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
Today we celebrate the first snow of 1855 on Walden Pond. We'll also learn about the young woman who became an emblem for a raisin company. We'll remember the gardener spy who discovered photographer in the last decades of his life. We hear a verse of flowers for a poet's dead friend. We Grow That Garden Library™ with a book that takes us through 100 gardens to help us understand the history of landscape design. And then we'll wrap things up with the sweet story of a sweet potato party and the fascinating woman who came up with the idea back in 1969. Subscribe Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart To listen to the show while you're at home, just ask Alexa or Google to "Play the latest episode of The Daily Gardener Podcast." And she will. It's just that easy. The Daily Gardener Friday Newsletter Sign up for the FREE Friday Newsletter featuring:
Plus, each week, one lucky subscriber wins a book from the Grow That Garden Library™ bookshelf. Gardener Greetings Send your garden pics, stories, birthday wishes, and so forth to Jennifer@theDailyGardener.org Curated News Why Kenya's Giant Fig Tree Won Over A President | BBC News Facebook Group If you'd like to check out my curated news articles and blog posts for yourself, you're in luck because I share all of it with the Listener Community in the Free Facebook Group - The Daily Gardener Community. So, there's no need to take notes or search for links. The next time you're on Facebook, search for Daily Gardener Community where you'd search for a friend... and request to join. I'd love to meet you in the group. Important Events December 9, 1855 On this day, it was starting to snow on Walden Pond. The winter Landscape appeared before Henry David Thoreau's eyes, and he captured the transformation in his journal: "At 8.30 a fine snow begins to fall, increasing very gradually, perfectly straight down, till in fifteen minutes, the ground is white, the smooth places first, and thus, the winter landscape is ushered in. And now it is falling thus all the land over, sifting down through the tree-tops in woods, and on the meadow and pastures, where the dry grass and weeds conceal it at first, and on the river and ponds, in which it is dissolved. But in a few minutes, it turns to rain, and so the wintry landscape is postponed for the present." December 9, 1892 Today is the birthday of the American model Lorraine Collett, born on this day in 1892 in Kansas City, Missouri. At the age of 23, Lorraine worked as a Sun-Maid Raisin girl and wore a blue bonnet with a white blouse and blue piping. Lorraine and the other Sun-Maid girls handed out raisins. In a spectacular marketing stunt, Lorraine even hopped aboard a small plane every day of the festival and tossed raisins into the crowds of people. One Sunday morning, after her mom had set her hair into eight long black curls, Lorraine was outside drying her hair in the warmth of her sunny backyard in Fresno. That afternoon, Lorraine had swapped out her blue bonnet for her mother's red one. The combination of her silky black curls and the red bonnet in the sunshine made an arresting sight. Coincidentally, a group of raisin coop executives and their wives walked by at that very moment, and they asked Lorraine about the red bonnet. After that day, all the Sun-Maids wore red bonnets, and Lorraine agreed to pose for a watercolor painting. Lorraine and her mom had to rent an apartment in San Francisco for a month to work with the artist Fanny Scafford. All month long, Lorraine posed every day for three hours a day. She held a wooden tray overflowing with grapes while wearing the red bonnet. The portrait ended up as the symbol for the company and was included on the cover of every box of raisins. One newspaper article about the story in 1978 had the headline "Hair A-glinting in the Sun Made Girl an Emblem." After many years, the painting ended up in Lorraine's possession. Later on, Lorraine returned the watercolor to the company. Today, the portrait hangs in a conference room at the Sun-Maid Growers plant. And the faded red bonnet was donated to the Smithsonian by the company in honor of Sun Maid's 75th Anniversary. December 9, 1913 Today is the birthday of the lawyer, politician, diplomat, scholar, photographer, award-winning gardener, writer, and spy Peter Smithers. Peter learned to love gardening as a little boy. One of his earliest memories came when he was four years old and planted mustard seeds with his nanny. He said, "She was quite aware of a child's inability to wait long for anything. Instead of having me plant a bulb, which would have taken weeks to appear above ground, she handed me mustard seeds that popped up the next day. I was hooked for life." Incredibly, in his adult life, Peter inspired the fictional character of James Bond. Peter's 2006 obituary alluded to his past as a spy and politician when it stated that: "Flowers were ... important to him. [He said] "I regard gardening and planting as the other half of life, a counterpoint to the rough and tumble of politics." Once he turned 50, as his days in politics came to an end, Peter devoted himself to gardening. Rhododendrons, magnolias, tree peonies, lilies, and wisteria were his favorite flowers. In keeping with Ruth Stout's approach, Peter strived, to develop a garden that didn't require a ton of work. He wrote: "The garden is planted to reduce labor to an absolute minimum as the owner grows older." Peter's travels to gardens worldwide inspired the Royal Horticulture Society to ask him to write a gardening memoir. The book was a part-autobiography and part-garden book. Peter said: "I consider every plant hardy until I have killed it myself." In 1986, regarding his late-blooming career as a floral photographer, Peter said, "I still don't think of myself as a photographer. I'm a gardener with a camera. I have always said that gardeners are by far the most dangerous animals to be found in a garden because we all tend to over-garden. When I have a camera in my hands, I am less likely to make trouble." Unearthed Words Bring the rathe primrose that forsaken dies, The tufted crow-toe, and pale gessamine, The white pink, and the pansy freaked with jet, The glowing violet, The musk-rose, and the well-attired woodbine, With cowslips wan that hang the pensive head, And every flower that sad embroidery wears: Bid amaranthus all his beauty shed, And daffadillies fill their cups with tears, To strew the laureate hearse where Lycid lies. — John Milton, English poet and intellectual, Lycidas Notes: December 9, 1608 Today is the birthday of the English poet and intellectual John Milton. Born in Cheapside in London, Milton is best known for his books Paradise Lost and Paradise Regained. John's Lycidas is a pastoral elegy. John dedicated the work to the memory of his friend, Edward King, who drowned when his ship sank off the coast of Wales in August 1637. John's Lycidas poem mentions many different flowers he imagined to be thrown at the hearse of his friend Edward King. The tufted crow-toe is likely a reference to the English Bluebell, gessamine is Jasmine. The white pink refers to Dianthus, and the woodbine is usually a reference to Honeysuckle. Still, it could also be a reference to a generic vining blossom. Amaranthus is perhaps a reference to Love-Lies-Bleeding. See if you can catch all eleven of the flowers mentioned in John's poem. Grow That Garden Library The History of Landscape Design in 100 Gardens by Linda A. Chisholm This book came out in 2018, and I must say that the cover of this book is memorable and gorgeous. In this book, Linda explores how society, politics, and money influenced the creation of 100 gardens in history. Naturally, Linda's book is organized chronologically and by theme, starting with the medieval garden Alhambra and ending with the modern naturalism of the Lurie Garden. Like the beautiful cover, this entire book is lavishly illustrated. Linda is a master at making garden history both fascinating and memorable. An evocative storyteller and a lover of detail, Linda's book is beautifully written. Linda's insights into history and garden design help everyday gardeners appreciate the evolution of gardens over time. If you've ever studied Landscape Design on your own or in a classroom and left feeling uninspired and bored, Linda's book will provide the guidance and insight you've been waiting for all along. Every gardener and garden designer should have this book because, as Linda advises, we should "draw freely from the past." This book is 536 pages of a must-have reference for gardeners, garden designers, history-lovers, and even travelers with a desire to see and understand gardens and garden history in an enlightened and informed way. You can get a copy of The History of Landscape Design in 100 Gardens by Linda A. Chisholm and support the show using the Amazon Link in today's Show Notes for around $22 Today's Botanic Spark Reviving the little botanic spark in your heart December 9, 1969 On this day, The Daily Times in Salisbury, Maryland, shared a story by Kelvin Adkins called Mrs. Zieger Has Some Sweet Ideas For Sweet Potatoes. The article explained: "Mrs. Peyton Zieger is one of those persons who always has a project of some sort going. Frequently the project turns into some excuse to have a houseful of friends over. But this particular episode started with a yellow jacket's nest and a banged-up knee. Peyton was working on a neighborhood beautification project (a flower garden nearly as long as the street) and disturbed the yellow jackets. Bugging out in a hurry, two yellow jackets hit her with such stinging force, she fell and bruised her knee. While off of her feet for a few days, she thought of [hosting a sweet] potato party and started putting the recipes and details together." Now when I was researching Peyton, I discovered she was an avid gardener. Peyton had planted a "ditch bank" at her home that she called "Peyton Place." The ditch bank was planted with shrubs and flowers to provide interest and color throughout the year. Peyton was ahead of her time. Concerning sweet potatoes, Peyton had two chief concerns. She said, "Number one, it really hurt me when I read in the paper about the local farmers having to plow up their sweet potatoes because of the low market. And number two, many housewives think there are only three ways to prepare sweet potatoes: candied yams, potato bread, and potato pies." So, as the article said, Peyton "decided to yam it up with a sweet potato tasting party." Peyton called the party "Peyton Presents Some Sweet Ideas" and invited, "some fifty home economists, housewives, and Twin Tree Road neighbors to judge the recipes. There were a few newspaper and radio people there too." Peyton prepared some 25 recipes and started the party off with her own creation: sweet potato punch. For this libation, Peyton was inspired by a recipe from the Ecuadorian Embassy - no kidding. The party's overwhelming favorite was Peyton's sweet potato cheesecake, which captured a local bakery's attention. Peyton pointed out that every time her sweet potato cheesecake is made, a farmer has a market for ¾ cup of potatoes. Peyton was doing her part. In addition to her cheesecake, Peyton made, "Sweet potato pineapple pie, sweet potato pudding, pineapple sweet potato balls, sweet potato pecan pie, triple apple sweet potato cake, and sweet potato candy, to name a few." And as a party favor, Peyton sent every guest home with a printed recipe book featuring all of her sweet potato creations. Peyton Zieger's Sweet Potato Cheesecake 1 box cheesecake mix ½ cup sour cream ¾ cup cooked mashed sweet potatoes (cold) 3 T baby food apricots 1 T lemon juice ½ tsp vanilla ⅛ tsp mace ⅓ cup milk Mix all ingredients except cheesecake mix and blend thoroughly. Add cheesecake mix and beat 3 minutes until thick. Pour into a crumb crust prepared according to directions. Reserve a few crumbs to sprinkle on top or top with sour cream. Sour Cream Topping: Mix together: ½ cup sour cream 1 T sugar 4 tsp vanilla Spread on top of cheesecake. Bake at 400 degrees for 8 minutes. Chill 2 hours or more. Thanks for listening to The Daily Gardener. And remember: "For a happy, healthy life, garden every day."
Today we celebrate the botanist who discovered photosynthesis. We'll also learn about the Linnean Society Librarian, who was a botanist and explorer in his own right. We'll remember the judge who created a new kind of berry. We hear a long-forgotten verse about a rose and a raspberry. We Grow That Garden Library™ with a book about smart gardening in harsh, dry places. And then we'll wrap things up with adorable instructions about how to make a sugarplum tree out of pine cones. Subscribe Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart To listen to the show while you're at home, just ask Alexa or Google to "Play the latest episode of The Daily Gardener Podcast." And she will. It's just that easy. The Daily Gardener Friday Newsletter Sign up for the FREE Friday Newsletter featuring:
Plus, each week, one lucky subscriber wins a book from the Grow That Garden Library™ bookshelf. Gardener Greetings Send your garden pics, stories, birthday wishes, and so forth to Jennifer@theDailyGardener.org. Curated News Italy's Olive Trees Are Dying. Can They Be Saved? | National Geographic | Alejandra Borunda Facebook Group If you'd like to check out my curated news articles and blog posts for yourself, you're in luck. I share all of it with the Listener Community in the Free Facebook Group - The Daily Gardener Community. So, there's no need to take notes or search for links. The next time you're on Facebook, search for Daily Gardener Community where you'd search for a friend... and request to join. I'd love to meet you in the group. Important Events December 8, 1730 Today is the birthday of the Dutch physician, physiologist, and botanist Jan Ingenhousz ("ENG-in-house"). Jan made one of the most significant botanical discoveries in history: photosynthesis. Jan served as the personal physician to the royal Habsburg family in Austria. In 1771, Jan traveled to England with a group that included Benjamin Franklin. During their trip, the group called on Joseph Priestley, who had just made his own impressive discovery: that plant leaves absorb and emit gases. Eight years later, Jan wrapped up his work with the Habsburgs and moved his family to England. In a fascinating turn of events, Jan started testing his ideas about plants in the same laboratory that Joseph Priestly had used - at Bowood House. Jan extended Priestley's work by adding light as a variable to his experiments. When Jan's plants were placed underwater in a clear container, Jan exposed them to darkness and sunlight. In the dark, only a few bubbles appeared on the plant. A more exaggerated reaction occurred when Jan's plants in the tank were placed in the sun: lots of little bubbles appeared on the leaves' undersides. Jan learned that the bubbles made in sunlight contained oxygen, and the bubbles made in darkness contained carbon dioxide. Jan had proved photosynthesis. December 8, 1800 Today is the birthday of the Scottish botanist, naturalist, and explorer David Don. David grew up in a family with five brothers and one sister. His father, George Don, was a nurseryman. The Don's provided plants to botanists and supplied produce to the people living near their nursery. In 1802, David's father became Superintendent of the Edinburgh Botanical Gardens. Both David and his older brother, George Jr, became botanists. As a young man, David moved to London and became a fellow of the Linnean Society. One of David's first jobs was as the botanist Aylmer Bourke Lambert's personal librarian, and Aylmer had an extraordinary personal library and herbarium. This job helped David become the Linnean Society librarian - a position he held for almost twenty years. At the age of 35, David became the first Professor of Botany at Kings College in London. Shortly after starting his professorship, David discovered a malignant tumor on his neck. He died in 1841, two weeks short of his 42nd birthday. December 8, 1841 Today is the birthday of the California Superior Court judge and gardener James Harvey Logan. An avid gardener, Judge Logan enjoyed trying his hand at hybridizing. In 1881, Logan was working with blackberries. He crossed a local wild blackberry with a cultivated blackberry known as the Auginbaugh. At the same time, Logan had some Red Antwerp raspberries growing in his garden. In a completely unexpected development, Logan's work resulted in a cross between his crossed blackberry and the Antwerp raspberry; the result was the Loganberry. Two years later, the Loganberry was introduced to the public by the University of California. Santa Cruz County published a feature on the Loganberry, which said: "The vines or canes of the Loganberry grow entirely unlike either the blackberry or raspberry. They trail or grow upon the ground more like the dewberry. They are exceedingly strong growers, each shoot or branch reaching a growth of eight to ten feet in one season without irrigation... The canes or vines are very large—without the thorns of the blackberry bushes—but have very fine soft spines, much like those of raspberry bushes… The fruit… has the combined flavor of both berries, pleasant, mild, vinous, delightful to the taste, and peculiar to this fruit alone. It is excellent for the table, eaten raw or cooked, and for jelly or jam is without an equal. The vines are enormous bearers, and the fruit is very firm and carries well." Unearthed Words A rose once bloomed in a garden, White and dainty and fair, By the garden wall at evenfall It dreamed and nodded there; And a raspberry bush climbed over the wall And hung in a rakish pose; "Haven't we met somewhere, my pet?" The raspberry said to the rose. The pure white rose turned whiter, And trembled upon its stalk; One of its petals slowly settled Down on the garden walk; "I'm not the kind of a rose," she said, "That blossoms in studios; You're wicked, very, you red raspberry!" To the raspberry said the rose. "Be mine, be mine, O maiden rose !" The wicked raspberry cried; But the rose was brave and cried, "Behave! Begone to, your raspberry bride; The rose may only woo the rose, The cherry espouse the cherry, The gypsy maid gets the gypsy blade, The raspberry gets the berry!" "Rose, you have torn in tatters A raspberry heart today; To make you share my own despair, I'll throw myself away; And maybe you'll be sorry And cease to be so merry When it is said that I have wed A horrid black blackberry !" And just to pain a sweet little rose — Lovers are very queer — He made a match in the blackberry patch And ruined his own career; And from that shameful mating 'Twas only temporary — Was born that wild, alluring child, The lovely loganberry! — Morris Bishop, American scholar, historian, biographer, essayist, translator, anthologist, and versifier, Saturday Evening Post, The Legend Of The Loganberry Grow That Garden Library Planting Design for Dry Gardens by Olivier Filippi This book came out in 2016, and the subtitle is Beautiful, Resilient Groundcovers for Terraces, Paved Areas, Gravel and Other Alternatives to the Lawn. In this book, Olivier brings his 25 years of studying plants in the world's driest places. The author of The Dry Gardening Handbook, Oliver, understands how to grow groundcovers in the most challenging situations. While green lawns are the goal for most homeowners, they often look scrappy and brown due to one reason or another. Olivier's book offers groundcover designs that are eco-friendly and so gorgeous that they redefine the boundaries between traditional lawn and innovative plant borders. Olivier drew his inspiration from the wild plant communities of Europe, the Middle East, and the U.S. By rigorously trialing plant combinations, Olivier discovered plant selections that are vigorous and hardy on terraces, paths, gravel beds, and flower borders, as well as open yard spaces. Olivier's smart plant choices include tough new macrothermal grasses, carpeting groundcovers, and stunning wildflower mixes that thrive among gravel and stone. And Olivier thoughtfully includes an indispensable plant directory with over 200 tough and gorgeous dry garden plants that will delight gardeners. This book is 240 pages of lush groundcovers to help you create a sustainable and low maintenance space. You can get a copy of Planting Design for Dry Gardens by Olivier Filippi and support the show using the Amazon Link in today's Show Notes for around $30 Today's Botanic Spark Reviving the little botanic spark in your heart In 1935, Diana Park's Garden Forum in The Pittsburgh Press shared an adorable suggestion from a young reader about making a sugarplum tree: Have you thought of making a sugarplum tree out of pine cones for Christmas gifts? Perhaps your father could drive you to a place where evergreens grow. Take a basket, and in the woods, you will probably find plenty of cones to fill it. Get all the sizes you can find, large, small, and medium, perfect, and broken. The defective ones may be sewed into a bright colored bag for burning on Christmas eve. Save all the seed out of the brackets and plant it in a sheltered place outdoors over winter, and perhaps you may grow some trees of your own next year. The sugar-plum tree is made as follows: Wash the largest cone you have, drying it well, paint the tips with chocolate frosting and stick rainbow-colored gum-drops on the chocolate frosting. This makes a very colorful sugar-plum tree and will be welcomed by almost anybody as a surprise from a little girl at Christmas-time. Then, of course, you can paint cones with gold paint and use them as Christmas tree decorations. Hemlock cones are small and can be gilded or colored. Then glue on cards, making nice place-cards for Christmas parties. Thanks for listening to The Daily Gardener. And remember: "For a happy, healthy life, garden every day."
Today we celebrate the botanist who saved the Lewis and Clark specimen sheets. We'll also learn about the successful botanist and garden designer who introduced the navel orange. We'll recognize the Conservatory stocked by the World's Fair. We'll hear a charming verse about the mistletoe by a poet entomologist. We Grow That Garden Library™ with a book featuring fifteen incredible private gardens in North America. And then we'll wrap things up with the American writer who wrote about the natural world with simplicity and honesty. Subscribe Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart To listen to the show while you're at home, just ask Alexa or Google to "Play the latest episode of The Daily Gardener Podcast." And she will. It's just that easy. The Daily Gardener Friday Newsletter Sign up for the FREE Friday Newsletter featuring:
Plus, each week, one lucky subscriber wins a book from the Grow That Garden Library™ bookshelf. Gardener Greetings Send your garden pics, stories, birthday wishes, and so forth to Jennifer@theDailyGardener.org. Curated News Is Mistletoe More Than Just An Excuse For A Kiss? | Kew | Michael F Fay Facebook Group If you'd like to check out my curated news articles and blog posts for yourself, you're in luck because I share all of it with the Listener Community in the Free Facebook Group - The Daily Gardener Community. So, there's no need to take notes or search for links. The next time you're on Facebook, search for Daily Gardener Community, where you'd search for a friend… and request to join. I'd love to meet you in the group. Important Events December 7, 1817 Today is the birthday of the American botanist and professor Edward Tuckerman. A specialist of lichens and other Alpine plants, Edward helped found the Natural History Society of Boston. As a professor at Amherst College, Edward spent his spare time botanizing in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Today Tuckerman Ravine is named in honor of Edward Tuckerman. America owes a debt of gratitude to Edward for rescuing some of the Lewis and Clark specimens at an auction. It turns out that after the Lewis and Clark Expedition, a botanist named Frederic Pursh was hired by Meriwether Lewis to process the plants from their trip. After butting heads with his boss Benjamin Smith Barton and Meriwether's apparent suicide, Frederick Pursh took the Lewis and Clark specimens and went to England. Once in England, Pursh reached out to botanists Sir James Edward Smith and Aylmer Lambert about putting together the Flora of North America. Ultimately, Aylmer became his botanical fairy godfather. Aylmer had a substantial personal botanical library, herbarium, and funding. Aylmer also forced Pursh to be productive. Frederick Pursh was kind of a rough and tough guy, and he was an alcoholic. Aylmer made a space for Frederick in the attic of his house. Once Aylmer got him up there, he would lock Frederick in for stretches at a time to keep him focused on the project. It was an extreme way to deal with Frederick's demons, but it worked. It took Pursh two years to complete the Flora of North America, and the whole time he was racing against Thomas Nuttall, who was working on the same subject back in America. American botanists felt Frederick Pursh had pulled the rug out from under them when he took the expedition specimens to England. And this is where Edward Tuckerman enters the story. Somehow Edward learned that the Lewis and Clark specimens that Pursh had brought to England were going to auction. It turns out Aylmer had hung on to all of Pursh's material, including the Lewis and Clark originals. In 1842, after Aylmer died, the Lewis and Clark specimens and papers were up for auction along as part of his estate. Somehow Edward realized the value and the important legacy of these botanical specimens and papers. After winning the items, Edward eventually donated all of the material to the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia. December 7, 1822 Today is the birthday of the English-American botanist, nurseryman, landscape gardener, and landscape designer William Saunders. William served as the first horticulturist and superintendent of the experimental gardens at the newly created U.S. Department of Agriculture. During his professional career, William enjoyed many successes, but two stand out above the rest. First, William designed the Soldiers' National Cemetery at Gettysburg. On November 17, 1863, William visited the White House to show President Abraham Lincoln his design for the cemetery near the Gettysburg battlefield. William thoughtfully made sure that the Union army dead would be organized by state. A devoted botanist, William's design was the setting for Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, an ode to the fallen soldiers interred there. William's second major accomplishment was introducing the seedless Navel Orange to California. After William had received cuttings from a navel orange tree in Bahia Brazil, he forwarded the cuttings to a friend named Eliza Tibbetts, who had recently settled in a town called Riverside, fifty-five miles east of Los Angeles. Eliza and her husband, Luther, planted the navel oranges in their front yard. They watered the trees with dishwater, and both of the trees flourished. In California, navel oranges are picked from October through the end of May. Navel oranges are known for their sweetness and the sweet little navel on the blossom end. A ripe navel orange should have thin, smooth skin with no soft spots. The orange should feel firm, and the riper the orange, the heavier it should feel. The sweetest time to eat navel oranges is after Thanksgiving; that's when their flavor and color are at their peak. Because navel oranges are seedless, they can only be propagated by cutting. Over the years, Eliza and her husband took so many cuttings of the original two trees that they nearly killed them. In the early 1880s, they sold enough cuttings at a dollar apiece to make over $20,000 a year - that's over half a million dollars by today's standards. Ironically, in the 1930s, Brazil's entire navel orange crop was destroyed by disease. In response, the USDA sent cuttings of Tibbett's navel oranges to restart Brazil's navel orange orchards. Today, every navel orange grown in the world is descended from the cuttings William Saunders sent Eliza Tibbetts. Today, one of the Tibbett's navel orange trees still stands on the corner of Magnolia and Arlington avenues in Riverside. The tree has been a protected California Historic Landmark since 1932. December 7, 1893 On this day, the Phipps Conservatory first opened to the public. A gift from Henry Phipps, Jr. to the City of Pittsburgh, Henry was a childhood friend and business partner of Andrew Carnegie. And gardeners who know their garden history probably already know that the Crystal Palace by Joseph Paxton inspired the 14-room glasshouse at the Phipps Conservatory. In 1893, as the Chicago World's Fair ended, the plant material was fortuitously available to the highest bidder, and over 8,000 plants ended up on 15 train cars headed east to the Phipps. And that's how the Phipp's Conservatory ended up benefiting from impeccable timing; stocking their brand new space with incredible plants for a botanical bargain on a scale never seen before or since. In 2018, the Phipps Conservatory and botanical gardens celebrated their 125th Anniversary. Today the Phipps encompasses fifteen acres and includes 23 distinct gardens. Unearthed Words There's a sound of a festive morrow, It rings with delight over the snow, Dispelling the shadows of sorrow With promise that makes the heart glow... An angel peeps in at the window, And smiles as he looketh around, And kisses the mistletoe berries That wave o'er the love-hallowed ground. — Henry Rowland Brown, English entomologist, and poet, Christmas Eve Grow That Garden Library The Art of the Garden by Relais & Châteaux North America This book came out in 2018, and the subtitle is Landscapes, Interiors, Arrangements, and Recipes Inspired by Horticultural Splendors. Established in 1954, Relais & Châteaux is an association of the world's finest hoteliers, chefs, and restaurateurs who have set the standard for hospitality excellence. In this book, fifteen incredible establishments from Relais & Châteaux share their inspiring ideas for seasonal gardening, interior design, and entertaining. These elite hospitality experts share these exclusive beautifully-designed environments. And, they don't leave you guessing. The authors show you how to translate their savoir-faire into indoor and outdoor sanctuaries and incredible events at home. The gardens featured range from simple cutting and kitchen gardens to more elaborate formal plantings, including parterres and topiaries. The garden's delights are then brought indoors via botanical prints, textiles, wallpapers, and art objects, like metal and porcelain flowers. This resource also shares smart ideas for setting a festive table using rose petals, garlands, and bud vases. They even share their secrets for dressing up dishes and cocktails with edible flower garnishes. This book is a must-read for passionate gardeners who long to bring the sparkle and freshness of the outdoors into the home. This book is 240 pages of the finest horticultural havens at fifteen top Relais & Châteaux locations in America. You can get a copy of The Art of the Garden by Relais & Châteaux North America and support the show using the Amazon Link in today's Show Notes for around $30 Today's Botanic Spark Reviving the little botanic spark in your heart December 7, 1873 Today is the birthday of the American writer Willa Cather. Remembered for her novels of frontier life like O Pioneers! and My Ántonia, Willa won a Pulitzer for her World War I novel called One of Ours. Here's an excerpt that will delight the ears of gardeners from Cather's My Antonia. The story's narrator is Antonia's friend Jim Burden. In this excerpt, Jim is lying on the ground in his grandmother's garden as the warm sun shines down on him: The earth was warm under me, and warm as I crumbled it through my fingers. Queer little red bugs came out and moved in slow squadrons around me. Their backs were polished vermilion, with black spots. I kept as still as I could. Nothing happened. I did not expect anything to happen. I was something that lay under the sun and felt it, like the pumpkins, and I did not want to be anything more. I was entirely happy. Perhaps we feel like that when we die and become a part of something entire, whether it is sun and air, or goodness and knowledge. At any rate, that is happiness; to be dissolved into something complete and great. When it comes to one, it comes as naturally as sleep. — Willa Cather, American writer, My Antonia Thanks for listening to The Daily Gardener. And remember: "For a happy, healthy life, garden every day."
Today we celebrate the botanist who discovered the Rhododenrun minus growing in South Carolina. We'll also learn about the young German botanist who died on the Niger Expedition after valiantly trying to keep his plants alive. We'll recognize an Irish doctor who was one of the first people to discover the greenhouse effect. We salute the naturalist of Germantown, Pennsylvania, whose love for wildflowers and nature was unsurpassed. We Grow That Garden Library™ with a downhome book dedicated to helping you with the family garden to make it a resounding success. And then we'll wrap things up with the brilliant plantswoman who understood the subtleties of gardening and design. Subscribe Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart To listen to the show while you're at home, just ask Alexa or Google to "Play the latest episode of The Daily Gardener Podcast." And she will. It's just that easy. The Daily Gardener Friday Newsletter Sign up for the FREE Friday Newsletter featuring:
Plus, each week, one lucky subscriber wins a book from the Grow That Garden Library™ bookshelf. Gardener Greetings Send your garden pics, stories, birthday wishes, and so forth to Jennifer@theDailyGardener.org. Curated News David Domoney's Fencing Guide | David Domoney Facebook Group If you'd like to check out my curated news articles and blog posts for yourself, you're in luck because I share all of it with the Listener Community in the Free Facebook Group - The Daily Gardener Community. So, there's no need to take notes or search for links. The next time you're on Facebook, search for Daily Gardener Community, where you'd search for a friend… and request to join. I'd love to meet you in the group. Important Events December 4, 1788 On this day, Andre Michaux made his way from Georgia into South Carolina by crossing the Tugalo River. In his journal, Michaux wrote: "At dawn, I went to look at the banks of the river, and I recognized the yellow root, [a new species of rhododendron], mountain laurel, hydrangea, [and] hemlock spruce. . . ." Now Harvard's Charles Sprague Sargent remarked on the significance of this moment because it was the first time that Michaux laid eyes on the Rhododendron minus. Rhododendron grows naturally in the South from North Carolina to Alabama. With its soil and climate, Rhododendrons are perfectly suited to grow in South Carolina. The blossoms of rhododendrons have a wide color range from white to deep purple and blue. A versatile plant, Rhododendrons can be planted as specimens or even as hedges in gardens or natural settings. If you have oak or pine trees on your property, Rhododendrons are ideal for underplanting due to the filtered light from the tree canopy, the soil pH, and natural mulch. As the mulch breaks down, the organic matter provides the rhododendron with the perfect mix of nutrients. Finally, Rhododendrons need well-drained soil, and you should consider taking advantage of that fact by planting them on a slope. December 4, 1841 On this day, the German botanist Theodore Vogel was laid low with dysentery. After joining the Niger ("nee-ZHER") expedition, Theodore recorded in his journal the difficulties of traveling without the benefit of a Wardian Case on board a naval warship called the Wilberforce: "As soon as I got on board... my first care was to… the plants gathered since we arrived at Cape Coast Castle. But though I had taken all possible care, much was spoilt and almost everything in a bad state. It has been my lot ... after endless labor. I mention this, on purpose, that in case my collection comes into other hands, I may not be accused of negligence. I have sacrificed every convenience to gain room and spared no trouble to overcome the dampness of the ship and of the atmosphere, but without success. The general arrangements of a man-of-war do not give many opportunities for such experiments. When will the time arrive, that ...naturalists [will receive] the appropriate and necessary support?" When Theodore became sick on this day in 1841, his friend and fellow German, the mineralogist, Charles Gottfried Roscher, tended to him for thirteen days and never left his bedside. On December 17th, about mid-day, Theodore woke to ask Charles if everything was ready for their excursion, and then he peacefully passed away. December 4, 1893 Today is the anniversary of the death of the Irish experimental physicist John Tyndall. In 1859, John discovered the link between atmospheric CO2 and what we call the Greenhouse effect. And Although John was often attributed as the first person to discover the Greenhouse effect, today we know that a female scientist named Eunice Foote discovered it in 1856 - a full three years earlier. That said, John is best known for learning why the sky is blue. It turns out that light scattering through molecules suspended in the atmosphere creates the color, which is sometimes referred to as Tyndall Blue. As all gardeners know, there is nothing more beautiful than the garden set against the backdrop of a brilliant blue sky. All in all, John was one of Ireland's most successful scientists and educators. December 4, 1903 On this day, the Germantown historian, botanist, and writer Edwin Jellett wrote his final column for The Independent Gazette. Edwin's charming column in The Independent Gazette appeared for forty weeks and shared his thoughts on his two passions: history and botany in Northwest Philadelphia. Gardeners will appreciate that every one of Edwin's columns wrapped up with a list of the 30 to 40 plants shared in the post, along with both the Latin and common names. And if you'd like to read Edwin's work, you can - thanks to the Awbury Arboretum. In honor of its centennial in 2016, the Awbury Arboretum digitized all of Edwin's columns. Here's an excerpt from his last column published today in 1903: "To me, the vale is stored with memories, and one of its most pleasing and tender is Thomas Meehan's connection with it. In this region dwell many of our fairest and rarest wildflowers… Usually, about the middle of January, [there is] a new color in sweet-birch, sassafras, red maple, and many small plants... and the blushing glow is evidence of a renewed circulation. Hazelnut, if not in bloom at Christmas, is always so shortly after and is closely followed by alder, pussy willow, and silver maple; in favorable seasons, these always bloom before February first. In gardens, ice plant, sedums, and euphorbia appear early above ground, and evergreen native and exotic, Adam's needle, Scottish heath, Japanese euonymus, retinospora, native and Chinese arborvitae, box and Japan privet, laurel and rhododendrons, holly and yew, cedar, juniper and evergreen cypress, fir, spruce, and pine, and other... evergreen plants, cast shadows upon the snow to remind us of pleasant days past, and of warmer, brighter ones to come." Unearthed Words The way that leads to winter Will lead to summer too, For all roads end in other roads Where we may start anew. — Arthur St. John Adcock, English poet and novelist (1864-1930), The Travellers Grow That Garden Library The Family Garden Plan by Melissa K. Norris This book came out in 2020, and the subtitle is Grow a Year's Worth of Sustainable and Healthy Food. In this book, Melissa shares her expertise after growing up gardening - and now gardening with her family on almost 15 acres of land in the foothills of the North Cascade mountain range in Washington State. Melissa shares hard-won knowledge from decades of trial and error. She is an expert heirloom gardener, preserver, farmer, cook, and homemaker. Her book is personal and Inspirational. Melissa shares inspiring bible verses, family stories, and photography from her very own garden, which gives her book an authenticity that many garden books lack. Melissa's book is meant to be used as a reference. She includes helpful tips and suggestions to keep you and your garden growing. This book is 224 pages of downhome advice from a genuine gardener with a passion for helping others. You can get a copy of The Family Garden Plan by Melissa K. Norris and support the show using the Amazon Link in today's Show Notes for around $19. Today's Botanic Spark Reviving the little botanic spark in your heart December 4, 1896 Today is the birthday of the charismatic Australian gardener, designer, and writer Edna Walling. Remembered for her gorgeous garden designs, Edna wrote some wonderful books on Australian gardening & landscaping. After working nonstop for four decades between the 1920s and 1960s, Edna created over 300 gardens. Today many Australians regard Edna as the most excellent landscape designer that Australia has ever known. An ardent conservationist, Edna was ahead of her time. By advocating for native plants, Edna's favorite plants were naturally drought-hardy - a must for Australia's harsh climate. Peter Watts wrote about Edna's work and legacy and said, "[Enda] was a gardener's designer – a brilliant plantswoman who understood the subtleties of gardening and design… [She] always thought gardens should be just a bit bigger than they needed so that you couldn't control them entirely." It was Edna Walling who said, "Nature is our greatest teacher." And, there's an adorable story about Edna. In November of 1941, Edna received criticism from a friend for sharing her preference for perennials over annuals. "[I got] a letter from a friend the other day who addressed me: 'Dear Anti-annual!... If you can't grow them yourself, you needn't be snippy about them.' Oooooh, what have I said? Something rude about Iceland poppies or asters? How narrow-minded of me." Thanks for listening to The Daily Gardener. And remember: "For a happy, healthy life, garden every day."
Today I'll talk about the difference between gourds and squash. We'll also celebrate the man whose philanthropy made the Arnold Arboretum possible. We'll recognize the painter who said flowers made him paint freely. We salute the English author who gave us a lovely poem called The Garden Year. We Grow That Garden Library™ with a cookbook from two chefs who teach authentic, seasonal cooking with ingredients from your garden in the most delicious and perfect ways possible. And then we'll wrap things up with the English naturalist who campaigned and won Green Spaces for England and her work lead to the National Trust. Subscribe Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart To listen to the show while you're at home, just ask Alexa or Google to "Play the latest episode of The Daily Gardener Podcast." And she will. It's just that easy. The Daily Gardener Friday Newsletter Sign up for the FREE Friday Newsletter featuring:
Plus, each week, one lucky subscriber wins a book from the Grow That Garden Library™ bookshelf. Gardener Greetings Send your garden pics, stories, birthday wishes, and so forth to Jennifer@theDailyGardener.org. Curated News The Same Mobile Protein Governs Seed Size And Inflorescence Structure | Botany One | Hugh Dickinson Facebook Group If you'd like to check out my curated news articles and blog posts for yourself, you're in luck because I share all of it with the Listener Community in the Free Facebook Group - The Daily Gardener Community. So, there's no need to take notes or search for links. The next time you're on Facebook, search for Daily Gardener Community, where you'd search for a friend… and request to join. I'd love to meet you in the group. Important Events December 3, 1492 On this day, Christopher Columbus noted in his diary: "I climbed a mountain and came to level ground, which was sown with many different crops and gourds." The gourds Columbus was referring to were actually squashes that were turned into utensils. Many people confuse gourds and squash. So here's a little gourd and squash trivia to keep your knowledge of gourds and squash sharp. Gourds and squash are members of the Cucurbitaceae ("coo-kur-bi-TAY-see-ee") plant family, including over 700 species. Both squash and gourds are fruits because they are part of the flower that contains the seeds, and like grapes, they grow on a vine. The fruits of gourds, squashes, and pumpkins are berries known as a pepo ("pee-poh"). Loofahs are a type of gourd, and they come from the inside of a gourd. Pumpkin is a squash. And while most gourds are not suitable to eat, squash has a mild taste and is delicious. The main difference between summer squash and winter squash is how long they can be stored. Summer squashes are soft-skinned, they're harvested in the summer, and they need to be eaten quickly (i.e., zucchini and yellow crookneck squash). Winter squashes are hard-shelled squashes that can be stored for months (i.e., acorn squash). Here's a little gourd joke: What vegetable keeps your garden safe? A security gourd. Lastly, if you enjoy puns, gourd puns abound on the internet, and they are truly the worst puns. "You'd butternut forget to grow gourds… because they're 'gourd'geous!" December 3, 1868 Today is the anniversary of the death of the wealthy businessman, philanthropist, and botanist James Arnold. James is the namesake for Harvard's Arnold Arboretum - the very first arboretum in the United States. James was born to a Quaker family in Providence, Rhode Island. In 1807, James married Sarah Rotch. Had James not married Sarah, there would have probably never been an Arnold Arboretum. Sarah's father was part of an exceptionally wealthy whaling family, and James eventually became a partner in his father-in-law's business. James used his wealth to buy an 11-acre estate in New Bedford, Massachusetts. As Quakers, James, and Sarah focused less on making their home ostentatious and more on developing their gardens. Together James and Sarah searched for interesting plants and trees for their home gardens during their many trips to Europe. And history tells us that the Arnold property was so stunning that the gardens were open to the public on Sundays. In 1857, even the writer Herman Melville visited the garden. The Unitarian minister, William Potter, called the Arnold estate, "...the most conspicuous among all our homes for culture, for hospitality, for charity." As both James and Sarah loved gardening and plants, their friends included many naturalists of their time: John James Audubon, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, and Bronson Alcott (Louisa May Alcott's father). When James died in 1868, as part of his will, he left $100,000 in the hands of three trustees: Francis Parker, John James Dixwell, and George Emerson. Emerson and Dixwell personally knew Asa Gray at Harvard, and they also knew that Harvard needed a Botanic Garden. James Arnold's trustees included a bodacious mission for the Arboretum: to collect every kind of tree and shrub that would grow outdoors in Massachusetts. By 1873, Charles Sprague Sargent was hired to be the director of the Arnold Arboretum - a position he would hold for over four decades. And James Arnold's gift and Charles Sprague Sargent's leadership created the world-class arboretum we enjoy today. December 3, 1919 Today is the anniversary of the death of the impressionist painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir. Pierre-Auguste Renoir said, when he was painting flowers, he was able to paint, "freely and boldly without the mental effort, he made with a model." He also said, "If you paint the leaf on a tree without using a model, your imagination will only supply you with a few leaves… But nature offers you millions, all on the same tree. … The artist who paints only what is in his mind must very soon repeat himself." It was Renoir who said, "What seems most significant to me about [Impressionism] is that we have freed painting from the importance of the subject. I am at liberty to paint flowers and call them flowers, without their needing to tell a story." And speaking of stories, there's a little-known story about Renoir. For many years, he hung a sign on his garden gate which read, "No Renoirs sold here. Beware the dog." Unearthed Words January brings the snow, Makes our feet and fingers glow. February brings the rain, Thaws the frozen lake again. March brings breezes, loud and shrill, To stir the dancing daffodil. April brings the primrose sweet, Scatters daisies at our feet. May brings flocks of pretty lambs Skipping by their fleecy dams. June brings tulips, lilies, roses, Fills the children's hands with posies. Hot July brings cooling showers, Apricots and gillyflowers. August brings the sheaves of corn, Then the harvest home is borne. Warm September brings the fruit; Sportsmen then begin to shoot. Fresh October brings the pheasant; Then to gather nuts is pleasant. Dull November brings the blast; Then the leaves are whirling fast. Chill December brings the sleet, Blazing fire and Christmas treat. — Sara Coleridge, English author, The Garden Year Grow That Garden Library Earth to Table by Jeff Crump and Bettina Schormann This book came out in 2018, and the subtitle is Cooking with Good Ingredients Through the Seasons. In this book, Slow Food advocates and accomplished chefs Jeff Crump and Bettina Schormann create approachable everyday recipes with the garden harvest. This book was a 2018 Winner for Excellence in Book Design - which is a feature that readers will notice right away when they get this cookbook. By advocating for a seasonal approach to cooking, Jeff and Bettina show you how to seek out the freshest ingredients for your prep table and dining table. Earth to Table Every Day features 140 wholesome, effortless, everyday recipes. I love Jeff and Bettina's cookbook because they infuse their book with brilliant stories and gorgeous photography that makes their recipes compelling and memorable. My favorites include Arugula and Fennel Salad, Mushroom Tarts, Creamy Hummus with Fried Chickpeas, Buttermilk Fried Chicken, Apple Bacon Pizza, Rhubarb Upside Down Cake, Chocolate Brownies, and Raspberry Swirl Cheesecake. This book is 288 pages of authentic, seasonal cooking from two chefs dedicated to making and using ingredients from the garden in the most delicious and perfect ways possible. You can get a copy of Earth to Table by Jeff Crump and Bettina Schormann and support the show using the Amazon Link in today's Show Notes for around $18 Today's Botanic Spark Reviving the little botanic spark in your heart December 3, 1838 Today is the birthday of the English activist, conservationist, and naturalist Octavia Hill. From the time she was 13 years old, Octavia worked to make life better for the working class. As Octavia matured, she crystalized her advocacy. And one of Octavia's most passionate causes was getting access to nature for all of the folks living in large cities like London. Historical records tell us that Octavia was a small woman, she didn't care a lick for fashion, and she had beautiful brown eyes. She was also an exceptional speaker and persuasive advocate, as is evident by a comment the Bishop of London made after meeting with Octavia, "She spoke for half an hour … I never had such a beating in all my life." In 1884, Octavia's sister and fellow activist Miranda Hill remarked, "It has come to the point when two peers and a cabinet minister call and consult her in one week." Octavia's work to save green spaces throughout England led to the establishment of the National Trust. It was Octavia Hill who said, "The need of quiet, the need of air, the need of exercise, and, I believe, the sight of sky and of things growing, are human needs, common to all…" And finally, gardeners will chuckle at this little passage from a letter Octavia wrote to her sister, Gertrude, on October 22, 1852: "Oh, Gertrude! I am so happy, so very very happy. I wish you were with me. You would so love all my beautiful things... I have a little room, all to myself. When anything is wrong or unjust downstairs, I have only to come up into my own little room, and it is so still... I usually have some flowers, for the ladies are very kind in bringing me them. I have a few poor little plants that I am fond of. Then I have eleven dear little snails. They are such darlings." Thanks for listening to The Daily Gardener. And remember: "For a happy, healthy life, garden every day."
Today we celebrate the German botanist who used gardens as classrooms. We'll also learn about the botanist who was a passionate advocate of forests. We'll recognize the efforts of a key founder of the Linnean Society. We'll hear a quote about December from the creator of Peter Pan. We Grow That Garden Library™ with a book that helps you maximize your smallest spaces. And then we'll wrap things up with the story of a witty English-American writer and illustrator who wrote about cats and the natural world. Subscribe Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart To listen to the show while you're at home, just ask Alexa or Google to "Play the latest episode of The Daily Gardener Podcast." And she will. It's just that easy. The Daily Gardener Friday Newsletter Sign up for the FREE Friday Newsletter featuring:
Today we celebrate the botanist who wrote one of the first Herbals. We'll also learn about the botanist who wasn't thrilled about getting one of India's first telephones. We'll recognize the lost work of an American botanist and painter. We'll remember the Hollywood Legend who loved gardening alongside his famous wife. We'll hear an excerpt from a famous garden poem by an English poet. We Grow That Garden Library™ with a Book that teaches us all the dirt - old and new - on plants, and it's written by one of the true plant masters of our time. And then we'll wrap things up with the story of a new rose that came out in 2019… and here's a hint: It's divine. Subscribe Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart To listen to the show while you're at home, just ask Alexa or Google to "Play the latest episode of The Daily Gardener Podcast." And she will. It's just that easy. The Daily Gardener Friday Newsletter Sign up for the FREE Friday Newsletter featuring:
Plus, each week, one lucky subscriber wins a book from the Grow That Garden Library™ bookshelf. Gardener Greetings Send your garden pics, stories, birthday wishes, and so forth to Jennifer@theDailyGardener.org. Curated News December Folklore and Flower | The Daily Gardener | Jennifer Ebeling
December's birth flowers are the holly and the paperwhite. So, they are very different from each other; one being a bulb and the other an evergreen, but they both symbolize hope.
Facebook Group If you'd like to check out my curated news articles and blog posts for yourself, you're in luck because I share all of it with the Listener Community in the Free Facebook Group - The Daily Gardener Community. So, there's no need to take notes or search for links. The next time you're on Facebook, search for Daily Gardener Community, where you'd search for a friend... and request to join. I'd love to meet you in the group. Important Events December 1, 1597 On this day, The Herbal, or General History of Plants, by John Gerard was first published. In the Herbal, John shared over 800 species of plants and shared gorgeous woodcut illustrations. During his life, John was allowed to garden on land at Somerset House, and for a time, he served as the herbalist to King James I. Today, the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust sells Christmas Cards that feature John Gerard's woodcuts of Holly, Pears, and Mistletoe. The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust cares for Shakespeare's family homes and shares the love of Shakespeare from his hometown of Stratford-upon-Avon. Anyway, if you'd like to support a great organization and enjoy the John Gerard Christmas cards and gift wrap, head on over to https://shop.shakespeare.org.uk/. December 1, 1910 On this day in the Scottish Botanist and Surgeon, Andrew Thomas Gage wrote from India to complain about some new technology he had been given; the telephone. Andrew served as the Director of the Botanical Survey of India and he worked at the Botanic Garden in Calcutta. Andrew wrote: "They forced this invention of the devil upon me. Fortunately, the thing has a knack of getting out of order..." December 1, 1932 On this day, the American actor Clark Gable was photographed at his Beverly Hills villa watering his flowers. By the end of the decade, Clark would marry Carole Lombard, an actress who shared Clark's love for the natural world. As newlyweds, Carole and Clark had bought a 21-acre estate - just forty minutes outside of Beverly Hills. Instead of living glamorously, they turned the estate into a working farm. And Carole sold her star sapphire collection to fund their dream. Carole set up all the crops they would grow, and she worked long hours on the ranch. They had an orchard/citrus grove, a dairy, and a vineyard, and the farm produced peaches, grapes, oranges, lemons, walnuts, apricots, hay, and alfalfa. They used the alfalfa they grew for feed. They sent their grapes to the local hospital. The Farmers Association marketed their citrus crop. Many biographies mention that Carole and Clark raised turkeys for MGM to use at its commissary. Carole bought Clark a tractor in a touching gesture, and Clark enjoyed taking care of his two prized racehorses and the cattle. To top it all off: Carole and Clark called each other "Ma" and "Pa." They were really and truly living a farm fantasy. They even used kerosene lamps in their living room. Carole and Clark loved their simple life together on their ranch, and they both loved watching things grow. But, Clark and Carole's life together ended suddenly when her plane crashed shortly after taking off from the airport in Las Vegas. Carole's death was crushing to Clark. Today, in honor of his request, Clark Gable is buried at Forest Lawn Cemetery next to Carole. Unearthed Words December 1, 1849 Today is the anniversary of the death of the English poet Ebenezer Elliott. Thy fruit full well the schoolboy knows, Wild Brambles of the brake! So put thou forth thy small white rose; I love it for his sake. — Ebenezer Elliott, English poet, To the Bramble Flower Grow That Garden Library Planthropology by Ken Druse This book came out in 2008, and the subtitle is The Myths, Mysteries, and Miracles of My Garden Favorites. The subtitle alone made me want to buy it all those years ago! In this book, Ken teaches us all the dirt - old and new - on plants in this beautifully illustrated book. Now what I love about Ken's book is that it's full of stories about plants. Ken shares new information, he shares some plant controversies, and he even dispels common myths. Ken's book is a collection of tidbits, and he shares random and delightful brevities about our favorite topic: plants. "For instance, if you like winding down on a terrace or patio after work, Druse suggests planting petunias. Why? Because they are evening fragrant—their pollinators only come out at night. And, We meet bumblebees who literally shake pollen free from flowers with sonic vibrations." Ken even offers a primer on Floriography ("FLOOR-EE-ah-grah-FEE") or the language of flowers. The Gardenia says, "I love you in secret," and the Acacia says, "Let's be friends." This book is 288 pages of anecdotal garden wisdom and tidbits from one of our time's true plant masters. You can get a copy of Planthropology by Ken Druse and support the show using the Amazon Link in today's Show Notes for around $15. Today's Botanic Spark Reviving the little botanic spark in your heart December 1, 1945 Today is the birthday of American singer, songwriter, actress, comedian, and film producer Bette Midler born in Honolulu. In 1979, Bette starred in her first movie called The Rose. She didn't win an academy award for her Rose performance; that award went to Sally Field for Norma Rae. But forty years later, in 2019, Bette was honored by the New York Botanical Garden (NYBG) with a rose named in honor of her stage persona: The Divine Miss M. On June 19th, 2019, the NYBG introduced Bette's white-yellow rose with a fragrance of mint and lime at the New York Restoration Project Spring Picnic at the Botanical Garden in New York City. In 1995, Bette started the New York Restoration Project, a nonprofit that renovates and restores neglected NYC parks to ensure green space for all New Yorkers. After receiving the honor at the Botanical Garden, Bette commented, "I didn't win the Oscar for The Rose. Of course, I never think about it. But I do want to say right now, there's no Norma Rae rose." By the end of the event, Bette led the crowd in a rose song sing-a-long. She started with Lyn Anderson's "Rose Garden," then her version of "The Rose," and then she wrapped things up with "Everything's Coming Up Roses." Thanks for listening to The Daily Gardener. And remember: "For a happy, healthy life, garden every day."
Today we celebrate an herbalist who kept a remarkable journal. We'll also learn about the German botanist who founded the study of algae. We'll review the charming words of an American writer and poet born today. We Grow That Garden Library™ with a helpful guide for trees, shrubs, and hedges. And then we'll wrap things up with the life story of an icon of Canadian literature, beloved worldwide, and she loved to garden. Subscribe Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart To listen to the show while you're at home, just ask Alexa or Google to "Play the latest episode of The Daily Gardener Podcast." And she will. It's just that easy. The Daily Gardener Friday Newsletter Sign up for the FREE Friday Newsletter featuring:
Plus, each week, one lucky subscriber wins a book from the Grow That Garden Library™ bookshelf. Gardener Greetings Send your garden pics, stories, birthday wishes, and so forth to Jennifer@theDailyGardener.org. Curated News Georgia-Made Wreaths You'll Want to Keep Up Past New Year's | Garden & Gun | HASKELL HARRIS Facebook Group If you'd like to check out my curated news articles and blog posts for yourself, you're in luck because I share all of it with the Listener Community in the Free Facebook Group - The Daily Gardener Community. So, there's no need to take notes or search for links. The next time you're on Facebook, search for Daily Gardener Community, where you'd search for a friend... and request to join. I'd love to meet you in the group. Important Events November 30, 1791 On this day, Martha Ballard recorded her work as an herbalist and midwife. For 27 years, Martha kept a journal of her work as the town healer and midwife for Hallowell, Maine. In all, Martha assisted with 816 births. Today, Martha's marvelous journal gives us a glimpse into the plants she regularly used and how she applied them medicinally. As for how Martha sourced her plants, she raised them in her garden or foraged them in the wild. As the village apothecary, Martha found her own ingredients and personally made all of her herbal remedies. And so it was that 229 years ago today, Martha recorded her work to help her sick daughter. She wrote: "My daughter Hannah is very unwell this evening. I gave her some Chamomile & Camphor." Today we know that Chamomile has a calming effect, and Camphor can help treat skin conditions, improve respiratory function, and relieve pain. November 30, 1823 Today is the birthday of the German botanist Nathanael Pringsheim. Nathanael was a founder of algology or the study of algae. Nathanael's work led to an understanding of how algae and fungi live, develop, and reproduce. In 1882, Nathanael founded the German Botanical Society. November 30, 1835 Today is the birthday of the American writer and humorist Samuel Langhorne Clemens, known by his pen name Mark Twain. Samuel used the garden and garden imagery to convey his wit and satire. In 1874, Samuel's sister, Susan, and her husband built an octagonal shed for him to write in. They surprised him with it when Samuel visited their farm in upstate New York. The garden shed was perfectly situated on a hilltop overlooking the Chemung ("Sha-mung") River Valley. As was the case with Roald Dahl, the shed was not only a spur for creativity, but it removed Samuel from the main home. Like Roald Dahl, Samuel smoked as he wrote, and his sister despised his incessant pipe smoking. In this little octagonal garden/writing shed, Samuel wrote significant sections of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Life on the Mississippi, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, The Prince and the Pauper, A Tramp Abroad, and many other short works. And, in 1952, Samuel's Octagonal Shed was relocated to the Elmira College ("El-MEER-ah") campus in Elmira, New York. Today, people can visit the garden shed with student guides daily throughout the summer and by appointment in the off-season. Here are some garden-related thoughts by Samuel Langhorne Clemens, aka Mark Twain. Climate is what we expect; weather is what we get. — Mark Twain, American humorist and novelist, Climate It was a soft, reposeful summer landscape, as lovely as a dream, and as lonesome as Sunday. — Mark Twain, American humorist and novelist, The Summer Landscape To get the full value of joy You must have someone to divide it with. After all these years, I see that I was mistaken about Eve in the beginning; it is better to live outside the Garden with her than inside it without her. — Mark Twain, American humorist and novelist, Eve Unearthed Words November 30, 1838 Today is the birthday of the American writer and poet Charlotte Fiske Bates. Many of her poems were about gardens or incorporated garden imagery. Although the heart is very sore from loss, Yet there are healing powers; It eases much the burden of a cross To cover it with flowers. Faith, hope, and love -the blossoms of the three Help heal the hurt of our humanity. — Charlotte Fiske Bates, American writer and poet, The Healing Powers of Flowers Of those that make our honey, it is known That feared and beaten back, they turn and sting. While, fearlessly, if they are let alone, In time they fly away on harmless wing. And so suspicions buzz like angry bees: Do they torment you with their threatened stings? Oh! Let them buzz as near you as they please; Keep quiet. They, as well as bees, have wings. — Charlotte Fiske Bates, American writer, and poet, Suspicions As dyed in blood, the streaming vines appear, While long and low, the wind about them grieves. The heart of autumn must have broken here And poured its treasure out upon the leaves. — Charlotte Fiske Bates, American writer, and poet, Woodbines in October (Clematis virginiana) and similar to the Sweet Autumn Clematis Grow That Garden Library Trees, Shrubs & Hedges for Your Home by Editors of Creative Homeowner This book came out in 2010, and the subtitle is Secrets for Selection and Care (Creative Homeowner) Over 1,000 Plant Descriptions and 550 Photos to Help You Design Your Landscape and Enhance Your Outdoor Space. As we get older, it's best to transition to more trees, shrubs, and hedges in the garden for overall less maintenance, worry, and hassle. In this book, you will learn how to:
Trees, shrubs, and hedges are the "bones" of the garden, and designing with them is a skill that can be learned. This book is a whopping 550 pages, complete with loads of color photos and illustrations of everything you need to design a beautiful landscape with Trees, Shrubs & Hedges for Your Home. You can get a copy of Trees, Shrubs & Hedges for Your Home and support the show using the Amazon Link in today's Show Notes for around $13. Today's Botanic Spark Reviving the little botanic spark in your heart November 30, 1874 Today is the birthday of the Canadian writer and author of the Anne of Green Gables series Lucy Maud Montgomery. Lucy was born on Prince Edward Island, and she was almost two years old when her mother died. Like her character Ann of Green Gables, Lucy had an unconventional upbringing when her father left her to be raised by her grandparents. Despite being a Canadian literary icon and loved worldwide, Lucy's personal life was marred by loneliness, death, and depression. Historians now believe she may have ended her own life. Yet we know that flowers and gardening were a balm to Lucy. She grew lettuce, peas, carrots, radish, and herbs in her kitchen garden. And Lucy had a habit of going to the garden after finishing her writing and her chores about the house. Today in Norval, a place Lucy lived in her adult life, the Lucy Maud Montgomery Sensory Garden is located next to the public school. The Landscape Architect, Eileen Foley, created the garden, which features an analemmatic or horizontal sundial, a butterfly and bird garden, a children's vegetable garden, a log bridge, and a woodland trail. It was Lucy Maud Montgomery, who wrote, "I love my garden, and I love working in it. To potter with green growing things, watching each day to see the dear, new sprouts come up, is like taking a hand in creation, I think. Just now, my garden is like faith - the substance of things hoped for." Thanks for listening to The Daily Gardener. And remember: "For a happy, healthy life, garden every day."
Today we celebrate a one of a kind American plantsman and breeder who gave us the red-fleshed Pink Pearl apple. We'll also learn about the German nurseryman and breeder who we know from a ubiquitous feather-reed grass. We'll hear some lovely botanical poems from a New England poet. We Grow That Garden Library™ with a cookbook written around 23 essential vegetables. And then we'll wrap things up with a story about the Bicentenary at Kew. Subscribe Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart To listen to the show while you're at home, just ask Alexa or Google to "Play the latest episode of The Daily Gardener Podcast." And she will. It's just that easy. The Daily Gardener Friday Newsletter Sign up for the FREE Friday Newsletter featuring: A personal update from me Garden-related items for your calendar The Grow That Garden Library™ featured books for the week Gardener gift ideas Garden-inspired recipes Exclusive updates regarding the show and more. Plus, each week, one lucky subscriber wins a book from the Grow That Garden Library™ bookshelf. Gardener Greetings Send your garden pics, stories, birthday wishes, and so forth to Jennifer@theDailyGardener.org. Curated News How Plants Ensure Regular Seed Spacing | Phys Org | Heinrich-Heine Facebook Group If you'd like to check out my curated news articles and blog posts for yourself, you're in luck because I share all of it with the Listener Community in the Free Facebook Group - The Daily Gardener Community. So, there's no need to take notes or search for links. The next time you're on Facebook, search for Daily Gardener Community where you'd search for a friend... and request to join. I'd love to meet you in the group. Important Events November 27, 1872 Today is the birthday of a lifelong American plantsman and master plant breeder Albert Etter. Albert was a born horticulturist. When most children are mastering the alphabet and learning to tie their shoes, Albert was learning to graft and hybridize plants. By the time Albert was 12, his plant breeding was focused on dahlias and strawberries. His local newspaper in California reported that he had over 200 varieties of dahlia, thanks to his efforts in cultivating new hybrids. Growing frustrated that his school books taught him nothing about nature, Albert dropped out at 14. Albert continued his breeding efforts and helped out on local farms. Thanks to the Homestead Act, Albert acquired 640 acres of free land on his 21st birthday. The land needed clearing, and the acidic soil required improvement. Thanks to Albert's regular planting of cover crops like clover and vetch, his soil gradually improved. With his brothers' help, Albert's place became increasingly self-sufficient, adding a lumber mill and raising Angora goats. Albert often wrote that his ranch provided him everything he needed - except flour and sugar. Over time, Albert's ranch became known as Ettersburg. Although Albert's early work with strawberries brought him fame, his work with apples made him a legend. In his apple breeding, Albert focused on a unique and relatively unknown apple appropriately called Surprise. The Surprise apple was pink-fleshed and hailed from Kazakhstan. Over his lifetime, Albert created hundreds of apple varieties descended from the Surprise apple. In total, Albert crossbred 15,000 apples and a little over ten percent of those warranted additional experimenting. Albert accelerated his apple-breeding efforts through top grafting. Here's how that works: After pollinating an apple blossom with another tree, Albert would place a bag over the flower and wait for the flower to produce an apple. (Albert's living relatives still recall driving up to the Etter ranch and seeing an unusual sight: the orchard trees covered with little bags.) From the apple started inside a bag, Albert would plant the apple seeds. After observing the young seedlings, Albert selected the ones with the best fruit for grafting. By grafting new apple seedlings on a tree, the seedling bears fruit in just three to five years instead of waiting for ten to twenty years for fruit without grafting. In an article, Albert wrote: "How many is 15,000 apple trees? Apple trees are usually planted 30 feet apart in the row. Fifteen thousand would plant a row a trifle over 35 miles long. [In contrast,] The little seedlings [that I grow,] are top-grafted on large trees, sometimes two or three hundred on a tree." One of Albert's signature methods was to return again and again to the wild, foraging for new breeding stock. Now, many trained plant breeders of his era scoffed at Albert's use of wild crabapples. But to Albert, nature provided a bountiful supply of worthy strains. While some academic experts in his field dismissed Albert as a hillbilly, others recognized his cultivated wisdom honed through his love of experimenting, his unbridled innovation, and his fantastic recall for the minute details of his experiment station. The public came to know just a handful of Alberts apples in the twilight of his life. In 1944, six years before his death, six Etter apple creations finally went mainstream after appearing in The California Nursery Company catalog: Alaska, All Gold, Humboldt Crab, Jonwin, Pink Pearl, and Wickson's Crab. Three years later, Albert's Crimson Gold was released. Today, the Pink Pearl is the most famous of Albert's creations. With its red flesh and beautifully blushed, golden, translucent outer skin, the Pink Pearl remains a sensation. In 1950, Albert died on a Sunday in November on his ranch near Ettersburg in Humboldt County. He was 78. Now, some 70 years after his death, the race is on to find any remaining Etter apple trees before they reach the end of their lifespan. Tom Hart, of Humboldt Cider Company, is putting together a magnificent repository of Albert Etters apple trees. Tom's goal is to take cuttings from any discovered Etter apple trees, graft them, and build an orchard - a living tribute - dedicated to the great Albert Etter. November 27, 1970 Today is the 50th anniversary of the death of the revered German plant breeder, writer, and garden designer Karl Foerster. Karl was born into an intellectual and accomplished family. His father was an astronomer, and his mother was a famous painter. Many gardeners are surprised to learn that Karl began gardening at seven after obtaining an apprenticeship. At the age of eight, Karl entered a professional gardening program and studied there for 11 years. When Karl turned 18, he took over his family's Berlin nursery, which was a bit of a mess. Karl streamlined the business by simplifying his plant inventory. Although Karl loved plants, he was especially drawn to tough, low-maintenance, hardy perennials. Karl used three factors to determine whether a plant would be sold in his nursery: beauty, resilience, and endurance. Karl's high standards brought success to the nursery. When he turned 24, Karl moved his nursery to Potsdam. There, Karl married a singer and pianist named Eva, and together they had one daughter. Knowing Karl's high standards of plants, imagine how exacting Karl was as a plant breeder. Yet, Karl never pollinated flowers by hand. He wanted nature to reign supreme. Today, Karl Foerster grass is a recognized staple in many gardens and landscapes. The story goes that Karl was on a train when he spied the grass along the tracks. To seize the chance to collect the specimen, Karl pulled the emergency brake, stopped the train, and then quickly collected the specimen that now bears his name. While gardeners have heard of Karl Foerster Grass or Feather Reed Grass (Calamagrostis), many fail to realize the grass was successful because it first met Karl's high standards for perennials. Karl Foerster grass was the Perennial Plant of the Year in 2001. And, Overdam is a variegated version of Karl Foerster grass. Karl's plant performance expectations and his appreciation for low maintenance spaces with year-long seasonal interest helped shape the New German Garden Style of garden design. A Karl Foerster garden had some signature plants: grasses, delphinium, and phlox. Naturally, all of these plants were favorites in Karl's breeding work. Karl once wrote, "A garden without phlox is not only a sheer mistake but a sin against summer." And he also wrote, "Grasses are the hair of mother earth." Karl was an excellent speaker and writer. His books include these enticing titles: From the Flower Garden of the Future and Blue Treasures in Garden. During WWII, Karl and his nursery were in the wrong place at the wrong time. To his peril, Karl kept his Jewish friends employed all through the war. Although the war officially ended in Potsdam, the nursery and the rest of East Germany fell under the control of the Soviets. Incredibly, Karl's nursery ended up being the sole provider of garden perennials for all of East Germany. As Karl's work is translated from German into other languages, we continue to learn more about his fascinating career. The garden publisher and writer Thomas Fischer wrote this about Karl Foerster: "It wasn't until I made a trip to Germany in the fall of I993 that I finally found the mother lode of Foerster delphiniums… Exercising superhuman self-restraint, I bought only two, ...two that Foerster himself considered among his best; 'Berghimmel,' sky blue with a white "eye" — the contrasting center of the flower — and, for balance, 'Finsteraarhorn,' deep gentian blue with a black eye. Back home, ...in late June, the buds opened: pure, ravishing, longed-for blueness. Delphiniums that Karl Foerster had named over sixty years ago were blooming in my garden. After the flowers had gone by, I cut them back, happy to wait a year for their reappearance. As it turned out, I had to wait only a few weeks: they bloomed again, and again, and again. That did it. Two delphiniums were not enough. I dispatched a letter … Would they consider shipping plants to the United States, providing one had the proper permit? Yes, they would. Off went an order for twenty-eight delphiniums, plus a few other odds and ends. (You have to grow something with your delphiniums.)" For his work, Karl won many honorary awards. Karl lived to the ripe old age of 96. In total, Karl spent nearly nine decades of gardening. It was Karl Foerster who said, "In my next life, I'd like to be a gardener once again. The job was too big for just one lifetime." Unearthed Words November 27, 1824 Today is the birthday of the New England poet Phebe Ann Holder. In addition to her religious poems, Phebe wrote about the natural world. Gardeners delight in her poems for spring and fall. Phebe's A Song of May recalls the flowers of spring: The fragrant lily of the vale, The violet's breath on passing gale. Anemones mid last year's leaves, Arbutus sweet in trailing wreaths, From waving lights of a forest glade The light ferns hide beneath the shade. — Phebe Ann Holder, New England poet, A Song of May Phebe's A Song of October celebrates the beauty of fall: The softened light, the veiling haze, The calm repose of autumn days, Steal gently over the troubled breast, Soothing life's weary cares to rest. — Phebe Ann Holder, New England poet, A Song of October Grow That Garden Library The Vegetable Garden Cookbook by Tobias Rauschenberger and Oliver Brachat This book came out in 2015, and the subtitle is 60 Recipes to Enjoy Your Homegrown Produce. In this cookbook, Tobias and Oliver focus on 23 rockstar vegetables you can grow in your own sweet garden. These 23 vegetables include eggplant, cauliflower, beans, broccoli, mushrooms, asparagus, peas, fennel, cucumbers, potatoes, corn, squash, chard, carrots, peppers, parsnips, radishes, beets, spinach, tomatoes, cabbage, zucchini, and onions. This book is incredibly versatile, and there's something for everyone, whether you are a vegan, vegetarian, or omnivore. Standout recipes include creamy pea soup with bacon foam, stuffed zucchini rolls, Hungarian goulash, beet pizza, and an Asian chard and honey duck sandwich. This book is 176 pages of growing, cooking, and eating vegetables - a top 23 list of them - that guides you through some incredibly easy and versatile recipes for everyone at the table. You can get a copy of The Vegetable Garden Cookbook by Tobias Rauschenberger and Oliver Brachat and support the show using the Amazon Link in today's Show Notes for around $2 Today's Botanic Spark Reviving the little botanic spark in your heart November 27, 1959 On this day, the Edmonton Journal wrote a little article about the Bicentenary at Kew: "Less than ten miles from the heart of London lies an area of nearly three hundred acres in which color, fragrance, and birdsong are the companions of research, learning, and economics. Here the lover of plants can wander to his heart's delight while the botanist studies new and hardier strains of plants and the ecologist determines their value to man. It is officially known as the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, or to most persons Kew Gardens. Kew Gardens owes their origin to a fancy of Princess Augusta, Dowager Princess of Wales, who in 1759 founded a botanical garden in the grounds at Kew House, now long since demolished. Little is known of the early formation of the gardens except that the Princess received encouragement from the Earl of Bute, an enthusiastic botanist who lived at Kew. Under Bute's direction, the garden soon became a recognized scientific entity, although it remained separate from the Princess' gardens. Later the two gardens were united, but the name "Kew Gardens" has remained ever since. In 1841 Kew Gardens was presented to the British nation by Queen Victoria, and their functions were then outlined as scientific research, cultivation of plants from all parts of the world, propagation of useful plants for all countries of the Empire, furnishing the government with general information on botanical subjects and the instruction of the public. It is on this five-fold basis that Kew has carried on to our own time. The herbarium is perhaps the most amazing part of Kew. It is devoted to the taxonomy or the identification and classification of plants. Some six million sheets of plant specimens are preserved and grouped by class, orders, families, genera, species, and varieties. The files of this priceless collection were removed to safety during the war. Kew has become a mecca for botanists worldwide and a great guide to botanical knowledge. Soon after the founding of Kew, the practice was established of sending out a botanist on every voyage of discovery from Britain. Thanks for listening to The Daily Gardener. And remember: "For a happy, healthy life, garden every day."
Full show notes at the publisherToday we celebrate the man who proved plants have a circadian rhythm. We'll also learn about the nurseryman who helped establish Rochester, New York, as a "City in a Forest." We'll remember the pioneer seedsman who started the largest mail-order seed company in the world. We celebrate Thanksgiving with some verses about this time of year. We Grow That Garden Library™ with a beautiful book of fruit prints. And then we'll wrap things up with the story of a woman who discovered the importance of biological diversity to water health. Subscribe Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart To listen to the show while you're at home, just ask Alexa or Google to "Play the latest episode of The Daily Gardener Podcast." And she will. It's just that easy. The Daily Gardener Friday Newsletter Sign up for the FREE Friday Newsletter featuring:
Plus, each week, one lucky subscriber wins a book from the Grow That Garden Library™ bookshelf. Gardener Greetings Send your garden pics, stories, birthday wishes, and so forth to Jennifer@theDailyGardener.org. Curated News Are your plants wilting and dry despite regular watering? Keep tabs on these side effects of improper watering practices | Chicago Tribune | Tim Johnson Facebook Group If you'd like to check out my curated news articles and blog posts for yourself, you're in luck because I share all of it with the Listener Community in the Free Facebook Group - The Daily Gardener Community. So, there's no need to take notes or search for links. The next time you're on Facebook, search for Daily Gardener Community where you'd search for a friend... and request to join. I'd love to meet you in the group. Important Events November 26, 1678 Today is the birthday of the French geophysicist, astronomer, and most notably, chronobiologist Jean-Jacques d'Ortous de Mairan. Mairan's job as a chronobiologist is a job one rarely hears about these days. In 1729, Mairan put together an experiment showing the existence of a circadian rhythm in plants. Mairan took a Mimosa pudica ("poo-DEE-cah")plant - the heliotrope commonly called the sensitive plant - and put it in constant darkness in a cupboard. All the while, he recorded the plant's behavior. And what do you know? The plant had a natural rhythm of opening and closing its leaves - even if it couldn't absorb sunlight. Now, Mairan didn't think that the plant had an internal clock, but he DID believe that it could attune itself to the sun - even if the plant was blocked from it. No matter the accuracy of Mairan's conclusions, his work was on to something, and it established the foundation for chronobiology or the internal circadian clock. November 26, 1906 Today is the anniversary of the death of the German-American horticulturist and nurseryman George Ellwanger ("El-WANG-ur"). In the mid-1800s, George Ellwanger and his Irish business partner and experienced nurseryman, Patrick Barry, claimed their Rochester, New York nursery was the largest in the world. Built on 650 acres along Mount Hope Avenue, George started his business on land that boasted an old pear orchard. A renaissance man, George also started writing books on a variety of topics - from gardening and gastronomy to poetry. A perpetual seeker, George returned to Europe to hunt for fine trees to propagate in America. The fruit of George's vision is evident throughout Rochester but perhaps no more so than in the grand European beeches that dot the city streets and parks. The beeches include several unique species like fern-leaved, copper, purple, and weeping beeches. Today, Rochester has 168 different trees within the city limits, and Charles Sprague Sargent dubbed Rochester the "City in a Forest." George and Patrick were also known for their fruit trees. In 1900, Mount Hope Nursery exhibited 118 varieties of pears at the Paris Exhibition, which won them a gold medal diploma. In 1888, George and Patrick donated 20 acres of their Mount Hope Nursery along with hundreds of plants to the City of Rochester, which resulted in the creation of beautiful Highland Park. In a Noah's-Ark-like gesture, George and Patrick donated two of every tree specimen in their nursery toward the effort to create Highland Park. Twelve years after George died on this day, The Mount Hope Nursery closed for good. Today, Highland Park is home to an annual Lilac Festival. Each year visitors stroll the grounds to smell the lilacs, visit Warner Castle and experience the Sunken Garden. Here are some words George wrote about beech trees from his lovely book called The Garden's Story: "If we take yellow alone for the color-standard, the beech is without an equal. A beech, indeed, is always beautiful. Its colors still remain attractive in late November, varying from rich Roman ochre to deep-brown bronze and from pale rose-buff to lustrous, satiny gray. Its harmony is of marked loveliness in winter, a faded elegance clinging to it like a chastened autumnal memory." And here's a thought from George regarding mushrooms from his book called The Pleasures of the Table: "Mushrooms are like men - the bad most closely counterfeit the good." November 26, 1915 Today is the anniversary of the death of the pioneer seedsman and founder of the Burpee seed company, W. Atlee Burpee - the "W" stood for Washington. Atlee died at 57; just two days after Thanksgiving in 1915. As a young boy, Atlee immigrated from England with his parents. The Burpees settled in Philadelphia, and when Burpee started his business, it was at 219 Church Street in the city of Brotherly Love. Although his father was disappointed that Atlee didn't follow in his footsteps to become a doctor, Atlee's mother was sympathetic to her son's interests. The family loved to tell how Atlee started in business selling poultry with $1,000 seed money from his mother. Atlee handled every aspect of his seed business - from writing descriptions and creating the seed packaging to create a unique catalog every year. Before Atlee, sweet peas were imported from England. By WWI, Atlee sold more sweet peas than anyone else in the world, and he even outsold British seed companies in England. Overtime, Burpee became known for Atlee's famous motto: Burpee Seeds Grow. As a result of his dedication to quality and innovation, Burpee became the world's largest mail-order seed company. The spring of 2020 brought a new milestone to Burpee. As people worldwide experienced lockdowns due to COVID-19, Burpee sold more seed than any time in its 144-year history. And here's a little-remembered fact about the founder of Burpee seeds: he was cousins on his mother's side with the legendary American botanist, horticulturist, and pioneer Luther Burbank. Unearthed Words It looked like the world was covered in a cobbler crust of brown sugar and cinnamon. — Sarah Addison Allen, American author Chestnuts are delicacies for princes and a lusty and masculine food for rustics and make women well-complexioned. — John Evelyn, English writer, gardener, and diarist T Thanks for time to be together, turkey, talk, and tangy weather. H for harvest stored away, home, and hearth, and holiday. A for autumn's frosty art and abundance in the heart. N for neighbors, and November, nice things, new things to remember. K for kitchen, kettles' croon, kith, and kin expected soon. S for sizzles, sights, and sounds, and something special that abounds. That spells THANKS for joy in living and a jolly good Thanksgiving. — Aileen Fisher, American writer, children's book author, and poet, All in a Word Grow That Garden Library Wall Art Made Easy by Barbara Ann Kirby This book came out in 2019, and the subtitle is Ready to Frame Vintage Redoute Fruit Prints: 30 Beautiful Illustrations to Transform Your Home. In this book, Barbara shares thirty beautiful fruit illustrations by Pierre-Joseph Redouté (1759-1840), the renowned painter and botanist from the Southern Netherlands. The images feature grapefruit, plums, cherries, figs, raspberries, quince, pomegranate, and other fruits from France that were painted between 1801-1819. Each 7" x 10" image is ideal for framing and can be easily removed from the book by cutting along the lines. This book is 66 pages of vintage fruit illustrations by Redouté. You can get a copy of Wall Art Made Easy by Barbara Ann Kirby and support the show using the Amazon Link in today's Show Notes for around $15. Today's Botanic Spark Reviving the little botanic spark in your heart November 26, 1907 Today is the birthday of the botanist Ruth Myrtle Patrick. Ruth developed new methods for measuring the health of freshwater ecosystems. Today, the Patrick Principle measures the biological diversity of a stream; the greater the diversity, the greater the health of the water. Ruth learned much from her botanist father, Frank. Looking back on her childhood, Ruth said, "I collected everything: worms, mushrooms, plants, rocks. I remember the feeling I got when my father would roll back the top of his big desk in the library and roll out the microscope... it was miraculous, looking through a window at the whole other world." Thanks for listening to The Daily Gardener. And remember: "For a happy, healthy life, garden every day."
Our TOPPODCAST Picks 
