Plowing New Ground: The Legacy of Harry Ferguson

Harry Ferguson Statue at his Memorial Garden at his former home at Growell

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. November 4, 1884 Today we celebrate Harry Ferguson [FUR-guh-sun], born on this day near Dromara [droh-MAR-ah] in County Down, Ireland. While we often think of gardening in terms of hand tools and intimate…

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The Arctic Gardener: Tyge Böcher’s Frozen Paradise

Professor W. Tyge Böcher in the arctic greenhouse in Copenhagen (colorized) by H. Elsted Jensen, 1981

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. October 25, 1909 Now, dear friends, let us venture north to where the arctic winds whisper tales of an extraordinary botanist born on this day. Tyge Wittrock Böcher [TEE-guh VIT-rock BER-ker] was no…

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The Pink Lady of Woodhills: Cora Older’s Legacy

Cora Baggerly Older as a young woman

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. October 24, 1875 And it was on this day in 1875, my dear friend, that a remarkable woman who would come to be known as “The Pink Lady” was born in Clyde, New…

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The Poetry of Pollinators: Neltje Blanchan’s Garden Revolution

Neltje Blanchan

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. October 23, 1865 Today we also remember the birth of Neltje Blanchan, and oh my dears, if Annie Lorrain Smith taught us to see the microscopic world of lichens, Blanchan taught an entire…

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Chestnut Champion: Luigi Fenaroli’s Nutty Crusade

Luigi Fenaroli

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. May 16, 1899 On this day, the world welcomed Luigi Fenaroli, a renowned Italian agronomist and botanist whose passion for plants would leave an indelible mark on the field of forestry and botany.…

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The Newfoundland and the New Frontier: Seaman’s Tale

Captain Meriwether Lewis

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. May 2, 1803 On this verdant day, the United States, a fledgling nation, expanded its borders significantly when Napoleon ceded the vast Louisiana Territory to the Americans for a mere pittance. A botanist’s…

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From a Duke’s Gardens to Botanical Immortality: Thomas Hoy’s Legacy

Hoya Flower

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. May 1, 1822 On this day, the horticultural world bid farewell to Thomas Hoy, an English gardener, horticulturist, and botanist of considerable repute. Hoy’s life was a testament to the dedication and passion…

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The Pastor’s Passion: George Herbert Engleheart and His Daffodil Devotion

George Herbert Engleheart

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. April 25, 1851 On this day, dear garden enthusiasts, the world welcomed a true horticultural hero into its midst. George Herbert Engleheart, an English pastor with a divine passion for daffodils, drew his…

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Blooming Against the Odds: Ellsworth Jerome Hill’s Botanical Triumph

Ellsworth Jerome Hill

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. December 1, 1833 On this day, dear friends of the garden and admirers of human perseverance, a most remarkable individual drew his first breath. Ellsworth Jerome Hill, destined to become a Presbyterian minister,…

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Anne of Green Gables and the Author’s Green Haven

Lucy Maud Montgomery, 1930

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. November 30, 1874 On this day in literary and horticultural history, Lucy Maud Montgomery, the beloved Canadian author of the Anne of Green Gables series, entered the world on Prince Edward Island. Her…

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Potatoes and Prose: The Wit and Wisdom of Louisa May Alcott

Louisa May Alcott

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. November 29, 1832 On this day, a literary blossom unfurled in the gardens of New England – Louisa May Alcott, destined to become one of America’s most beloved writers and poets, drew her…

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Gottlieb Haberlandt: The Man Who Saw a Forest in a Single Cell

Gottlieb Haberlandt

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. November 28, 1854 On this day, a seed of scientific innovation was planted with the birth of Gottlieb Haberlandt, an Austrian botanist whose ideas would blossom into revolutionary horticultural practices. Haberlandt, much like…

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From Harvard to Herbarium: The Blooming Legacy of Asa Gray

Asa Gray, circa 1870s

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, the botanical world welcomed a true titan of the field – Asa Gray, whose birth heralded a new era in the study of plant life and the…

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