Botanic Spark
Celebrity Garden Designer Greg Fisk Shares His Top Tips for Creating Dried Flower Arrangements and Flower Drying Pro Tips
“The unique advantage of microwave flower drying is that the delicate natural color of the bloom is preserved because the drying time is a fraction of traditional methods.” February 23, 1991 On this day, the Hartford Courant shared an article written by Anne Farrow called Garden of Everlasting Delights. This fantastic article features Gregg Fisk of Gregg Fisk…
Read MoreRemembering Linnaeus’s Favorite Student: Swedish Botanist Pehr Loefling aka The Vulture
“Pehr was just 27 years old when he died of malaria on the banks of the Caroní River at a Mission outpost on this day in 1756. He was buried beneath an orange tree.” February 22, 1756 Today is the anniversary of the death of the handsome and tall Swedish botanist – and a favorite…
Read MoreUnusual Taxidermic Needlepoint with Scottish Naturalist Eliza Brightwen
“The bones were cleaned, boiled, and dried. They were used as the wings for embroidered insects or leaves for flowers.” February 19, 1974 On this day, The Journal Herald out of Dayton, Ohio, published a little snippet about the naturalist Eliza Brightwen and her unusual needlepoint methods: If you are tired of the same crewel and needlepoint…
Read More1996 Ushered in a New Era Fairchild Tropical Garden: the Debut of the $1M Rare Plant House Conservatory
“Plants will no longer be subjected to chemicals in city water but to rainwater collected in two cisterns that will hold 45,000 gallons.” February 18, 1996 On this day, The Miami Herald shared a story about rebuilding the rare plant house at the Fairchild Botanical Garden. “The born-again rare-plant house at the Fairchild Tropical Garden called Windows…
Read MoreWhy the Little Month of February has TWO Birth Flowers: the Violet and the Primrose; the Surprising Answer Along with Fun Facts
“Napoleon’s followers used the violet to weed out his detractors. They would ask strangers if they liked violets; a positive response was a sign of loyalty.” Even though roses are often associated with February, thanks to Valentine’s Day, February’s birth flower is not the rose. Instead, February has two birth flowers: the Violet and the…
Read MoreRemembering Josephine Margetts: Gardener, Politician, and Lover of Nature
“She hadn’t the heart to pull it up, she said, and so it grew and grew until it rivaled the height of the tallest hollies and its expanding girth forced strollers to detour around it.” In researching Josephine Margetts — the woman who created the bill for the State Flower of New Jersey (the Violet)…
Read MoreElite English Garden Designer David Stevens’ Advice to American Gardeners: Break the Garden into Rooms
“It is important, especially for North Americans with large, open backyards, to break down the garden space into a series of smaller rooms. If you see everything at once, it becomes uninteresting.” February 15, 1992 On this day, The Vancouver Sun shared a story by Steve Whysall called “Break Outdoor Spaces into Series of Small…
Read MoreCelebrating the English Poet and Picturesque Gardener William Mason: A Garden is the Greatest Refreshment to the Spirit
“Mason accomplished a radical change; straight lines in borders and beds were out. Circular beds were in.” February 12, 1724 Today is the birthday of the poet and gardener William Mason. The Reverend William Mason was also a writer, artist, and garden designer. Mason is remembered for creating the romance of the country house garden.…
Read MoreFour Favorite Garden-Inspired Verses About Love for Valentine’s Month
“You came when most needed, my winter rose.” I thought I’d close the show today by getting you ready for Valentine’s Day with a few of my favorite garden-inspired verses about love. Violet has the shortest wavelength of the spectrum. Behind it, the invisible ultraviolet. Roses are Red, Violets are Blue. Poor Violet, violated…
Read MoreRemembering Laura Ingalls Wilder though her Nature and Garden Writing
“The voices of Nature do not speak so plainly to us as we grow older, but I think it is because, in our busy lives, we neglect her until we grow out of sympathy.” February 10, 1957 Today is the anniversary of the death of Laura Ingalls Wilder. One of the reasons so many of…
Read MorePreparing the Spring Garden: A Look at February Chores from 1889
“Whatever… winter work remains must now be cleared up, or the consequences will be serious.” February 9, 1889 On this day, The Lancaster Gazette shared a little snippet about the garden chores that should be done this week. Let’s see how our chores stack up against chores from the late 1800s. Outdoor Work must have a full…
Read MoreJane Austen’s Letter to her Sister Cassandra and a Closer Look at the Beautiful Laburnum
“We know from Jane’s letters to her sister Cassandra that gardens brought her joy and were also regulating.” February 8, 1807 Jane Austen wrote to her sister, Cassandra. Jane loved gardens. She had a heart for ornamentals, herbs, and kitchen gardening. And her family always had a garden – growing their food and beautifying their…
Read MoreCelebrating Friedrich Welwitsch and the Surreal-Looking Tree: Welwitschia mirabilis
In 1862, Joseph Dalton Hooker described the plant as “the ugliest yet [most] botanically magnificent plant in the world.” February 5, 1806 Today is the birthday of the Austrian botanist and explorer Friedrich Welwitsch. Friedrich found a second home in Portugal, where he served as the Botanic Gardens director in Lisbon. Friedrich had some…
Read MoreA Second Look at Weeds with Pamela Jones: Yarrow, Chicory, Horsetail, Shepherd’s Purse, Ground Ivy, Oh My!
“I would like to see the word weed abolished altogether for being one of the most intolerant, negative words in the English language.” February 4, 1995 On this day, the North County Times ran a little article about weeds. It started with this question: “What do Yarrow, Chicory, Horsetail, Shepherd’s Purse, and Ground Ivy have…
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