April 23, 2019 Nighttime Temperatures, Lisa Mason Ziegler, William Darlington, Thomas Grant Harbison, William Shakespeare, Elizabeth Cameron, Spring Rain for Houseplants, Barbara Pleasant, and Summer Parties at Biltmore
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Monologue
There's a soldier's prayer that goes,
"Stay with me, God. The night is dark,
The night is cold: my little spark
Of courage dies. The night is long;
Be with me, God, and make me strong."
Dark. Cold. Long.
Words that describe Winter.
And that's why it is so easy to get excited about the first nice days of spring.
"It was 80 degrees today!"
"It's going to be above 70 all next week!"
Well, hold your horses.
You forget about the nights.
Dark. Cold. Long.
No fun for tender transplants.
Over in the FB group for listeners of the show, listener Denise Pugh shared an awesome Facebook Live session put on by one of the best: Lisa Mason Ziegler from The Gardener's Workshop.
In the video, Lisa mentions the secret to successful transitioning of transplants from indoors to outdoors - the secret is consistent nighttime temps of 60 degrees or higher.
She's got a ton of other sage pieces of wisdom as well for growing warm-weather crops - so head on over to the Daily Gardener Community on Facebook and check out the replay. In the meantime, remember to curb your enthusiasm about those first lovely warm days of spring. Save the real celebration for the arrival of warm nights.
Botanical History On This Day
1863 William Darlington, the Quaker botanist and physician, died. His Florula Cestrica and devotion to Bartram and Marshall helped preserve early American botany.
1862 Thomas Grant Harbison, self-taught botanist and legendary field collector, was born. His survivalist grit and sharp eye revealed hundreds of trees and shrubs of the American South.
Unearthed Words
1616 Shakespeare’s garden lines bloom on the anniversary of his death, with rosemary for remembrance, pansies for thoughts, and wild thyme blowing where Titania sleeps.
Grow That Garden Library™
Read The Daily Gardener’s review of
A Wild Flower Alphabet by Elizabeth Cameron
Buy the book on Amazon:
A Wild Flower Alphabet by Elizabeth Cameron
Today’s Garden Chore
Spring rain shower for houseplants refreshes leaves and spirits alike, sending plants back indoors clean, scented, and revived.
Today’s Botanic Spark
Biltmore’s summer parties remind us that botanists once raced, jumped, and tugged ropes for prizes, with Thomas Harbison earning five dollars and plenty of pride on a hot July afternoon.
Thanks for listening to The Daily Gardener
And remember: For a happy, healthy life, garden every day.
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