Story A Archives

The Walking Botanist: Celebrating Charles Wright

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. October 29, 1811 Today we celebrate the birthday of Charles Wright born on this day in Wethersfield, Connecticut. Wright embodied the spirit of botanical exploration in early America, becoming one of the most…

A Count’s Legacy: The Botanical Adventures of Hippolyte François Jaubert

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. October 28, 1798 Today we celebrate Count Hippolyte François Jaubert [ee-po-LEET frahn-SWAH zho-BEAR], a fascinating figure who bridged the worlds of politics and botany in 19th century France. Though his heart yearned for…

The Secret Garden Life of Patrick Neill: Edinburgh’s Horticultural Hero

Patrick Neill (1776-1851) courtesy The Royal Society of Edinburgh.

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. October 25, 1776 It was on this day, dear listeners, that one of gardening’s most intriguing figures made his entrance into our world. Patrick Neill [PAT-rick NEEL] (October 25, 1776 – September 3,…

Marianne North: The Victorian Artist Who Painted the World’s Flora

Marianne North at her home in Ceylon in customary attire for women of the time.

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. October 24, 1830 And it was on this day, my dear friend, that one of the most extraordinary botanical artists ever to wield a brush drew her first breath in Hastings, England. I…

The Yorkshire Alchemist: William Casson’s Revolutionary Garden Legacy

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. October 23, 1796 It was on this day that William Casson was born. He entered our gardening story on what historical records tell us was an unusually warm October morning in Yorkshire. Now,…

The Statesman’s Green Thumb: William Henry Seward’s Botanical Legacy

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. May 16, 1801 William Henry Seward, a man destined to shape both political landscapes and literal gardens, drew his first breath on this day. As we mark the anniversary of his birth, let…

The Explorer’s Rose: John Cabot’s Lasting (and Thorny) Impact

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. May 2, 1497 On this day, John Cabot, the intrepid Canadian Explorer, set sail from Bristol, England, on his ship, Matthew. Little did he know that his quest for a westward route would…

Karl Friedrich von Gaertner: Cultivating the Future of Plant Science

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. May 1, 1772 On this day, Karl Friedrich von Gaertner, a German botanist with a name that destiny seemed to have chosen, was born. Gaertner, which translates to “gardener,” was indeed a fitting…

Sermons in the Soil: The Naturalist-Parson Gilbert White

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. April 25, 1766 On this day, dear readers and fellow garden enthusiasts, a most delightful exchange occurred between two gentlemen of wit and wisdom. John Mulso, with quill in hand, penned a letter…

The Cobbler’s Garden: Jakob Böhme and the Divine Language of Plants

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. April 24, 1575 On this day, dear garden enthusiasts and seekers of celestial wisdom, we celebrate the birth of Jakob Böhme, a German philosopher, Christian mystic, and Lutheran Protestant theologian whose ideas continue…

From Borage to Brownwort: John Gerard’s Revolutionary Herbal

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. December 1, 1597 On this day, as winter’s chill began to embrace the English countryside, a most extraordinary tome unfurled its pages to the world. John Gerard, that esteemed English herbalist, unveiled his…

Chamomile & Camphor: A Day in the Life of Colonial Herbalist Martha Ballard

Martha Ballard memorial statue in Mill Park, Augusta Maine with her Nov 1791 journal entry in the background.

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. November 30, 1791 On this day, in the annals of herbal history, Martha Ballard, the esteemed herbalist and midwife of Hallowell, Maine, put quill to paper and recorded her daily work. Little did…

Sowing the Seeds of Scientific Language: John Ray’s Linguistic Legacy

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. November 29, 1627 On this day, a seed of scientific inquiry was planted in the fertile soil of England – John Ray, destined to become a pioneering naturalist and writer, drew his first…

“Nullius in Verba”: The Royal Society and the Cultivation of Knowledge

Coat of arms of the Royal Society of London.

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. November 28, 1660 On this day, a seed was planted that would grow into one of the most influential scientific bodies in history. A group of forward-thinking individuals gathered for what would become…