Botanic Spark Archives

Charles and Janice Jensen

The Night Before Christmas Over the years, newspapers have shared a parody of The Night Before Christmas, written by Charles and Janice Jensen in the 1960s. The original version first appeared in the New York Times, and as I share it with you, you’ll realize how far we’ve come since the 1960s in terms of…

Pat Vander Velden

Mystical Mistletoe December 23, 1978 On this day, The Oshkosh Northwestern out of Oshkosh, Wisconsin, published a story called Mystical Mistletoe Is Historical Sprig By Pat Vander Velden. “Pliny the Elder, a first-century Roman naturalist, was one of the first freelance writers to recognize mistletoe as a lucrative story idea. He chronicled the esteem…

Claudia Alta Taylor Johnson

An American Socialite December 22, 1912 Today is the birthday of the American socialite and the First Lady of the United States as the wife of the 36th President, Lyndon B. Johnson, Claudia Alta Taylor Johnson who always went by “Lady Bird”. On her 70th birthday, Lady Bird made her greatest contribution to American…

Law of Capillary Attraction

The Right Way to Water Plants December 21, 1917 On this day, The Weekly Tribune out of Cape Girardeau, Missouri, shared a little story about the Right Way to Water Plants. Now back in 1917, the concept of watering plants via wicking was new and confusing. Here’s a little glimpse into how it was…

Tom Cox

A Knack for Trees December 18, 1999 On this day, The Marshfield News-Herald out of Marshfield, Wisconsin, published a story called “Dream Fulfilled: Georgia Man Lovingly Cultivates Arboretum at His Home.” The story features Tom Cox, a man who has a passion for trees. Here’s an excerpt: “Tom, 54, is a boy on a…

Star Phoenix Story

Country Cottage Garden December 16, 1916 On this day, an adorable little story was shared in the Star Phoenix out of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. “A famous botanist was pacing slowly along a country road, his eyes, as usual, roaming from side to side for new plants to study. Suddenly an eager look swept across his futures,…

Boston Ivy

“Fenway Park” Ivy The other day, I stumbled on this Q&A featured in The Arizona Daily Star: “Question: A recent gardening article referred to a form of Boston Ivy known as “Fenway Park.” The writer described it as a sprout from the famed dark green vine that clings to the wall of Boston’s baseball stadium.…

Camellias

The Alabama State Flower December 14, 1819 On this day, Alabama became the 22nd state to join the Union. Forty years later, the Camellia (“kah-MEE-lee-ah”) became the official state flower of Alabama. Before that, Alabama’s state flower was the Goldenrod. Camellia is an evergreen plant in the tea family. The flower size of Camellias can…

Fiorello LaGuardia

The Little Flower December 11, 1882 Happy birthday to the Little Flower, aka Fiorello LaGuardia, born on this day in 1882 on Sullivan Street in Greenwich Village. During his lifetime, Mayor LaGuardia was often referred to as the Little Flower (Fiorello means little flower in Italian). And although the reference could have been construed as…

Henry Nicholas Ridley

Mad Ridley December 10, 1855 Today is the birthday of the English botanist, geologist, and naturalist Henry Nicholas Ridley. As the first Director of the Singapore Botanic Garden, Henry arrived in Singapore in 1888. Henry has been described as the Rubber Tree’s Johnny Appleseed because he single-handedly pioneered Malaya’s rubber industry. Not only did…

Mrs. Peyton Zieger

“Sweet Ideas for Sweet Potatoes” 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…

Sugarplum Tree

A Purpose for Pinecones 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…

Willa Cather

Frontier Life Novels 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…

Edna Walling

Australia’s Excellent Landscape Designer 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…