Allen C. Haskell, 69; Nurseryman Known for Topiaries, Rare Flowers

Allen C. Haskell, 69, whose Massachusetts nursery for 50 years was known for its topiaries and collections of plantain lily and other rare flowers, died Dec. 7 in New Bedford, Mass., after a short illness.

His eight-acre Allen C. Haskell & Sons Horticulturists, with strutting peacocks and a 1722 farmhouse, became a destination for tourists as well as gardeners buying plants and seeking advice and inspiration.

A graduate of the Bristol County Agricultural School, Haskell took the top awards of the New England Flower Show so often that one was named for him.

Tom Strangfeld, director of horticulture for the Massachusetts Horticultural Society, likened Haskell’s plantings to “a painting at the Museum of Fine Arts.”

Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis asked Haskell to provide flowers for her daughter Caroline’s wedding in Hyannis Port. Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands sought his help with topiaries, and Martha Stewart invited Haskell to appear on her television show.

The son of a bakery worker, Haskell thought he would become a veterinarian but turned instead to horticulture.

He tended a woman’s iris garden for half a dozen years before he started growing gladioli in his backyard and selling them to restaurants. The gardener soon began his own business, selling plants, designing gardens and doing landscaping.