Story B
A Flora of Concord from Thoreau’s Time to the Present Day
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. October 29, 1972 On this day, The Berkshire Eagle published a revealing article about Henry David Thoreau [pronounced: THOR-oh] titled “Thoreau: The Amateur Botanist.” The piece, penned by Wayne Hanley, drew heavily from…
Read MoreThe Accidental Aloe Enthusiast: Harold Basil Christian’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. October 28, 1871 On this day, Harold Basil Christian [KRIS-tee-un] was born. His journey into botany began with an “unsightly rock” and turned into one of the world’s most important aloe collections. Born…
Read MoreThe Professor’s Last Translation: The Green Garden Inscription at Dumbarton Oaks
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. October 25, 1840 My dear listeners, gather close, for I have the most fascinating tale of a garden, a Greek scholar, and a mysterious inscription that would perplex even the most learned minds…
Read MoreLearning from History: Vermont’s October Snowy Surprise of 1843
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. October 24, 1843 And it was on this day, my dear friend, that nature reminded us all why gardeners must never procrastinate. The New England Farmer out of Boston, Massachusetts, shared quite the…
Read MoreThe Lichen Lady: Annie Lorrain Smith’s Scientific Revolution
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. October 23, 1854 Today we also celebrate the birth of the remarkable Annie Lorrain Smith, and oh my dears, what a story she has to tell us about persistence in both gardens and…
Read MoreSeeds of Wisdom: Martha Ballard’s 19th Century Garden Journal
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. May 16, 1809 On this day, Martha Ballard, the remarkable herbalist and midwife of Hallowell, Maine, recorded her work in her meticulously kept journal. Oh, my dear gardeners, I know how much you…
Read MoreThe Botanical Brilliance of Leonardo da Vinci
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. May 2, 1519 On this day, the world bid farewell to Leonardo da Vinci, the mathematician, scientist, painter, and botanist. Ah, Leonardo, a true Renaissance man, a master of all trades. Like a…
Read MoreA Victorian Ode to May: Phebe Holder’s Botanical Poetry
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. May 1, 1890 On this day in horticultural history, the enchanting poem “A Song of May” by the esteemed New England poet and gardener Phebe Holder graced the pages of newspapers, captivating readers…
Read MoreFrom Statesman to Seedsman: Thomas Jefferson’s Garden Bliss
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. April 25, 1809 On this day, dear garden enthusiasts, we find ourselves transported to the verdant slopes of Monticello, where a most remarkable transformation was taking place. Thomas Jefferson, the venerable statesman and…
Read MoreCultivating Knowledge: Robert Bailey Thomas and the Legacy of The Old Farmer’s Almanac
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. April 24, 1766 On this day, dear readers and fellow garden enthusiasts, we celebrate the birth of a true horticultural luminary. Robert Bailey Thomas, the visionary founder, editor, and publisher of The Old…
Read MoreHesperochiron and Beyond: Sereno Watson’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. December 1, 1826 On this day in botanical history, the world welcomed Sereno Watson, a luminary whose passion for plants would forever change the landscape of American botany. Born into a world yet…
Read MoreMark Twain’s Literary Garden: Where Wit Bloomed in an Octagonal Shed
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. November 30, 1835 On this day, dear readers and fellow gardeners, a most extraordinary seed was planted in the fertile soil of American literature. Samuel Langhorne Clemens, destined to bloom into the incomparable…
Read MoreSeeds of Change: Amos Bronson Alcott’s Perennial 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, 1799 On this day in horticultural history, the world welcomed Amos Bronson Alcott, a man whose life would bloom with ideas as varied and vibrant as the most eclectic of gardens.…
Read MorePruning Words: Matsuo Basho and the Art of Haiku
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. November 28, 1694 On this day, the garden of Japanese poetry lost one of its most exquisite blooms. Matsuo Basho, the master gardener of haiku, breathed his last, leaving behind a legacy as…
Read More