Henry Sewell was a well-known nurseryman and the founder and proprietor of the famous Payneham nursery gardens and the seeds, floral and plant warehouse at the Beehive Corner, King William and Rundle Streets, Adelaide. His expertise was known and respected throughout Australia and New Zealand and his influence could be seen in the civic and public gardens of Adelaide.

Born in the village of Thame in Oxfordshire in 1847, Mr. Sewell worked under his father as a gardener before coming to South Australia in 1865. He was the gardener of Mr. Driffield of North Adelaide before taking up a position in the Botanic Gardens and gaining valuable knowledge and experience in the cultivation and propagation of plants while working under the Director Dr. Richard Schomburgk. In 1871 Mr. Sewell decided to set up his own establishment and began a public nursery garden at Payneham. From small beginings he added to his collection by importing plants from all around the world and developed a thriving and influential business. Many of the names of the plants advertised in Henry Sewells 1899 catalogue are unfamiliar to us today, such as the "American Wonder Pea" and "Carter's Telephone". The catalogue displays the amazing variety of fruits, flowers and new vegetables introduced by Sewells from Europe and around the world, to the colony of South Australia.

Due to the success of his business Henry Sewell eventually had four establishments - the warehouse at the Beehive Corner (seen on the front cover of the catalogue); the plant nurseries at Payneham, which included the Sewell residence, the head office and acres of conservatories, shade houses, potting sheds, workshops and plant beds; a rose and fruit tree nursery at Marden and a nursery established in 1898 near the Aldgate railway station, which included trees such as oaks, planes, cedars and pines.

Henry Sewell was very active in a range of horticultural and agricultural societies and in the community. He was a long-term member of the South Australian Horticultural Society, being the President at one time, and a member of the Royal Agricultural Society. He also wrote a regular column in the journal The Garden and Field for many years. Although known for his cultivation of varieties of roses and fruit trees, he also took a special interest in palms, which then came to be seen in many civic parks and gardens at the time. Henry Sewell married twice and had several children.

The catalogue was chosen for display by a staff member of the State Library for its beautiful design and the amazing variety of plants and their descriptions.

Sewell, Henry, 1847-1926

"Veteran nurseryman. Mr. Henry Sewell dead", The Observer, Adelaide: Robert Kyffin Thomas, 21 August 1926, p. 5

"Mr. Henry Sewell, well known veteran nurseryman", The Observer, Adelaide: Robert Kyffin Thomas, 18 July 1925, p. 13

Cyclopedia of South Australia in two volumes : an historical and commercial review, descriptive and biographical, facts, figures, and illustrations: an epitome of progress, edited by H.T. Burgess, Hampstead Gardens, S.A.: Austaprint, 1978, vol. 2 pp. 274-275

The Garden and field: a journal of general industries, Adelaide: A. Molineux, August 1905, p. 129-136

Loyau, George E., Notable South Australians, or, Colonists- past and present, Adelaide: G.E. Loyau, 1885, pp. 213-214

State Library of South Australia: Treasures Wall November 2009-