a fount of knowledge, which she was only too happy to share.  She will be greatly missed in the snowdrop world and remembered with great fondness.  One of our legends.

[Mavers]

As you Alan I only knew Ruby by sight. It is sad to hear this news.

[Uli Lessnow]

Very sad news!
We ( my wife and I) like to remember our stay in March this year with Ruby at her home in Farnham.
We spent the night there and talked till after midnight about snowdrops and many ofther things. We
enjoyed together the walk through her garden and at the end of the visit she gave us a present:
it was a Gal. 'Ruby Baker'.  We will miss her, her letters and the talks. A very nice lady has gone.
Uli

[chasw]

Very sad news indeed

[Maggi Young]

John Grimshaw has written affectionately of Ruby and David Baker in his blog : http://johngrimshawsgardendiary.blogspot.co.uk/2014/08/ruby-baker-1923-2014.html - he includes a photo of Mrs Baker at the Shaftesbury Snowdrop Day last year which happily had many SRGC "connections".

[Alan_b]

John Grimshaw writes:

Sadly, though hardly surprisingly, the naming of a snowdrop after one does not confer physical immortality

Such a pity, in Ruby's case; she was one of those people who I would have wished could have carried on forever. 

[ichristie]

I had the great pleasure to meet Ruby twice at Margaret Owens snowdrop day and early this year I gave her one of my new Galanthus plicatus which was in flower G. plic Eye Shadow I could see her eyes light up always interested in something different we have lost a very special friend,  cheers Ian the Christie kind

[Maggi Young]

Ian, what a lovely photo of you with that charming lady.

[Maggi Young]

Ruby Baker was recently awarded The Kath Dryden Award by the AGS, for meritorious work with a single Genus, and this would have been presented at the AGS AGM in November - it is such a pity Ruby was not able to enjoy the well deserved presentation of this award in memory of a quite remarkable plantswoman who is still sorely missed.

[snowdropcollector]

What a sad news to read, never had the honour to meet her. A great loss indeed.
We only can be thankful for all the work she has done with the snowdrops and remember her as a very kind lady with lot
of knowledge and as Ian says, always interested in something different.