Bean was born in the little village of
Leavening, near
Malton in
North Yorkshire in 1863. His mother was Lydia, née Jackson. His father was George Bean (c. 1833–1869), a nurseryman, as were his grandfather and greatgrandfather. His father died early. His mother worked as a nursery and seed dealer. After education at
Archbishop Holgate's School, Bean became at age sixteen an apprentice gardener at the gardens of
Belvoir Castle,
Leicestershire, the seat of the
Duke of Rutland. At age twenty, Bean began his career at
Kew Gardens as a trainee gardener. He remained at Kew for over 45 years, reaching the position of curator in 1922. Bean wrote a history of Kew Gardens, which was published in 1908. He wrote the first two-volume edition of the reference work
Trees and Shrubs Hardy in the British Isles, which was published in 1914. A revised four-volume edition of this work remains a standard reference work for
woody plants grown in Britain today. Bean retired from Kew in 1929. In his retirement, Bean wrote three other books:
Shrubs for Amateurs in 1924,
Ornamental Trees for Amateurs in 1925, and
Wall Shrubs and Hardy Climbers in 1939. He also revised and expanded
Trees and Shrubs several times. Bean was awarded the
Victoria Medal of Honour in 1917 and the
Veitch Memorial Medal of the
Royal Horticultural Society in 1922. He was awarded the
Royal Victorian Order in 1936. Bean was a widower at the time of his death. His son,
George Ewart Bean (1903–1977) was a leading authority on the classical heritage of
Turkey. == Bibliography ==