Botanical History
Gentle Julia: The Adventurous Life of Julia Wilmotte Henshaw
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. November 19, 1937 On this day, Julia Wilmotte [will-MOT] Henshaw, Canadian botanist, geographer, writer, and political activist, died. Her remarkable life reads like an adventure novel – from mapping Vancouver Island’s interior to…
Read MoreDanske Dandridge: The Gardener-Poet of Rose Brake
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. November 19, 1854 On this day, Danske [“DAN-sker”] Dandridge, poet, historian, and garden writer, was born in Copenhagen, Denmark. Her story begins with a diplomatic posting—her father, Henry Bedinger, served as President James…
Read MoreAsa Gray: The Birth of American Botany’s Greatest Voice
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. November 18, 1810 On this day, Asa Gray (1810-1888) was born. He was a figure who would become America’s preeminent botanist and one of the most influential scientists of the 19th century. Born…
Read MoreArchibald Menzies’ Santa Barbara Sojourn: A Botanical Milestone
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. November 18, 1793 On this day, Archibald Menzies (MEN-zeez), the Scottish surgeon-botanist, reluctantly departed Santa Barbara aboard the HMS Discovery during Vancouver’s expedition. Menzies had spent several productive days exploring the Santa Barbara…
Read MoreGeorgia O’Keeffe: How to Make Flowers Impossible to Ignore
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. November 15, 1887 On this day, Georgia O’Keeffe was born – an artist who would revolutionize how we see flowers through her bold, modernist vision. Over her remarkable career, O’Keeffe created more than…
Read MoreWilliam Wordsworth Landscape Designer: A Winter Garden Made with Poetry
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. November 15, 1806 On this day, William Wordsworth received a life-changing invitation from Lady Margaret Willes Beaumont to design and build a winter garden at her estate in an old gravel quarry. This…
Read MoreWhen Williamsburg Bloomed: John Custis’s Garden Vision
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. November 14, 1749 On this day, John Custis IV, an American planter, politician, government official, and military officer, died. His garden legacy has recently captured headlines as archaeologists uncover what was once colonial…
Read MoreHow Nell Gwyn Won Bestwood Park: A Garden History Tale
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. November 14, 1687 Today in garden history, we remember Eleanor “Nell” Gwyn, who died at the age of 37 in her Pall Mall house in London. Known as “pretty, witty Nell” by diarist…
Read MoreFriends, Foes, and Foreign Trees: America’s Great Cherry Blossom Debate
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. November 13, 1909 On this day, Secretary of Agriculture James Wilson (WIL-sun) sent what seemed like a routine notification to the plant industry office in Seattle. Little did anyone know this simple message…
Read MoreFrom Amazon to Windsor: The Water Lily Tale
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. November 13, 1849 On this day, a most extraordinary presentation took place at Windsor Castle. Queen Victoria, known for her love of botanical wonders, was about to encounter her magnificent namesake – the…
Read MoreTherese of Bavaria: The Princess Who Found Freedom in Flowers
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. November 12, 1850 On this day, Princess Therese of Bavaria (teh-RAY-zuh of buh-VAIR-ee-uh), was born. This remarkable woman found her true calling not in the gilded halls of Bavaria’s royal palaces but in…
Read MoreBeyond The Thinker: Auguste Rodin’s Horticultural Haven
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. November 12, 1840 On this day, Auguste Rodin (oh-GOOST roh-DAN), the great French sculptor, was born. A man who found the divine in both marble and flowers – Auguste Rodin would ultimately earn…
Read MoreA Gentle Voice from the Garden: Elizabeth Roberts MacDonald
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. November 8, 1922 On this day, as the last mountain ash berries gleam against pewter skies, we remember Elizabeth Roberts MacDonald, whose poetic voice still echoes through the gardens of Maritime Canada. Today…
Read MoreWilliam Copeland McCalla: Pioneer of Alberta Botany and Botanical Photography
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. November 8, 1872 On this day, William Copeland McCalla was born Born into a family where his father ran a conservatory in St. Catharines, Ontario, McCalla developed twin passions that would define his…
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