One of my oldest and very best friends Richard Zatloukal has died in Thailand (where he has lived for years) – too early, of course, at the age of 67.
This always amiable, chain-smoking, hyperactive eccentric had extraordinary intellectual curiosity, was a brilliant wordsmith, a talented painter and had one of the best brains I have ever encountered. In the dim and distant past he was a London barrister, but his interests were legion and he was an authority on, amongst other things, Japanese netsuke, beetles, poultry and – yes, you have guessed – herbaceous perennials, about which he was passionate. His amazing book – about which Beth Chatto was most complimentary and found useful – can be accessed via http://zats-perennials and is a good read, erudite and rich with Zat-ish observations. Do have a look and post a comment here, if you will.
Zat was truly a one-off (he would have hated the cliche and taken me to task for using it). All those of us who knew and appreciated him – his close family in France, in Thailand and in England and his ex-wives of whom he was very fond – will miss him terribly.
Helen Yemm 
Thanks a lot for that Helen!
As I wrote in the In Memories page of his website, Richard was a human as a human should be! All what you wrote about is just true and I thank you for that.
I’ll keep his website and therefore his work alive.
Within the next few days, I’ll ad a Guestbook to his website and any comment would be just fine.
Thanks to all readers and have a pleasant year 2010.
Dear Helen
I remember Richard talking about you fondly. I remember the meals he cooked for me in the small kitchen at the rear of his house in Thailand. Richard talked about so may things as he cooked and we drank and he tossed chicken fillet over the wall to the monitor lizard. I knew him for far fewer years than you, but I miss him too.
Hi Helen,
I’ve visited the site, downloaded the book. This an interesting and informative book for all gardeners. It’s written in down to earth manner, technical terms have been avoided as far as possible. I like the foliage part the best. I didn’t know about the green foliage. Thanks for this extra ordinary post about an extra ordinary person and his work!
Come on Helen, get your fingerprints dancing over your keyboard. Six months is a long time to keep your readers waiting. I originally typed in “six months is a long time to keep your stalker-fans waiting…” but thought that might get me arrested.
Amalee
It has need some time because I’m NOT a gardener and I didn’t have knowledge about that but I published last night the latest release of Richard Zatloukal’s book: “Zatloukals Border Perennials” as eBook on Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/24152
Richard written this last edition in November 2009 just a few weeks before he passed his way. With the publishing as eBook I’ll try to keep his work alive, a work which took more than 15 years to complete and shouldn’t be fforgotten.