Botanic Spark
Amy Baik Lee’s Garden Meditation: The Sacred Ritual of Closing the Garden
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. November 19, 2021 On this day, author and blogger Amy Baik [“Beck”] Lee captured the bittersweet moment every gardener knows – the annual closing of the garden. In a post on her blog,…
Read MoreBeatrix Farrand’s 1916 Vision for the NYBG’s Rose Garden
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. November 18, 1916 On this day, renowned landscape architect Beatrix Farrand (FAIR-rand) created a visionary rose garden plan for the New York Botanical Garden. This garden would become one of the most significant…
Read MoreThe $5.5 Million Garden Album: Empress Josephine’s Botanical Treasure
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. November 15, 1985 On this day, a phenomenal piece of botanical history changed hands at Sotheby’s auction house: Empress Josephine’s personal copy of Pierre-Joseph Redouté’s (pee-AIR zho-ZEFF reh-doo-TAY) botanical watercolors for “Les Liliacées”…
Read MoreRobert Buist: The Scotsman Who Shaped American Gardens
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. November 14, 1805 Robert Buist, florist and nurseryman was born near Edinburgh, Scotland. Trained at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, Buist emigrated to Philadelphia in 1828 at age 23, where he would become…
Read MoreThe Dangerous World of Rare Orchids: A Tale of Beauty and Deception
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. November 13, 1989 On this day, the Sarasota Herald-Tribune published a story that lifted the veil on the shadowy world of rare orchid trading. The article focused on Limerick Inc. and an alleged…
Read MoreThe Mother of Ripon College was a Botanist: The Inspiring True Story of Clarissa Tracy
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. November 12, 1818 On this day, Clarissa Tucker Tracy, a passionate botanist and the Mother of Ripon (RIP-un) College, is born. Clarissa was a remarkable woman who found her life’s purpose in both…
Read MoreRemembering Margaret Mitchell and the Botanical Aspects of Gone With the Wind
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. November 8, 1900 Margaret Mitchell, the American southern writer of Gone with the Wind, is born. Her friends and family called her Peggy. Margaret grew up in Georgia, surrounded by relatives who had…
Read MoreRuth Pitter: The Gardener-Poet of Hainault Forest
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. November 7, 1897 Today in botanical history, we celebrate Ruth Pitter [PIT-er] (1897-1992), a remarkable British poet whose deep connection to nature, primarily through her beloved Hainault Forest, shaped her literary legacy. Pitter’s…
Read MoreRemembering Martha Turnbull and her Rosedown Plantation Diary
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. October 25, 1973 My dear garden friends, let me transport you back exactly 50 years to a charming story that began with a simple newspaper article about two extraordinary plantsmen. “No Garden Should…
Read MoreFrom Muckraker to Garden Maker: Ida Tarbell at Twin Oaks
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. November 5, 1857 On this day, Ida Tarbell was born – a woman who would become known for exposing Standard Oil’s monopolistic practices but who found her greatest peace tending to her beloved…
Read MoreSaving Summer: The Indoor Garden Encore
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. November 4, 1994 On this day, garden writer Barbara Pleasant finished writing her article about extending summer’s joy through winter by bringing our beloved bedding plants indoors. The article appeared in the Montgomery…
Read MoreA Pioneering Voice in Texas Botany: Maude Jeannie Young
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. November 1, 1826 Maude Jeannie Fuller Young (pronounced “MAW-duh JEE-nee FULL-er YOUNG”) was born on this day in 1826. Though she would become known for many accomplishments, it’s her groundbreaking contribution to botanical…
Read MoreA Gardener’s Last Spring: Remembering Edward Ward
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. October 31, 1804 On this day, gardener Edward Ward laid down his trowel for the last time. He was 92. Edward wasn’t just any gardener – he was part of an extraordinary lineage…
Read MoreFinding Heaven in the Sky – Alfred Sisley’s Garden Wisdom
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. October 30, 1839 Today, we find inspiration in the words of Impressionist painter Alfred Sisley, born on this day in Paris. Though primarily known for his landscapes, Sisley’s artistic philosophy offers profound wisdom…
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