Stay ConnectedThe Daily Gardener is a weekday podcast celebrating garden history, literature, and the small botanical stories that shape how we garden today.
Each episode follows an “on this day” format, uncovering the people, plants, books, and moments that have quietly influenced gardens across time.
New episodes are released Monday through Friday, and each show features a thoughtfully chosen garden book.
Copyright: Copyright ©2019-2020, Jennifer Ebeling|The Daily Gardener All rights reserved
Subscribe Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart Support The Daily Gardener Buy Me A Coffee Connect for FREE! The Friday Newsletter | Daily Gardener Community Historical Events 1492 Birth of Pietro Aretino ("Pee-et-tro Air-ah-TEE-no"), Italian writer, poet, and blackmailer. He was critical of the powerful and sympathetic to religious reformers. He once wrote, Let us love winter, for it is the spring of genius. 1646 Birth of Charles Plumier, French priest and botanist. He was born in Marseille and was regarded as one of the most important botanical explorers of his time. Charles served as a botanist to King Louis XIV of France. He traveled to the New World many times, documenting plant and animal species. During his third expedition to the Greater Antilles, Charles discovered the Fuchsia triphylla on the Caribbean island of Hispaniola (modern-day Haiti and the Dominican Republic). Charles named the fuchsia plant after the 16th-century German botanist Leonhart Fuchs. And because he named the Fuschia, Charles is sometimes referred to as the Father of the Fuchsia. The Fuchsia has colorful upside-down blossoms that hang from the stems, and this is how Fuchsias get the common name Lady's Eardrops. The drooping habit is also reflected in the Irish word for Fuchsia - Deora Dé - which translates to "God's Tears." And it's worth noting that the fruit of all the species of Fuchsia is edible. However, many Fuschia fruits are bland and have a terrible aftertaste. But the Fuschia variety Splendens has flavorful fruit and can be used to make jam. In addition to the Fuchsia, Charles discovered and named both the Begonia and the Magnolia. Charles named the Begonia after Michel Begon, who was the governor of the French Antilles for three years, from 1682 to 1685. It was Begon who recommended Charles for the position of plant collector in the Caribbean to King Louis XIV. So this naming of the Begonia was a little payback by Charles to Michel Begon. On the other hand, the naming of the Magnolia was in recognition of the great botanist Pierre Magnol - who introduced the concept of plant families. Carl Linnaeus and his wife were huge Plumier fans. They used Charles's artwork to make wallpaper for their home. Today, Charles is remembered by the genus Plumeria. A tropical, the Plumeria grows in shrubs and trees. Plumeria is sometimes called the common name Frangipani. An Italian Marquis named Frangipani used Plumeria blossoms to create a perfume used to scent gloves during the 16th century. 1826 Birth of Peter Barr, Scottish nurseryman, plant hunter, and merchant. Peter is credited as the man who popularized the daffodil. In America, Peter's promotion of daffodils inspired a daffodil craze after the Civil War ended. Over his lifetime, Peter bred over two million daffodils in his Surrey nursery, which earned him the moniker "The Daffodil King." Each spring, people would travel from all around to see thousands of daffodils representing over a hundred unique daffodil varieties blooming at Peter's nursery. At one point, the Peter Barr daffodil - a white trumpet variety - commanded $250 per bulb. During his seventies, Peter gave the nursery to his sons, and he went out and traveled the world in search of daffodils in Asia and South America. After seven years of searching, Peter finally retired. He went home to his native Scotland, and once there, he pivoted away from daffodils and began cultivating primroses. Two years before his death in 1909, Peter famously mused, I wonder who will plant my grave with primroses? Today, the Royal Horticultural Society awards the Peter Barr Memorial Cup for excellence in daffodils. And in 2019, there was a Grand Blue Plaque Unveiling at Peter's English nursery along Garratt Lane. 1849 On this day, Henri-Frédéric Amiel, Swiss philosopher, and poet, was in Geneva and wrote in his journal: It is six years today since I last left Geneva. How many journeys, how many impressions, observations, thoughts, how many forms of men and things, have since then passed before me... Three snowstorms this afternoon. Poor blossoming plum trees and peach trees! What a difference from six years ago, when the cherry trees, adorned in their green spring dress and laden with their bridal flowers, smiled at my departure along the Vaudois fields, and the lilacs of Burgundy threw great gusts of perfume into my face! Grow That Garden Library™ Book Recommendation Flavors from the Garden by William Woys Weaver This book came out in 2021, and the subtitle is Heirloom Vegetable Recipes from Roughwood. Of course, Roughwood is a reference to the Roughwood Seed Collection of heirloom food plants that William maintains at the historic Lamb Tavern in Devon, Pennsylvania. William is an expert not only on gardening but also on food history. And he is a four-time winner of the prestigious Julia Child Cookbook Award. Now, what I first noticed about this book is the gorgeous cover, which features a simple yellow plate with a beautiful tomato salad on it, and then that is set on an old table painted and patinaed with a very light teal. It's a gorgeous cover. William creates recipes that are all about plants, and so in this book, you will find 80 seasonal recipes- everything from fresh salads and stir-fries to soups and fantastic baked goods, where the bounty of the garden harvest is the star of the show. Now William has arranged this book to follow the seasons, which means you can dip in and out as appropriate and then head to the garden to pick the in-season produce needed to make these beautiful dishes that include items like Saffron Corn Soup. There's a Ramp Pesto, and wild harvest ramps are one of the hottest new trends in pesto over the past decade. Now two things I always think of when I see a book by William Woys Weaver are heirloom gardening and herbs - and you'll find both of those featured in this cookbook. This book is 208 pages of eighty recipes that take vegetables from the garden to the kitchen and the table. You can get a copy of Flavors from the Garden by William Woys Weaver and support the show using the Amazon link in today's show notes for around $24. Botanic Spark 1739 Birth of William Bartram, American botanist, artist, and naturalist known as The Flower Hunter. The son of the Quaker botanist John Bartram, William - or Billy (as he was known to his family) - was the first American to pursue a life devoted to the study of nature. Together, William and his father were the leading American plant collectors and horticulturists of their time. The two men explored colonial Pennsylvania and New York. Now in his heart, William was an artist, and his nature art was eventually widely-acclaimed. But before William's artistic success, his father, John, worried that Billy would end up a starving artist. And so, John attempted many times to no avail, to steer William toward other more lucrative endeavors. Ultimately, John came around, and he and William went on their final adventure together in Florida. During the trip, John collected specimens while William wrote and sketched. In a happy moment of discovery, John and William came upon a unique specimen, a tree that John named the Franklin tree after his dear friend Benjamin Franklin. The botanical name for the tree is Franklinia alatamaha ("frank-LIN-ee-ah ah-lah-tah-MAH-hah."), And if you're working with student gardeners, this is a fun name to teach them - just break it down for them into smaller parts: "allah-toe-ma- ha." Then put that together, Franklinia alatamaha. Now, the discovery of the Franlinia Tree became a bit of a legacy for William Bartram. In a twist of fate, William revisited the tree later in life to collect seeds for propagation. Unbeknownst to William, his seed collection of the Franklinia would prove to be his most botanically significant endeavor. By the turn of the century in 1803, the Franklin tree was extinct in the wild. And so, all of the Franklin trees that are cultivated and prized in gardens and herbariums today are descended from those seeds that William Bartram collected and cultivated over 200 years ago. And here's a little botanical fun fact: William Bartram was also the first person to describe a name, the Oakleaf Hydrangea - the hydrangea quercifolia. (Hydrangea quercifolia "kwer-sih-FOE-lee-ah"). After his trip with his father, William returned to Florida to farm. This was another career move that worried his dad. But In 1791, William's book Travels was published. In the book, William shared his 2,400-mile exploration of the American south. Travels became an immediate sensation in Europe, where people were over-the-moon curious about flora and fauna of the new world. Finally, in BJ Healey'sbook, The Plant Hunters, there is a charming summation of William's lifestory: Through his [book] Travels — one of the earliest and certainly the finest record of the American experience, landscape, and people in the eighteenth century; a book that achieved worldwide recognition and profoundly influenced Wordsworth, Coleridge, and many later writers — [William] more than proved himself a worthy son of the Old Quaker pioneer. John Bartram need not have been troubled in his later years, he would have been proud of Billy in the end. Thanks for listening to The Daily Gardener And remember: For a happy, healthy life, garden every day.
Subscribe Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart Support The Daily Gardener Buy Me A Coffee Connect for FREE! The Friday Newsletter | Daily Gardener Community Historical Events 1792 On this day, the Naturalist Gilbert White wrote in his Selborne journal in England: Redstart appears. Daffodils are gone. Mountain-snow-drops, and hyacinths in bloom; the latter very fine: Fritillaries going. Then, four years later, in 1796, Gilbert wrote, Sowed Holly-Hocks, Columbines, and Sweet Williams. 1797 Birth of Adrian Hardy Haworth, British entomologist, and botanist. Adrian was trained to be a lawyer, but once he inherited his family's estate, he devoted himself to the study of natural sciences. The Haworthia genus described by French botanist, Henri Auguste Duval, honors Adrian. The genus consists of around 200 species. Today, Haworthias are very popular since the are succulents. Native to South Africa, Haworthias range in color from transparent green to all shades of purple - and even black. They also vary in shape and texture. One of the most popular Haworthias is the Haworthia Fasciata or the Zebra Succulent. Haworthiopsis fasciata, or Zebra Plant, known for its zebra stripes, has pointy green leaves with bumps of white tubercles arranged in a zebra pattern. And one of the reasons that the zebra succulent is so popular is that it is so easy to grow. Haworthia fasciata is tough as nails, and you can even find it in all the major big box stores. Adrian is also remembered for his work as an entomologist. In the early 1800s, Adrian wrote one of the most authoritative works on British butterflies and moths. His book was called Lepidoptera Britannica. In his lifetime, Adrian named 22 new genera of moths. And finally, Adrian was also the first person to describe the Epiphyllum oxypetalum - commonly known as the Dutchman's Pipe Cactus, Queen of the Night, or Night-Blooming Cereus. 1889 Birth of E. Lucy Braun, American botanist, and ecologist. The "E" stood for Emma, but she always went by Lucy. In 1950, Lucy was the first woman elected president of the Ecological Society of America and an expert on deciduous forests of the eastern United States. A quiet, bright, and dedicated field scientist, Lucy worked as a botany professor at the University of Cincinnati. Lucy became interested in the outdoors as a child. Growing up on May Street in Cincinnati, Lucy's parents would take her and her older sister, Annette, by horse-drawn streetcar to the woods in Rose Hill so they could spend time botanizing. The girls were taught to identify wildflowers by their mother, and they also gathered specimens for their mother's herbarium. Lucy and Annette both got Ph.D.'s; Lucy in botany, Annette in Zoology. Neither ever married. Instead, they lived together at home in Mount Washington. The sisters turned the upstairs of the house into an indoor laboratory, and the gardens became their outdoor laboratory. Lucy was a go-getter. At the age of 80, she was still leading people on field trips in Ohio. Friends of Lucy said, "To be with her in the field was something. She made everything so real, so exciting she was just so knowledgeable." "She loved to be out in the field; rain wouldn't stop her. She could walk forever." 1943 On this day, the Warsaw Ghetto uprising broke out in German-occupied Poland during World War II to oppose Nazi Germany's final effort to transport the remaining ghetto population of Jews to death camps. In 2018, the Shalom foundation planted the Tree of Tears in a square in Warsaw. The tree is a weeping willow, and the leaves symbolize the tears of Jewish mothers who gave their children to Catholic mothers to save their lives. But April 19th is also remembered with yellow paper daffodils thanks to Marek Edelman, a cardiologist and uprising commander who passed away in 2009. When he was alive, Marek began receiving an anonymous bunch of daffodils on the anniversary of the uprising. Marek would lay the bouquet at the ghetto hero monument. Today the paper daffodils symbolize resilience and hope and represent the Yellow Star that Jewish residents were forced to wear during the Holocaust. Grow That Garden Library™ Book Recommendation The Flower Book by Rachel Siegfried This book came out in 2017, and the subtitle is Let the Beauty of Each Bloom Speak For Itself. Before I tell you about Rachel's book, let me share a little bit about Rachel's background. In 2008, Rachel set up a flower farm called Green and Gorgeous in the Oxfordshire countryside. At Green and Gorgeous, Rachel not only provides flowers locally but also handles special events like weddings. In her spare time, Rachel and her partner, Ashley, offer floristry and gardening classes for amateurs and professionals. Rachel starts her book by walking us through how she arranges flowers. This is a little step-by-step tutorial - and if you've ever considered a career as a florist, you will get a little one-on-one here from Rachel. As Rachel mentions at the beginning of her book, she breaks down her arrangement process into three stages, which she calls the three F's: foliage, focal flowers, and then the final flourish. Rachel walks through several different arrangement types. She talks about how to do front-facing displays and centerpieces - and even a simple hand-tied bouquet. Of course, the main section of the book- the guts of the book - are these sixty flower profiles, and these are Rachel's favorite cut flowers. All of the flowers are broken down into chapters by seasons, which is very helpful because if we're working with cut flowers, we have to work with what's in season in our own gardens. One of the things that I especially appreciate about what Rachel does with each flower is she talks about how to best use them or profile them in an arrangement. She also gives little recipes that show how you can use these flowers and showcase them in their very best light. Remember, Rachel is not only a florist, but she's also a gardener. So she understands what it's like to cultivate these plants, how to grow them, the best time to pick them, how to use them, and how to maximize that blossom when you bring it indoors and put it in a container. I also want to quickly mention that the book organizes the flowers into chapters by season - and there is a special chapter devoted just to tropicals because they deserve a category all to themselves for their exotic look. The flower of tropical flowers are so architectural, and in many cases, these might not be plants that you're growing in your own garden. DK published this book - and when I see that, I know the book is going to be very clear, the photography is going to be very crisp and the instructions are going to be top-notch. So, lots to think about - and lots to learn from Rachel Siegfried, the talented gardener, and florist. This book has 224 pages of flower arranging and then sixty incredible flowers showcased in detail. You can get a copy of The Flower Book by Rachel Siegfried and support the show using the Amazon link in today's show notes for around $8. Botanic Spark 1775 On this day, the American Revolutionary War began with the battles of Lexington and Concord. In New England, it became common garden lore to plant peas on the anniversary of the battle of Lexington so that they would be ready by the Fourth of July. Peas are easy to grow. They tolerate the cold weather in the shoulder seasons of spring and fall. Ripe peas are yellow, and historically, the French preferred a yellow pea. But since the 1600s, peas are mostly harvested when they are still immature ad green. And in China, it's the pea leaves that are considered a delicacy. Gregor Mendel experimented with peas to establish the modern science of genetics. During seven years in the mid-1800s, Gregor grew nearly 30,000 pea plants, and he took note of everything: their height, shape, and color. And it was Gregor who came up with all of the genetic terms and terminology that we still use today, like dominant and recessive genes. Thanks for listening to The Daily Gardener And remember: For a happy, healthy life, garden every day.
Subscribe Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart Support The Daily Gardener Buy Me A Coffee Connect for FREE! The Friday Newsletter | Daily Gardener Community Historical Events 1844 Birth of Helene Cramer, German landscape and flower painter. Helen and her sister Molly were both painters in Hamburg, Germany. Their father, Cesar, disapproved of them as painters, so the two women didn't start painting until middle age. (Helen was 38 when she first picked up a brush.) Helen and Molly exhibited their art throughout Germany and at the 1883 World's Fair in Chicago. Most folks say that their favorite Helene Cramer painting is her work called "Marsh Marigolds and Crown Imperials." In 1916, Helen died at 72. She and Molly are buried in Plot 27 of the "Garten der Frauen," or the Garden of Women at the Hamburg Ohlsdorf cemetery. 1888 Birth of Harry Saier, American nurseryman, printer, and garden writer. In 1911, Harry started his seed company in Lansing, Michigan. A 1916 newspaper ad encouraged women to "help beautify Lansing by a pretty home garden." Harry pledged, We supply everything necessary for making your home and lawn a beauty spot. We have assembled a rare collection of beautiful shrubs, trees, flowers and seeds. Lovers of horticulture will find much to interest them here. By the fall of that same year, Harry posted an ad for: [A] lady to canvass city for shrubs, seeds and garden supplies. Harry acquired a new building at 3 West Michigan Avenue for his florist shop three years later. Newspapers reported that, A resplendent posy shop [was] to open. One of the features of the... shop will be an icebox, which will be the largest in the state of Michigan for its purpose. It will measure twelve [by six and made] entirely of glass and... decorated with German silver trimmings. ...The new marble tables... will be arranged about a large fountain which will occupy the center of the building. In 1926, Harry moved his operation to the century farm he bought on highway 99 in Dimondale. Harry was known for producing his exceptional and exhaustive garden catalog. He included a pronunciation list, plant descriptions, and miscellaneous advice. Throughout the 40s, 50s, and 60s, if someone were looking for a plant or seeds, they would usually find their way to Harry as their last best hope. Katherine White wrote about Harry's work in her book Onward and Upward in the Garden: Consider the case of Harry E. Saier, who issues three or four catalogues a year, each of them listing as many as eighteen hundred genera and eighteen thousand kinds of seed. Mr. Saier is not a grower but a collector and distributor of seeds... [he] primarily depends on his two hundred seed collectors, who are stationed all over the world, and on commercial growers from many countries. There is nothing beautiful about his latest catalogue and its hundred and seventy-six pages of small-print lists, interspersed with occasional dim photographs, but it is fascinating to browse in, translating, if you can, the abbreviations made necessary by lack of space. ...His global lists of clients include nurseries, greenhouses, seedsmen, universities, botanical gardens, and drug manufacturers, but a third of them, he tells me, are amateurs like you and me. And just to spark your nostalgia for simpler times, listen to Elizabeth Lawrence describe ordering from Harry. I find most plantsmen send their wares without cash, even when they have never heard of you, but I certainly would never ask them to. I am always in debt to Mr. Saier because he sends things at odd times, and I wake up in the night and remember that I have owed him a quarter for three years. After Harry died in 1976, JL Hudson inherited Harry's seed collection. Harry's Dimondale property is now a cemetery. 2017 On this day, the Beijing Crabapple Conference began. Conference-goers toured the Crabapple Garden, which featured many American cultivars like Brandywine, Cinderella, Molten Lava, Lollipop, and Madonna - all varieties created by Jim Zampini, a beloved nurseryman from Lake County, Ohio. During the conference, attendees learned that Jim had passed away at 85. Today, Jim's legacy lives on in his fantastic crabapple varieties like Centurion, Harvest Gold, Lancelot Dwarf, Sugar Tyme, and the Weeping Candied Apple. Generally speaking, a crabapple tree takes two to five years to bear fruit. Crabapples differ from standard apple trees in that they offer smaller fruit. Apples that are less than 2 inches in diameter are considered crabapples. And, Crabapples rarely grow taller than 25 feet high. If you want to plant a mini-orchard of Crabapple trees, space the saplings six to fifteen feet apart depending on the variety - plant tighter if you are planting dwarf or more upright varieties. Right now, crabapple trees are just starting to bloom in our 2022 gardens. Most gardeners agree that few flowering trees can rival the charm of a crabapple tree in flower. In Polish folklore, apple trees were considered dream trees. Sleeping under an apple tree was sure to cause a dream-filled sleep. And, placing an apple under a maiden's pillow could induce a dream of her future husband. In English folklore, crabapple seeds (called pips) were thrown into the fire on Valentine's Eve while chanting your true love's name. If the pips explode, your love will be true and will last forever. Grow That Garden Library™ Book Recommendation A Naturalist's Book of Wildflowers by Laura Martin This book came out in 2021, and the subtitle is Celebrating 85 Native Plants in North America. Great topic. Before I tell you about this book, I want to point out Laura's incredible talent. She got her degree in botany from the University of Georgia, and she has worked as a naturalist at Georgia's Callaway Gardens. She even has a certificate in botanical art and illustration from the New York Botanical Gardens. And get this — she's published 25 books. When you see the cover of Laura's book, it's all the more special when you realize that she did all of the illustrations herself. Laura dedicated this book to her grandchildren, and I wanted to share with you what she wrote in the introduction because it gives us a little insight into Laura as a person. She writes. I have spent my entire life loving wildflowers. I grew up in the woods on the outskirts of the city and because my mother was a wildflower enthusiast, I became one too. So we have another great example of the love of flowers, the love of gardening, being passed down from one generation to the next. And then Laura continues. I eventually acquired a bachelor's degree in botany and then a certification in botanical illustration. And the result is a naturalist book of wildflowers, celebrating 85 native plants of North America. And the celebration features scientific text, interesting folklore, detailed botanical drawings and whimsical sketches I have learned to look at plants from many different angles. And I'm happy to share this perspective with you. As a gardener, I know you are going to love Laura's book, but even if you aren't all that much into gardening, don't be bashful about cracking open this book. Laura introduces us to these plants in a very, very friendly fashion. She's got one little paragraph called just a little botany, and she writes, Although it's not essential to know botany to appreciate wildflowers, it might make it a little more fun and interesting. And botany is just the study of plants. It's that gentle, conversational tone that I think you're really going to like in Laura's book. There's one other aspect that I want to share with you about this book. Laura adds all these little images - these little doodles - in the margins. Laura also includes these incredible drawings of her subjects. She has the plant's name, and then underneath, in a script font, she has the Latin name for the plant. While the drawing of the plant is beautiful, of course, it is the text that she puts around the plant and the way that she places this information that I think makes these drawings extra unique. For instance, when she's talking about the Bellwort at the very top, she says it's 12 to 20 inches high in a script font, making you feel like you're looking at somebody's scrapbook. These little snippets are just marvelous and full of information and Laura's gentle perspective that you won't find in many other books. The publisher writes, A charmingly illustrated, keepsake and guide to native wild plants of North America. This book is truly a delight. It's 288 pages of North American wildflowers in their myriad colors. By the way, Laura organized this book by plant color, which is so helpful. So if you have a blue garden or a pink garden, you'll be able to find the wildflowers of that color and then look up the ones you want to grow in your garden. You can get a copy of A Naturalist's Book of Wildflowers by Laura Martin and support the show using the Amazon link in today's show notes for around $8. Botanic Spark 1963 Every year on this day, April 14th, Japan celebrates Drew Day in honor of Kathleen Drew-Baker, a British phycologist. Phycology is the study of algae, and Kathleen was the first president of the British Phycological Society. She was utterly devoted to learning everything about these often dismissed sea plants. Although she was forced to give up lecturing at the University of Manchester after getting married (the college did not allow married women to work), Kathleen continued as an unpaid researcher. Two decades later, in 1949, Kathleen figured out the mysterious life cycle of a red algae known as Welsh Porphyra ("POR-fer-ah") - commonly called laver ("LAY-vur"). Kathleen had tried repeatedly to grow laver in the lab to no avail. In a stroke of luck, she decided to toss some oyster shells in the bottom of the tank with the laver spores. Soon the oyster shells were covered in pink sludge. Unsure what to make of it, Kathleen feared she had contaminated her work. But she soon realized that the sludge was simply the juvenile part of the laver life cycle. The shells provided shelter for the seeds. When Kathleen's discovery was published in Nature magazine, a Japanese biologist named Sokichi Segawa realized that she had probably just cracked the code on cultivating seaweed. For centuries, Japan had harvested a sister variety of laver to make sushi. But the Japanese seaweed variety was getting harder and harder to source in the wild. It had all but disappeared after WWII. What the Japanese didn't realize was how important shells on the seafloor were to the seaweed lifecycle. American underwater mines from WWII, typhoons, and pollution meant that bivalves like oysters, scallops, and mussels were in scarce supply. Without the shells, the Japanese red seaweed called nori couldn't reproduce. Kathleen's understanding of the seaweed lifecycle meant that the Japanese now knew how successfully farm nori seaweed, creating a stable supply for sushi. It also meant that Japanese fisherman could feed their hungry, recovering nation and make a living. Her discovery also led to the commercial practice of collecting oyster shells for seeding seaweed. After Kathleen's work proved successful, Japanese nori fishermen took up a collection for a statue to honor Kathleen. But before she could sit for the artist, Kathleen died of cancer at 55. On April 14, 1963, the Japanese unveiled a memorial to Kathleen - a slab of granite inset with a metal plaque with Kathleen's likeness that overlooks the Ariake Sea. Kathleen's scientific papers and graduation garb were buried on site. To this day, the Japanese lay an offering of seaweed at Kathleen's shrine every April 14th. While the rest of the world is largely unaware of Kathleen Drew-Baker, in Japan, Kathleen is remembered as the Mother of the Sea. Thanks for listening to The Daily Gardener And remember: For a happy, healthy life, garden every day.
Subscribe Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart Support The Daily Gardener Buy Me A Coffee Connect for FREE! The Friday Newsletter | Daily Gardener Community Historical Events 1711 Birth of John Mitchell (books about this person), American physician, botanist, and polymath. John was educated in Edinburgh. As a young man, John returned to Virginia and settled in Urbanna - about seventy miles from Richmond. There, he began botanizing throughout Virginia, and he corresponded with most of the colonial botanists of his time. For instance, John sent a list of Virginia plants to Peter Collinson for inclusion in his book on new world plants. John Mitchell and John Clayton both botanized in Virginia. The American writer Henry Theodore Tuckerman once wrote, Mitchell and Clayton together gave to the botany of Virginia a distinguished lustre. John also corresponded with Linnaeus, who named the sweetly trailing Partridgeberry Mitchella repens ("Mi-CHEL-uh REE-pens") in his honor. The word repens means "creeping" and describes its growing habit. Partridgeberry is in the Madder family. The berries are red and sport two bright red spots. By 1746, John and his wife had returned to England. He arrived utterly penniless after losing all of his botanical work on the voyage over from America. He paused his botanical work to create a map to help Britain identify their colonial territories. The Mitchell Map took five years to complete and became the most detailed and largest 18th-century map of eastern North America. The Mitchell Map also is regarded as one of the most significant maps in American history. Published before the Seven Years' War, the Mitchell Map was used in the Treaty of Paris (1783) and (ironically) helped define the boundaries of the newly independent United States. And Lewis and Clark used the Mitchell Map on their expedition. 1743 Birth of Thomas Jefferson (books about this person), American statesman and Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. Thomas loved plants and gardening. He once wrote, The greatest service which can be rendered any country is to add a useful plant to its culture. He also once wrote, On a hot day in Virginia, I know nothing more comforting than a fine spiced pickle, brought up trout-like from the sparkling depths of the aromatic jar below the stairs of Aunt Sally's cellar. 1851 Birth of Helen Maria Winslow (books by this author) (pen name Aunt Philury), American writer and poet. Helen's nature poems are charming. Here's the beginning verse to her poem, Spring Song. The bluebird from the apple-tree Pours forth a flood of melody ; The sky above as blue as he. Shimmers and shines, an azure sea. And the robin sings, 'What cheer, what cheer ?' Summer is coming, and Spring is here!" 1909 Birth of Eudora Alice Welty (books by this author), American writer and photographer who wrote about the American South. Eudora's novel The Optimist's Daughter won the Pulitzer Prize in 1973. She famously wrote, One place comprehended can make us understand other places better. Today, Eudora's house and garden in Jackson, Mississippi, is a National Historic Landmark and is open to the public. The home was built by Eudora's parents, Christian and Chestina. Eudora lived in her family home for seventy-six years and wrote all her major works there. In the 1930s, Eudora hosted the 'Night Blooming Cereus Club' of Jackson, Mississippi, in her moon garden to watch the annual blossoming of the flower known as the 'Queen of the Night.' Eudora learned to love gardening from her mother, Chestina. Chestina designed the garden at Eudora's home in 1925. The two spent the next two decades working in the garden - planting, digging, weeding, and harvesting. Today, the gardens are beautifully restored based on Eudora's photos and letters and Chestina's garden journals. The garden is not a show garden - it's a gardener's garden - and that's the way Eudora wanted it to be maintained for future generations. Eudora found inspiration in the natural world. Over 150 different plants are mentioned in her various works. In 1931, Eudora and her mother turned to the garden after the sudden death of her father. During that time, she wrote short stories, including a story inspired by the garden called A Curtain of Green. Looking back at the years following the loss of her dad, Eudora wrote, No experience could have taught me more about grief or flowers, about achieving survival by going, your fingers in the ground, the limit of physical exhaustion. In Delta Wedding (1946), Eudora wrote, The evening was hot; it was the fragrance of the lemon lilies that was cool, like the breath from a mountain well. Gardeners often say that gardening is cheaper than therapy. Eudora knew that garden time had benefits that were on a higher level. She once wrote to a friend, I like the work in the yard, never get tired, and can think out there... or maybe it's dreaming. Grow That Garden Library™ Book Recommendation The Garden of Lost and Found by Harriet Evans This book is an oldie, but goodie - it debuted in 2009 - and this is a fiction book that should definitely be part of your garden fiction collection. Now, as with most of the fiction books that I recommend, this book has a beautiful cover and bonus points: it has the word garden in the title. In addition to all of that, Harriet Evans is a wonderful writer. Now the publisher of this book pitched it this way. One house for women And the secret that binds them all. Lose yourself in this unputdownable tale of the enduring power of family love told by three generations of extraordinary women. Now I bought this book back in November of 2020, and I know that because Amazon was kind enough to remind me when I went to find what year this book was published. Anyway, I remember reading it over Christmas break, and I would say it's part mystery and part thriller. So if you're looking for something to read over spring break- or maybe for a beach read over the summer- this would be a fantastic option. And by the way, this is a big book. It is 560 pages. I thought I'd give you just a little bit of a teaser here. It starts with the setting at Nightingale House in 1919: Liddy Horner discovers that her husband, the world-famous artist Sir Edward Horner burned his best-known painting called The Garden of Lost And Found. And he did that just days before his sudden death. And then, of course, we're off to the races. So there you go. You can get a copy of The Garden of Lost and Found by Harriet Evans and support the show using the Amazon link in today's show notes for around $2. Botanic Spark Here's an excerpt from HLV Fletcher's book of garden gossip called Purest Pleasure. This is from his chapter for April, and it includes an exchange with a 70-year-old friend and fellow gardener named Micah. He wrote: I had been working in the garden almost as long as the light lasted, and when dusk fell I went down to see Micah. He had a sore throat and was treating it with boiled Nettles, and we got to talking about them. Everywhere now the young Nettles were growing, their strong new growth making a mat of rich green. To most people, accustomed to think of them only as weeds, the sight is hateful, but I don't know. As weeds I do not find them very hard to destroy; as herbs there are less handsome plants. It certainly makes an excellent green vegetable about this time of year, went the tips are young and tender. The Romans are said to have used it like Spinach. Micah had a riddle to ask me. "What did Adam first plant in the Garden of Eden?" I tried a number of plants and then gave up. "Well, what was it?" He grinned triumphantly. "His foot, of course." Thanks for listening to The Daily Gardener And remember: For a happy, healthy life, garden every day.
Subscribe Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart Support The Daily Gardener Buy Me A Coffee Connect for FREE! The Friday Newsletter | Daily Gardener Community Historical Events 1661 Birth of Georg Joseph Kamel ("CAH-mel"), Czech pharmacist, naturalist, and Jesuit missionary. Georg was born in Brno (pronounced "burr-no"), the city where Gregor Mendel lived in a monastery and experimented with peas. In 1688, after graduating from a mission school in Vienna, he was sent to the Philippines, which was then a Spanish colony, and he ended up spending the rest of his life helping the people as a doctor and botanizing in his free time. Early on, he once confided in a friend. There is no physician here but four brorthers who know little more than my pair of trousers. Georg also worked as a pharmacist and a botanist at the College in Manila. He set up the first pharmacy in the Philipines, and he ran it according to Austrian standards. Georg Joseph Kamel was a true naturalist. He enjoyed learning everything he could about the natural world. His work as an herbalist led him to explore the medicinal potential of the plants he encountered, and he valued the way locals treated ailments. For instance, he believed that low doses of the Saint Ignatius bean - the source of strychnine - had medicinal value since Filipinos used it to treat cholera. But modern research has proved otherwise, and even trace amounts of strychnine damage the liver and the kidneys. Thanks to his work treating the sick, Georg was well known. He treated the poor for free, and he happily received many plants from grateful locals to plant in his medicinal garden. Between his own collecting efforts and the plants received from locals, Georg completed the first flora of the Philippines. Georg sent a copy of his flora to his peer and friend, John Ray, who, in turn, included the Philippine flora in the appendix of the third volume of his great work- the Historia Plantarum - the history of plants. Georg also named several plants. He called the ubiquitous ornamental houseplant the kalanchoe ("kal-an-KOH-ee"), which was based on the Philipino name for the plant. Georg also was the first person to describe the tea plant or the Camellia, which is why Carl Linneaus named the Camellia in honor of Georg Joseph Kamel. He used Georg's Latinized last name, Camellus, for the genus name Camellia, which translates to "helper to the priest." Sadly, Georg Joseph Kamel died young at 45 from an intestinal infection. 1748 Death of William Kent (books about this person), English landscape gardener, artist, and designer. Before William's picturesque approach to landscapes, gardens were formal, following Dutch or French design principles that used a geometric and orderly layout. But William started out as a painter and not a landscape architect, and when he worked on landscapes, he approached them as a living canvas. He once wrote, All gardening is landscape painting. For William to make art out of the earth, he needed scenery, and he went to great lengths to accomplish his visions. He moved soil to create rolling hills; he used swaths of land for lush lawns, groves of trees for interest and contrast, and paths with benches for the characters/visitors that he envisioned arriving on the scene. William planned for people to walk or ride through his landscapes in the same way that people might dot the landscape of one of his paintings. William often placed elements in the garden against a green backdrop, a hillside, or a group of evergreens, to accent the piece's beauty. Much of what William Kent attempted to do has become mainstream. As gardeners, we often must contend with unattractive areas in the landscape: fences, sheds, or utility areas. Well, William Kent faced these same concerns for his beautiful landscapes. At Rousham, William employed a haha or wall sunken into a ditch instead of fencing to keep the gardens separate from grazing land. He also improved the exterior of an eyesore - an old mill - by adding gothic elements. He also added a folly to look like a ruin with three arches that William called the eye-catcher. William wanted visitors at Rousham to look off in the distance toward the eye-catcher and feel the expansiveness of the property. It was William Kent who said, Garden as though you will live forever. 1899 Birth of Gladys Taber, American author, columnist, and animal lover. Gladys wrote over fifty books that ran from fiction to cookbooks, children's books to poetry. She once wrote, Nothing decorates a room like books. There they are, waiting to decorate the mind, too! She's best remembered for her series about life at Stillmeadow, her farm in rural Connecticut. She also wrote about her smaller Cape Cod home called Still Cove. Stillmeadow and Still Cove were the most common topics of her columns for Ladies Home Journal (1937 - 1957) and Family Circle (1959 - 1967). Gladys was a gardener, and she once wrote, A garden is evidence of faith. It links us with all the misty figures of the past who also planted and were nourished by the fruits of their planting. Two other quotes offer a glimpse into Gladys's humble spirit. She wrote, As long as you have a window, life is exciting. and Traveling is all very well if you can get home at night. I would be willing to go around the world if I came back in time to light the candles and set the table for supper. National Licorice Day The botanical name for licorice (books about this topic) means "sweet root," In Dutch, the word for licorice means "sweet wood." The secret to the flavor (which is 50 times sweeter than sugar) is hidden in the plant's very long roots and rhizomes. In Holland and elsewhere, children who grew up chewing on licorice root would suck out the sweet sugars and spit out the pulp. The licorice plant is a perennial shrub in the legume or pea family - don't confuse it with the annual trailing dusky licorice plant that gets popped in summer containers. In addition to its culinary uses, licorice has been used medicinally. The glycyrrhetinic acid in licorice causes the body to hold salt and water. Armies gave licorice to soldiers and horses when water was in short supply. In ancient times, Hippocrates used licorice to treat cough. Licorice is also used for digestion. It helps regulate the activity in your stomach. in fact, Napoleon used licorice to treat his tummy troubles. So there you go. Happy National Licorice Day — whether you enjoy it as a sweet treat or a natural aid to help you feel better. Grow That Garden Library™ Book Recommendation The Five Minute Garden by Laetitia Maklouf This book came out in 2020, and the subtitle is How to Garden in Next to No Time. Laetitia is a garden writer, a garden communicator, and a content creator, and she's a very busy mom. Laetitia's active lifestyle was the impetus for her to develop ways to maximize short bursts of time in the garden. Now before you dismiss her book out of hand and say, "Five Minutes? That can't be done," Laetitia's book may surprise you. I think what Laetitia's done here is ingenious because this book is packed with five-minute ideas - tasks to do in the garden for big impact. So readers can pick and choose at random what they have time to do or what they're interested in doing. Don't forget that we're using discretionary effort when we garden, which means we are making a choice. And while some of us may not be able to get enough time in the garden (as in, we would love to spend every spare minute in the garden), that's just not the case for everyone. I know, I know. But that's just the truth of it. Now, of course, not everything in Laetitia's book will apply to your garden. We all have different gardens but never fear — there are plenty of ideas in Laetitia's book. Laetitia's to-dos may spark even more ideas that pertain just to you, which is the whole idea. If you are at a loss for where to begin in the garden, this book is your mix and match idea generator. The bottom line here is that you can tackle your garden with little bursts of energy every day. And, that's way better than just throwing up your hands and saying, forget about it - because we all know what happens then - then you're not in the garden at all. Next, the garden grows out of control, and a doom spiral of plants and weeds commences, which becomes a problem for you and your garden and your neighbors. So I like this five minutes strategy. It's not overwhelming, and it's very, very simple. The other thing that I enjoy is how Laetitia organized the book. She's used those headings to group tasks together. So you'll see headings like Spruce Up or Chop or Nurture or even Project. Laetitia herself says that she tends to do one activity from each of those heading areas over the course of a week. But Laetitia reminds us that the important thing here is just to begin - pick one thing at random from the relevant month in the book - and then go out and start on that because at some point, your future self will thank you, and you'll look back, and realize how far you've come in your garden. Come to think about it, that's exactly what I do in the summer with my student gardeners — just on a bit bigger scale. Instead of five minutes, I'm out there for two hours, with between six and eight student gardeners. It's actually not even two hours because we spend about fifteen minutes talking about the state of the garden and the day's tasks. Then we always spend the last fifteen minutes taking pictures of the garden and downloading what we just accomplished. Essentially, what I'm doing is taking Laetitia's book and then enlisting the aid of helpers. This is how I get things done in my garden despite my arthritis. To me, it is all about short bursts of time and helpers. And, you know, taking it slow and working in short bursts is essential this time of year (in spring). Then when you are finished and come back into the house, you still have the energy to do all the other things that need to get done in your life. And you don't resent your garden - that's the last thing you want to do. Just this week, I was reading posts on Twitter from gardeners I know in England who are out gardening because spring has sprung there, and the flowers and the spring bulbs are blooming. Plants are popping up, and the garden accelerates very quickly. Of course, people are out in force in their gardens, satisfying their pent-up desire. But these Twitter posts are loaded with gardeners who also say, "Oh my gosh, I went out there, and I totally overdid it. Now I can't walk. I can't move." And so now they have to pay the price for that, and they have to take it easy for the next couple of days. So, this is where Laetitia's approach is not only smart but effective, and it can spare you from potential injury. And, if you're someone who struggles with garden overwhelm and you don't know where to start or what to do, then Laetitia's book just might be the ticket for you. This is a lovely little book with an adorably illustrated cover. It's got all these cute little flowers in a garland, and then there are garden tools, like a shovel and a watering can. It's very, very sweet. So I also think that this book would be a great little gift book. For instance, if you have a garden club, this book would be perfect for giving to a new member; something to keep in mind... This book is 232 pages of garden to-dos month-by-month so that you, too, can enjoy a five-minute garden. You can get a copy of The Five Minute Garden by Laetitia Maklouf and support the show using the Amazon link in today's show notes for around $10. Great deal. Helpful book. Botanic Spark 1898 Birth of Clare Ellaine Hope Leighton, English American artist and writer. Although Clare was an excellent writer (and both of her parents were writers), she is remembered for her wood engravings of rural life. In 1935, she wrote and illustrated Four Hedges, A Gardener's Chronicle. Clare's book is chock-full of beautiful images and her experiences creating a garden in the English countryside. Clare's book is full of little nuggets like, It is better to have a few weeds and untidy edges to our flower beds, and to enjoy our garden, than to allow ourselves to be dominated by it. She also wrote, It is a greater act of faith to plant a bulb than to plant a tree. Finally, Clare shared a little story about a friend who had just lost her father in a moving passage about the therapeutic powers of nature. The massacre of dandelions is a peculiarly satisfying occupation, a harmless and comforting outlet for the destructive element in our natures. It should be available as a safety valve for everybody. Last May, when the dandelions were at their height, we were visited by a friend whose father had just died; she was discordant and hurt, and life to her was unrhythmic. With visible release she dashed into the orchard to slash at the dandelions; as she destroyed them her discords were resolved. After two days of weed slaughtering her face was calm. The garden had healed her. Thanks for listening to The Daily Gardener And remember: For a happy, healthy life, garden every day.
Subscribe Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart Support The Daily Gardener Buy Me A Coffee Connect for FREE! The Friday Newsletter | Daily Gardener Community Historical Events 1722 Birth of Christopher Smart, English poet. He was known for his pen name as the midwife "Mrs. Mary Midnight." The back half of Christopher's life was spent in madhouses or prisons. He wrote his long religious poem, Jubilate Agno (Rejoice in the Lamb), in a debtor's prison. It includes the words, For the flowers are great blessings. For there is a language of flowers. For the flowers are peculiarly the poetry of Christ. In this same poem, Christopher praises his beloved cat Jeoffry. The Jeoffry verses inspired Oliver Soden's whimsical biography of Jeoffry, which debuted in April 2021 to the delight of cat lovers everywhere. In 1752, Christopher published The Hop-Garden, a long poem of 733 lines about a hop garden that tells the reader how to cultivate hops. The poem is part personal history and part instruction. In The Hop-Garden, Christopher mentioned the river that ran past his childhood garden, and he dedicated the second half of the poem to his dear friend Theophilus Wheeler. Christopher was in the middle of writing The Hop-Garden when Theophilus died during his sophomore year at Christ College. After The Hop-Garden was published, Christopher's friend, Samuel Johnson, said the poem was proof that, one could say a great deal about cabbage. In the poem, when a storm threatens the harvest, Christopher writes, Haste then, ye peasants; pull the poles, the hops; Where are the bins? Run, run, ye nimble maids, Move ev'ry muscle, ev'ry nerve extend, To save our crop from ruin, and ourselves. Christopher Smart died in debtor's prison in London in 1771, at 49. 1897 Death of David Burke, English plant collect and gardener. The Veitch nurseries became obsessed with the painting of a Pitcher-plant (Nepenthes Northiana) by Marianne North. After Marianne's death, Veitch sent David on his first collecting trip with Charles Curtis to bring back specimens of the North Pitcher plant. During the trip, David discovered the beautiful Leea amabilis, which is now a popular tropical houseplant that features dark, jagged-shaped leaves with have white color along the midrib. David continued to travel extensively for James Veitch & Sons, and he collected plants in British Guiana, Burma, and Colombia. David was honored with the naming of a pitcher plant he discovered called Nepenthes Burkei. In the Philippines, David also collected Phalaenipsis stuartiana. He found the orchid growing abundantly along the coastline, where it thrived being sprayed by the ocean. The Veitch firm praised Burke's writing. This traveller (Burke) crossed a greater area of the earth's surface and covered more miles in search of plants than any other Veitchian collector, with the possible exception of the two brothers William and Thomas Lobb. The writer Sue Shephard wrote a biography of the Veitch family, and in it, she described David as Veitch's strangest, longest–serving and most adventurous orchid collector. James Veitch once remarked, Burke was one of those curious natures who live more or less with natives as a native, and apparently, prefer[ed] this mode of existance. In 1896, David left on what was to be his final voyage. He died of cholera on Ambon island. 1912 Birth of Elsie Elizabeth Esterhuysen, South African botanist. Elsie's been described as the most outstanding collector of South African Flora. She collected over 36,000 herbarium species. A botanist at the Bolus Herbariumin Cape Town, Elsie was humble, and she would never publish the results of her work under her own name. After Elsie died, over 200 people gathered at her memorial, which featured three tributes from her botanist family. The botanist John Rourke recalled, It's an astonishing fact that for the first 18 years of her employment she received no proper salary and was paid out of petty cash at a rate not much better than a laborer. She did not collect randomly; Elsie was above all an intelligent collector, seeking range extensions, local variants, or even new species, filling voids in the Bolus Herbarium's records, often returning months later to collect seeds or fruits that were of diagnostic importance. […] Always self-deprecating, one of her favorite comments was 'I'm only filling in gaps'. The botanist Peter Linder said, She was what I thought a botanist was supposed to be. She was in the mountains every weekend, and came back with big black plastic bags full of plants, that she sorted and passed to Gert Syster to press. Elsie taught me that each species has an essence, a character—that it liked some habitats but not others and that it flowered at a particular time. ...She was interested in the plants themselves—she cared about them. The botanist Ted Oliver remembered, Her mode of transport was the bicycle (we have her latest model here today). She rode to the University of Cape Town up that dreadful steep road every day for a lifetime, come sunshine or rain, heat or cold. Now one knows why she was so fit and could outstrip any poor unsuspecting younger botanist in the mountains! Every day she would come up and park her bicycle behind the Bolus Herbarium building and then often jump through the window in the preparation section rather than walk all the way around to the front door. Today there are 56 plant species and two genera named for Elsie Esterhuysen. Grow That Garden Library™ Book Recommendation The Ladies' Village Improvement Society Cookbook by Florence Fabricant This book came out in 2020, and the subtitle is Eating and Entertaining in East Hampton. Well, this is another book that I wish had debuted before the pandemic because I think it would have been so much more popular had it come out, say, in 2018. Nonetheless, it's not too late to discover this fabulous cookbook. This is a cookbook for all seasons, but I think the cover just screams summer and eating outside in your garden. So if you're going to get this book, now is the time. Martha Stewart wrote the forward to this cookbook, and I wanted to share just a bit of what she talks about here because she's introducing us to the LVIS, or the Ladies Village Improvement Society. This group of women has done so much to make sure that the natural beauty of the Hamptons stays intact, and Martha alludes to adhere in this forward. She writes, I bought my home on Lily Pond Lane almost thirty years ago. Much has changed in Easthampton since then. Many new houses have been built, and countless new stores have opened on Main Street and Newton Lane. The summer populations have swelled, and the beaches have become more crowded. But some things have remained the same. The giant Elm trees that tower over the highway leading into town are still green and stately. The roadsides are still planted with lovely Maples and Lindens, offering shady avenues and streets on which to walk or bicycle. The scenic Village Green and its iconic pond populated by pairs of plump swans are still the backdrop for many thousands of photographs throughout the year. And the Ladies Village Improvement Society can claim bragging rights for the glory of this scenery. There is no better time to be in East Hampton than in mid-summer when the trees are leafed out, the roses are blooming, and the ocean is beautiful. And then there are the farmer's markets and the farm stands displaying their freshly harvested vegetables. It's a beautiful sight to see. And as Martha indicated, this volunteer organization, the Ladies Village Improvement Society, has done a lot to ensure that the Hamptons retain their natural charm. Now a lot of these women are gardeners and cooks. So you can imagine the beautiful recipes -the over 100 recipes - in this fabulous cookbook, and many of them are garden to table. The other thing that's really fun about this book is that the Hamptons is all about entertaining. And so, these women are sharing their go-to recipes for all kinds of gatherings - whether you're talking about dinner after a movie or lunch by the pool - whatever the occasion, there are delightful suggestions here. There's a Fettuccine recipe that's got Asparagus and Blue Cheese. There's a fabulous Bittersweet Chocolate Pound Cake. Bonnie Reiff-Smith shared her recipe for Perfection Pork Chops. There's an excellent Zucchini Sausage Quiche - another great recipe for using your zucchini. There's Moroccan Carrot Salad and a fabulous Sunflower Seed Salad along with Whole Roasted Cauliflower - that's fantastic as well. Anyway, I could go on and on. This beautiful cookbook is so fun. This book is 256 pages of more than 100 recipes for food and drink, and it's all put together in 20 different menus with directions on how to make any of your gatherings extra special. And it really is a beautiful cookbook for summer - and the price is right, too. You can get a copy of The Ladies' Village Improvement Society Cookbook by Florence Fabricant and support the show using the Amazon link in today's show notes for around $9. Botanic Spark 2014 On this day, a dedication ceremony was held at the University of South Carolina in honor of the new Desegregation Commemorative Garden on the side of the Osborne building. The garden was established to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of desegregation at the college. Student Government President Lindsay Richardson read a poem by USC Poet Nikky Finney called The Irresistible Ones, which is inscribed on a granite plaque in the garden and reads, THE IRRESISTIBLE ONES ROBERT ANDERSON, HENRIE MONTEITH, JAMES SOLOMON They arrive knocking at Osborne's great garnet door. They want to study mathematics, join the debate team, and sing in the choir. They are three in a sea of six thousand. With each step they pole vault shards of doubt, sticks of dynamite, and stubborn hate mail. With them arrives the bright peppermint of change. The new laws of the new day can no longer resist these three irresistible ones, in a sea of six thousand, stepping through a door now garnet and black. Thanks for listening to The Daily Gardener And remember: For a happy, healthy life, garden every day.
Subscribe Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart Support The Daily Gardener Buy Me A Coffee Connect for FREE! The Friday Newsletter | Daily Gardener Community Historical Events 1805 Birth of Hugo von Mohl, German botanist. One newspaper called him the "greatest botanist of his day." He coined the word protoplasm. He discovered Mitosis and chloroplasts - describing them as discrete bodies within the green plant cell in 1837. In 1846 he described the sap in plant cells as "the living substance of the cell" and created the word "protoplasm." 1859 On this day, the Ohio Legislature named Alliance, Ohio, the "Carnation City," saying "truly it is the home of Ohio's State flower," thanks to the work of the amateur horticulturist Levi L. Lamborn (books by this author). In 1876, Levi ran against his friend William McKinley for congress. Before every debate, Levi gave William a "Lamborn Red" Carnation to wear on his lapel. Levi had propagated and named the Lamborn Red Carnation from seedlings he had received from France. After William won the election, he considered the Lamborn Red Carnation his good luck charm - his lucky flower - and he wore a Lamborn Red Carnation during his successful campaigns for Governor of Ohio and President of the United States. William wore a Lamborn Red Carnation when he was sworn into office. He was also wearing one when he attended the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York, in 1901. At that event, he removed the Carnation and gave it to a 12-year-old girl named Myrtle Ledger, saying, I must give this flower to another little flower. Minutes later, in the receiving line, he greeted his assassin, Leon Czolgosz. President McKinley lingered for eight days after being shot twice before finally succumbing to infection. When McKinley's funeral train passed through Alliance, Ohio, the train tracks were covered in Lamborn Red Carnations. The Ohio General Assembly named the scarlet Carnation the official Ohio floral emblem three years later. The resolution reads: Even though the first mention of the Dianthus genus of plant... is traced to some four hundred years before the birth of Christ, it was not until a native son of Alliance, Ohio, (Levi L. Lamborn) worked his floricultural magic that it blossomed as the matchless symbol of life and love that is today. Representative Elijah W. Hill, from Columbiana County, said, England has the rose, France has the lily; Ireland, the shamrock; Scotland, the thistle. ...To these ends, we seek to adopt the scarlet Carnation as Ohio's floral emblem. Fifty-five years later, on this day, April 8, 1959, Alliance, Ohio, became the "Carnation City" thanks to the work of Levi L. Lamborn. Every year since 1960, Alliance has held a Carnation festival. In 2022, the 10-day festival takes place between August 4 - August 14. 1892 Birth of Mary Pickford (books about this person), born Gladys Marie Smith, became known as America's sweetheart and a Hollywood legend. Mary was also a lover of trees. If you jump on Twitter, search for "Mary Pickford Tree," and you'll see images of Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford planting a tree at their PickFair estate. #ArborDay Mary Pickford was the first to plant a Japanese cedar tree in the Forest of Fame at the California Botanic Garden. And Trivia/Folklore says that Mary Pickford used to eat flowers - especially roses. Katie Melua sang about Mary in a song that goes: Mary Pickford Used to eat roses Thinking they'd make her Beautiful, and they did- One supposes. In real life, Mary did indeed eat roses. Mary Pickford revealed in her autobiography, Sunshine and Shadow that as a young girl living in Toronto, she would buy a single rose and eat the petals, believing the beauty, color, and perfume would somehow get inside her. Mary starred in Madame Butterfly (1915). The movie was shot in the Japanese garden of Charles Pfizer's Bernardsville, New Jersey estate called Yademos, the word "someday" spelled backward. The elaborate three-and-a-half-acre Japanese garden - complete with a lake filled with Japanese goldfish, a tea house, and a hooped and arched bridge - looked like it had been there forever - but in reality, the garden was only nine years old. 1918 Birth of First Lady Betty Ford (books about this person). As a woman, Betty Ford consistently defied the odds. She was an incredible trailblazer and very open about her struggles with alcohol and breast cancer. She revolutionized addiction treatment and opened her center for treatment while she was in the middle of working on her own recovery. Today' the Betty Ford Alpine Gardens is a fitting living tribute to this remarkable woman. Known as Vail's Alpine Treasure, the garden was founded in 1985 by the Vail Alpine Garden Foundation and renamed in honor of Betty three years later in 1988. This special place is located in Ford Park right next to the Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater–named in honor of her husband, the 38th president of the United States. Over the years, the Betty Ford Alpine Garden has evolved to comprise four distinct sections; Mountain Perennial Garden (1989), Mountain Meditation Garden (1991), Alpine Rock Garden (1999), & the Children's Garden (2002.) Today, over 3,000 species of high-altitude plants play host to children's programs, horticultural therapy activities, and numerous partnerships and conservation initiatives. In 1991, Betty said, When I was a little girl, I spent many cherished hours with my mother in her garden. She wisely marked off an area for my very own plants. As we worked together, she nurtured me as she nurtured my love of gardening. This nurturing mother-daughter relationship, with its love growing strong in a garden, has been passed along to my daughter, Susan, and her two girls. Grow That Garden Library™ Book Recommendation Immersion by Nola Anderson This book came out on April 13, 2021 - (so we're almost at the year anniversary) - and the subtitle is Living and Learning in an Olmsted Garden. This book came about because Nola Anderson and her husband purchased a property called The Chimneys in 1991. The Chimneys was an old estate, and Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. designed the gardens for the original owners. Sadly, the property had fallen into ruin by the time Nola and her husband got ahold of it. The Chimneys story reminds me so much of Sissinghurst. I love when people revive old spaces like this. One of the things that I appreciate about Nola is her courage and curiosity. When Nola walked onto The Chimneys property, she had not a lick of garden experience, which always reminds me of the saying, "Ignorance is bliss." Perhaps if Nola had been a gardener, she might've looked at the property and felt daunted by the task of restoration. But instead, Nola and her husband committed to renewing this incredible seaside garden. After three decades of hard work and research, The Chimneys was a sight to behold. Originally, The Chimneys was created at the turn of the century, between 1902 and 1914. The Chimneys was home to a wealthy Boston finance guy named Gardiner Martin Lane and his wife, Emma. They hired Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. to create an Italianate garden for them. The seaside garden is perched on a bluff and comprises a series of garden terraces that gradually taper down with the natural topography. The very top terrace is called the water terrace and features a rose-covered pergola and a shelter that boasts a stunning view of the terraces below and the ocean. Then there is the most incredible water feature (on the book cover), inspired by a 16th-century country estate in Italy called Villa Lante. In the Facebook group for the show, I shared a video of Monte Don walking through the incredible garden at Villa Lante. Monte says that this garden, Villa Lante, is the prime example of an Italianate Garden and the inspiration for Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. when working for the Lane family. The other terraces at The Chimneys are also stunning. They include the overlook terrace, the lavender terrace, the all-white tea terrace, the vegetable garden, the crab apple allee, and finally, the luxuriant rose garden. So how lucky are Nola and her husband to stumble on The Chimney's estate and then bring it back to life? It really was the chance of a lifetime. And, don't you just love stories like this? The people who take on these forgotten gems - these gardens from our past - usher them through a transformation to reclaim their former glory. Before I forget, I wanted to mention that Clint Clemens is the photographer for this book, and he did a truly magnificent job. The photography is absolutely stunning. This book is 293 pages of The Chimneys - a garden on my bucket list. You can get a copy of Immersion by Nola Anderson and support the show using the Amazon link in today's show notes for about $50. Botanic Spark 1955 Birth of Barbara Kingsolver (books by this author), American writer and poet. A daughter of Kentucky, Barbara graduated from DePauw University and the University of Arizona. She worked as a freelance writer before writing novels. Since 1993, her books have made the New York Times Best Seller list. The Poisonwood Bible (1998) brought critical acclaim and told the tale of a missionary family in the Congo - a place Barbara knew briefly as a child when her parents worked in public health in the Congo. In 2007 Barbara shared her family's quest to eat locally in Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, where she wrote, Spring is made of solid, fourteen-karat gratitude, the reward for the long wait. Every religious tradition from the northern hemisphere honors some form of April hallelujah, for this is the season of exquisite redemption, a slam-bang return to joy after a season of cold second thoughts. She also mused, I have seen women looking at jewelry ads with a misty eye and one hand resting on the heart, and I only know what they're feeling because that's how I read the seed catalogs in January. Thanks for listening to The Daily Gardener And remember: For a happy, healthy life, garden every day.
Subscribe Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart Support The Daily Gardener Buy Me A Coffee Connect for FREE! The Friday Newsletter | Daily Gardener Community Historical Events 1727 Birth of Michel Adanson, French botanist and naturalist. He created the first natural classification of flowering plants. Although today we think mainly of Darwin and Linnaeus when it comes to classification, these two men and others stood on the shoulders of Michel Adanson. The great botanist Jussieu ("Juice You") adopted Michel's methodology to create his masterpiece called Genera Plantarum (1789). Michel was the first person to question the stability of species. When he saw breaks or deviations in nature, he came up with a word for it: mutation. Linnaeus honored Michel's contributions with the genus Adansonia, which features the spectacularly unique Baobab ("BOW-bab") trees of Africa, Australia, and Madagascar. The Baobab tree (books about this topic) has a Seussical quality, and it is one of the most massive trees in the world. They are called "The Queens of the Forest" or "The Roots of the Sky in Africa." The last name refers to a legend that tells how long ago, in a fit of anger, the devil pulled the Baobab tree out of the ground, only to shove it back into the earth upside down - leaving its roots shooting up into the air. The story offers the perfect description of how the trees look. The enormous trunks of the Baobab tree can store up to 32,000 gallons of water. The outer bark is about 6 inches thick, but the cavity is spongy and vascular. This is why animals, like elephants, chew the bark during the dry seasons. Carbon dating indicates that Baobabs may live to be 3,000 years old. And here's a fun fact: the cooking ingredient Cream of Tartar was initially made from Baobab seed pulp. Today, it is mainly sourced as a by-product of making wine. 1775 Birth of Francis Cabot Lowell (books about this person), American industrialist and anthropologist. The first planned company town - the city of Lowell, Massachusetts, is named in his honor. One of the fathers of the Industrial Revolution in America, Francis once wrote, One lifetime is never enough to accomplish one's horticultural goals. If a garden is a site for the imagination, how can we be very far from the beginning? 1869 Birth of David Fairchild (books about this person), American botanist. In terms of plant exploration, David was single-handedly responsible for introducing more than 200,000 plants to the United States, including pistachios, kale, mangoes, dates, nectarines, soybeans, and flowering cherries. In 2019, David's incredible adventures and contributions intrigued author Daniel Stone so much that he wrote a magnificent biography of David called The Food Explorer: The True Adventures of the Globe-Trotting Botanist Who Transformed What America Eats. David also brought the Avocado to America. David loved the Avocado and wrote, The avocado is a food without rival among the fruits, the veritable fruit of paradise. In 1905, David married Mary Ann Bell; his father-in-law was none other than Alexander Graham Bell - who, along with his wife, also enjoyed gardening. Today the Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden in Coral Gables is filled with many of the plants David collected, and of course, the garden is named in David's honor. In The World Was My Garden: Travels Of A Plant Explorer (1938), David wrote, The human mind prefers something which it can recognize to something for which it has no name, and, whereas thousands of persons carry field glasses to bring horses, ships, or steeples close to them, only a few carry even the simplest pocket microscope. Yet a small microscope will reveal wonders a thousand times more thrilling than anything which Alice saw behind the looking-glass. 1940 Birth of Steven Vogel, American biomechanics researcher and the James B. Duke professor in the Department of Biology at Duke University. In The Life of a Leaf (2012), Steven wrote, I'm not even much of a gardener—my contribution to the family garden consists mainly of compost. Grow That Garden Library™ Book Recommendation The Fine Art of Paper Flowers by Tiffanie Turner This book came out in 2017, and the subtitle is A Guide to Making Beautiful and Lifelike Botanicals. When it comes to making permanent arrangements and using elements like paper flowers, there is no better teacher than Tiffany Turner. By the way, this book has the most beautiful cover. Tiffany is a bit of a polymath - she's multitalented. She's licensed as a California architect. She's a fine art instructor and an artist in her own right. Her work has been featured all over the country. Tiffany typically explores nature in her work, and she creates botanical specimens that can be staggeringly large or very, very, very tiny. Now, Tiffany was raised in the woods of New Hampshire. But, for the past twenty years, she's made San Francisco her home, and that's where she and her husband are raising their two children. There's no doubt her children have delighted in their mother's beautiful, beautiful work. There's something about Tiffany's work that reminds me a bit of Mary Delany - the famous crate paper artist from the 1700s. I think Mary would really delight in what Tiffany can do with paper, and I especially love what Publishers Weeklysaid about Tiffany's book. They wrote, Under the mantra 'You must make what you see, not what you think you see,' this book guides artisans to astonishing results. Tiffany walks you through how to make these awe-inspiring creations, but the most crucial element is how to start — how to approach each floral subject — whether you're talking about a poppy or a rose, or a peony. Each flower has a little bit of a different approach. Tiffany's book is a fantastic resource because it's an in-depth instructional guide where Tiffany leaves nothing to chance and lays it all out on the table. So even if you are a complete novice in crafts and working with an element like crate paper, you will quickly be put at ease by all of Tiffany's encouragement and simple, straightforward instructions. Now, one of the ways I love to use this book is whenever my daughter says that she and her friends want to do something - they're bored, but they have no idea what to do. Crate paper flowers are enjoyable to do with a small group of friends. They're not very messy. You can start and stop the project at any time. And generally, by the time the gathering is over, people are leaving with flowers in their hands - and that's what you want. You don't want an overwhelming project that can't be finished in a sitting. So I love this book. This is one of my go-to resources for botanical crafting. This book has been out for five years, and it's still one of the very, very best resources for paper flowers. This book is 264 pages of paper, crafting gift decorating, flower arranging, and more from your trusty guide: Tiffany Turner. You can get a copy of The Fine Art of Paper Flowers by Tiffanie Turner and support the show using the Amazon link in today's show notes for around $15. So fun. Botanic Spark 2020 On this day, Female First shared an article about Dame Helen Mirren (books about this person), English actor. Speaking to Yours magazine, she shared: I love to spend time in my garden. If I have a few free hours I love to dig around in the dirt. It's so calming, worthwhile and a really good way of keeping those dark dragons away which I do have at times. Gardens and green spaces are vital for people and the planet. ...They should teach it in schools. ...Gardening is learning, learning, learning. That's part of the fun of it. You are always learning." It comes after the 74-year-old actress revealed she is a pomegranate farmer and harvests the fruits at her farm in Salento, Italy. She explained: Apart from acting, my other job is that of a pomegranate farmer. My husband I have planted over 400 pomegranate trees and we're producing juice for the market. The juice is delicious. Our little company is still in the early stages but we want to sell our juice in Italy and abroad. ...The first time I saw the full moon rising from the sea and shining on my pomegranates, I burst into tears. Thanks for listening to The Daily Gardener And remember: For a happy, healthy life, garden every day.
Subscribe Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart Support The Daily Gardener Buy Me A Coffee Connect for FREE! The Friday Newsletter | Daily Gardener Community Historical Events 1528 Today is the anniversary of the death of the German painter, engraver, printmaker, mathematician, and theorist from Nuremberg, Albrecht Dürer (books about this person). Albrecht's work was extraordinary, and by the time he was in his 20s, he was already quite famous. During Albrecht's lifetime, explorers shifted their focus from medicinal plants to ornamental plants. As an artist, Albrecht captured many new exotic plants with incredible attention to detail. If you're looking for bunny art, you should check out Albrecht Dürer's watercolor called Young Hare. It's a beautiful piece, remarkable for its accuracy and realism. One of Albrecht's most famous pieces is The Great Piece of Turf (German: Das große Rasenstück), which he created in 1503. This exceptional watercolor shows a very natural grouping of natural plants together in community and features grass that has gone to seed, plantain, and dandelion. 1732 Birth of José Celestino Mutis (books about this person), Spanish priest, botanist, and mathematician. He's remembered as the architect of the Royal Botanical Expedition of the Kingdom of Granada (what is now Columbia) in 1783. For almost 50 years, José worked to collect and illustrate the plants in Colombian lands. In Columbia, José created an impressive botanical library and a herbarium with over 24,000 species. During his lifetime, only Joseph Banks had a bigger herbarium than José. José's study of the Cinchona tree (Cinchona officinalis) at the Bogota Botanical Garden helped develop a cure for yellow fever or malaria. The Cinchona tree grows in the cloud forests of Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. The bark of the cinchona tree contains quinine, the chemical used to create medicines. During José's lifetime, Cinchona was believed to have the potential to cure all diseases, and so the Spanish crown encouraged José to continue his work with Cinchona. José sent thousands of specimens back to the Madrid Botanical Garden. He also used local artisans to create over 6,500 pieces of botanical art. The majority of the collection remained in shipping crates until 2010 when they were finally exhibited at Kew. Today, thousands of pieces of the Mutis collection are housed at the Botanical Garden in Madrid, Spain. The pieces are significant - mostly folio size - and since they haven't seen much daylight over the past two centuries, they are in immaculate condition. The old 200 pesos banknote in Colombia bears the portrait of José Mutis, and the Bogota Botanical Garden is named in his honor. 1759 Death of Johann Zinn, German anatomist and botanist. He died young from tuberculosis at 32. Johann accomplished much in his short life, and he focused on two seemingly disconnected areas of science: human anatomy and botany. From an anatomy standpoint, Johann focused on the eye. He wrote an eye anatomy book and became the first person to describe the Iris. Today, several parts of the eye are named in Johann's honor, including the Zinn zonule, the Zinn membrane, and the Zinn artery. As a young man, Johann was appointed the University Botanic Garden director in Göttingen (pronounced "Gert-ing-en"). He initially thought the University wanted him to teach anatomy, but that job was filled, so he took the botany job instead. One day, Johann received an envelope of seeds from the German Ambassador to Mexico. After growing the plants, Johann wrote about them, drew the blossoms, and shared the seed with other botanists throughout Europe. Those seeds were the Zinnia (click here to order Zinnia seeds). When Johann died so young, Linnaeus named the Zinnia in his honor. The Aztecs had a word for Zinnia, which basically translates to "the evil eye" or "eyesore." The original Zinnia was a weedy-looking plant with a dull purple blossom. This is why the Zinnia was initially called the crassina, which means "somewhat corse." Once the French began hybridizing Zinnias, the dazzling colors began turning the heads and hearts of gardeners. This gradual transformation of zinnias from eyesores to beauties is how Zinnias earned the common name Cinderella Flower. Zinnia's are a favorite flower of gardeners, and it is Indiana's state flower. In addition to their striking colors, zinnias can be directly sown into the garden, they attract pollinators like butterflies, and they couldn't be easier to grow. 2021 On this day, The Book of Difficult Fruit: Arguments for the Tart, Tender, and Unruly by Kate Lebo was released. In her book, Kate Lebo - essayist, poet, and pie lady - shares a natural, culinary, medical, and personal history of twenty-six fruits, including:
Kate's book includes one essay along with recipes for each fruit. The fruits that Kate profiles are notoriously challenging. They might be difficult to grow or harvest. The window of ripeness might be very brief. The fruit may have a toxic aspect. Or, it may be invasive and not suitable for the garden. But in Kate's book, these fruits make the cut, and she shares all kinds of insights and culinary uses for these fruits. Kate reveals all kinds of tips, including why Willa Cather included the pits in her plum jam. Great book. The Book of Difficult Fruit was named a Best Book of the Year by The Atlantic, New York Magazine, and NPR. Grow That Garden Library™ Book Recommendation Private Gardens of South Florida by Jack Staub By the way, I should mention that Rob Cardillo took the fantastic photographs in this book. This book is a treat, and I am thrilled to share it with you on today's show. It's been out for about six years, which means that this book's used prices have gone down. This was a $50 book when it came out, but you can now get copies for about $12, which is such a deal. In this book, twenty-two private gardens from South Florida are featured. And if you love tropical gardens, you've got to get this book because it's the only way you'll see some of these secret gardens and grounds that are so unbelievably designed. For instance, you'll meet a painter-turned-horticulturist who transformed her garden into a mysterious forestlike escape. There's a couple that created their garden after being inspired by the Near East, so their garden is something that you might see in a Persian Royal Garden. And of course, all the gardens are set in Florida, so you're going to see all kinds of pools, fountains, ocean views, and just incredible vistas - not to mention avenues of palms. (That's something I love because clearly, we will never have that here in Minnesota.) The palms add such a stately majestic aspect to tropical gardens. Now, of course, Jack himself gardens on Hortulus Farm in Pennsylvania. His main concern was finding diverse gardens to feature in his book. Jack really wanted to show the full spectrum of private gardens - everything from a grand estate to tiny, hidden oases. Jack also wanted to find gardens that had owners that were very invested in them, that actually cared about them, and had a significant relationship with their gardens. And I think to me, that makes all the difference in the way these gardens are portrayed because you can tell that these gardens are loved. One other thing I want to mention about Jack Staub and his writing is that he is such a compelling writer. Jack, himself is passionate about gardens, which comes through in how he writes about gardens. For instance. One garden is introduced by Jack this way: There is something very Hansel and Gretel about this garden as it reveals itself so slowly and circuitously. One is nearly sufficiently disoriented to strew a trail of crumbs behind one so that one is guaranteed away out of the forest. People just don't write like that about gardens - and so I appreciate that about Jack and his writing. And while you might be sitting there going, why would I get a book about the gardens of South Florida? Well, I would say stretch yourself. This book may show you gardens that are out of your growing zone - that are a little foreign -but you will learn a ton about composition, design, and how to look at gardens through the wise eyes of Jack. And that, my friends, is very much worth investigating. This book is 256 pages of enchanting properties that will inspire you not only to partner with nature and design in new ways but also to create your little slice of paradise right in your backyard. You can get a copy of Private Gardens of South Florida by Jack Staub and support the show using the Amazon link in today's show notes for around $12. Botanic Spark 1809 Birth of Alfred Lord Tennyson (books by this author), English poet. During most of Queen Victoria's reign, he was England's Poet Laureate. Today, you can take a tour of Tennyson's walled garden on the Isle of Wight. Both his home and the garden have been restored to their former glory, and the property gets top ratings on TripAdvisor. Tennyson loved his "careless-ordered" garden. In 1863, he wrote, I hope no one will pluck my wild Irises which I planted. ...if they want flowers there is the kitchen garden — nor break my new laurels, etc. whose growth I have been watched... I don't like children croquetting on that lawn. I have a personal interest in every leaf about it. And here's Tennyson's most quoted sentiment is a favorite among gardeners: If I had a flower for every time I thought of you… I could walk through my garden forever. Thanks for listening to The Daily Gardener And remember: For a happy, healthy life, garden every day.
Subscribe Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart Support The Daily Gardener Buy Me A Coffee Connect for FREE! The Friday Newsletter | Daily Gardener Community Historical Events 1898 On this day, The Lilies of the Valley Fabergé egg (books about this topic)was presented to the Russian Tsar Nicholas II. The egg was a gift for his wife, Empress Alexandra. Today the egg is kept in the Fabergé Museum in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Lily of the valley, Convallaria majalis ("con-vah-LAIR-ee-ah mah-JAY-liss), is a woodland plant that flowers in the spring with sweetly scented, delicate, bell-shaped white flowers. Despite its common name, Lily of the valley is in the asparagus family - not the lily family. It's not a lily at all. The etymology of the Latin name "majalis" means "belonging to May," In addition to blooming in May, the Lily of the Valley is the birth flower for May. In France, Lily of the Valley Day is celebrated every May 1st. In floriography, the Lily of the Valley represents good luck. The tiny blossoms are favorite for making perfume. Lily of the Valley is a favorite bridal flower and was included in the wedding bouquets of Queen Victoria, Princess Astrid of Sweden, Grace Kelly, and Kate Middleton. Lily of the Valley thrives in cool growing zones - it cannot thrive in hot conditions. 1908 Birth of Ruth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis (books about this person), American actress. Her career spanned over five decades. She often played tough, unsympathetic characters. As Margo Channing in All About Eve (1950), she said, Remind me to tell you about the time I looked into the heart of an artichoke. 1913 Birth of Anne Scott-James (books by this author), English author and pioneering journalist. In 1934, Anne started out as a secretary at Vogue before rising through the ranks to become the Beauty Editor. After a brilliant career in journalism - including stints at Harper's Bazaar and the Daily Mail - Anne became a garden writer. Her books included The Best Plants For Your Garden, The Pleasure Garden, Down to Earth, and Sissinghurst: The Making of a Garden. Regarding Sissinghurst, Anne wrote, Sissinghurst is the last cottage garden made on a grand scale, but fortunately, it does not mark the end of cottage gardening. Both of Anne's children followed in her footsteps and ended up in journalism. Anne's daughter Clare Hastings also became a garden writer, and she is the author of Gardening Notes from a Late Bloomer. She also wrote a memoir of her mother released in 2020 called Hold the Front Page!: The Wit and Wisdom of Anne Scott-James. It was Anne Scott-James who wrote, However small your garden, you must provide for two of the serious gardener's necessities, a tool shed, and a compost heap. and To pick a flower is so much more satisfying than just observing it or photographing it ... So in later years, I have grown in my garden as many flowers as possible for children to pick. 2011 Death of Kim McDodge, American garden founder and artist. In 1993, Kim used her inheritance to buy two parcels of land in the Sabin neighborhood of Portland, Oregon, near NE Fremont and 11th, called Ariadne Garden. Two years later, she donated the 100 x 100-foot plot to the Oregon Sustainable Agriculture Land Trust (OSALT). The Ariadne Garden became a volunteer-staffed, organic, urban farm selling blooms like peonies, roses, yarrow, lilies, gladiola, zinnias, and a diverse array of produce. Kim designed the Hopi mother and child maze at Ariadne. It is a nod to the lore of Ariadne herself. In Greek mythology, Ariadne (books about this topic) was a Cretan princess. She is remembered for helping Theseus escape the labyrinth after slaying the Minotaur with the help of a golden thread. Ariadne then became the wife of Dionysus. In Jhan Hochman's beautiful tribute to Kim, he wrote, Before the mortal Ariadne more famously enabled Theseus to kill the minotaur and escape the labyrinth, she was a Minoan vegetation goddess celebrated by rituals reflecting the death and revival of the vegetation she personified. Kim elegantly fused these two Ariadne's in her garden-labyrinth, becoming remarkably Ariadne-like herself by showing the rest of us at least one way to kill the minotaur of corporate agriculture, thread our way out of the labyrinth of supermarket aisles, and find our way back to the mazing paths of an organic garden. Grow That Garden Library™ Book Recommendation Get Growing by Holly Farrell This book came out in 2020, and the subtitle is A Family Guide to Gardening Inside and Out. I should mention that this book is by the RHS, and it is really fantastic as per usual for the RHS. The goal here with this book was to put fun into gardening with this excellent family guide to help you make gardening a family affair. Now, you know, it's hard to beat RHS books because they're so well put together, and of course, they're grounded in science — the latest science — so that's always a plus. One of the reasons why you might want to consider getting this book is if you're working with students in your garden because this book is full of ideas and projects. Sometimes when you're thinking about working with kids, you just need some new ideas or some different activities that you can put together to keep them engaged and keep them learning and growing and excited about working in the garden. This book would be perfect for that. This book is also is excellent for families with young kids. It is really all about trying to inspire young people, getting them growing. Thus the title. Now there are all kinds of fun experiments in this book — things like working with rain, tracking rain, tracking shadows (something I had not read about before. I loved that idea.), and another fantastic idea is having kids make their own wormery. This is a little worm farm that they can put together in a jar very quickly, and it'll provide lots of entertainment and really teach them about what worms do and how they're so vital to soil health. Now I also had to chuckle just a little bit because they feature one of my favorite activities that I've always done with kids, and that is making pesto together. I did this with my kids early on when they were in elementary school. I taught them how to use the food processor and cut garlic. To this day, they still love making pesto, and they associate that smell with being in the garden with me and cooking during the summer - and all season long - which is just such a joy. I'm so glad that I did that. In any case, this book is loaded with lots of great ideas. It's step-by-step. It is impeccably illustrated. It is smart- and it's just an excellent current resource. Holly Farrell, I just want to mention, also put together a book in 2013 called Planting Plans For Your Kitchen Garden: How to Create a Vegetable, Herb, and Fruit Garden in Easy Stages. She also did a really good book in 2015, called Plants from Pits - and that was a book that she did for the RHS. So anyway, Holly is an experienced author, a great gardener, and passionate about getting kids excited about gardening. This book is 176 pages of ideas and inspiration and projects and experiments and so forth - all about the garden and all about getting kids involved in gardening - to get growing. You can get a copy of Get Growing by Holly Farrell and support the show using the Amazon link in today's show notes for around $2. Botanic Spark 1933 Birth of Barbara Holland, American author. She grew up in Chevy Chase, Maryland, near Washington, D.C. She was witty and a bit of a rebel, defending vices like cursing, drinking, eating fatty food, and smoking cigarettes. Barbara once quipped, One's own flowers and some of one's own vegetables make acceptable, free, self-congratulatory gifts when visiting friends, though giving zucchini - or leaving it on the doorstep, ringing the bell, and running - is a social faux pas. In Endangered Pleasures, Barbara wrote, Poets and songwriters speak highly of spring as one of the great joys of life in the temperate zone, but in the real world, most of spring is disappointing. We looked forward to it too long, and the spring we had in mind in February was warmer and dryer than the actual spring when it finally arrives. We'd expected it to be a whole season, like winter, instead of a handful of separate moments and single afternoons. Thanks for listening to The Daily Gardener And remember: For a happy, healthy life, garden every day.
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