April 29, 2019 Perennial Defined, Agnes Chase, Cornelia Vanderbilt’s Wedding, Alfred Hitchcock, Ron McBain, #AmericanSpringLive, Botany Bay, Mary Gilmore, Garden-Pedia, Composting, and the Significance of Grass

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Monologue

Merriam-Webster gives the following synonyms for the word perennial:

abiding, enduring, perpetual, undying

Those terms can give gardeners unrealistic expectations for their perennials.

They're not eternal. They will eventually part ways with your garden.

But, for as long as they can, your perennials will make a go of it. Returning to the garden after their season of dieback and rest.

Ready to grow.

Ready for you to see them and love them all over again.

Botanical History On This Day

1869 Agnes Chase was born, a fearless agrostologist who classified the world’s grasses, raised her own expedition funds, and worked tirelessly under the red towers of the Smithsonian.

1924 Cornelia Vanderbilt’s wedding at Biltmore became a triumph of garden ingenuity when estate gardeners fashioned lavish bouquets from forsythia, tulips, dogwood, and quince.

1980 Alfred Hitchcock died, a director who believed places were the true stars, from garden parties on film to reels rediscovered in a New Zealand shed.

2017 Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s cherry blossom festival proceeded on schedule, regardless of nature’s timing, proving gardeners are eternal optimists.

2017 Ron MacBain, Tucson florist and devoted gardener of Winterhaven, died, leaving behind flowers arranged first in vases and later on canvas.

Unearthed Words

Old Botany Bay by Mary Gilmore honors the knotted hands of Australia’s founders, recalling Captain Cook’s 1770 landing and the human cost behind the landscape.

Grow That Garden Library™

Read The Daily Gardener’s review of
Garden-pedia by Pamela Bennett and Maria Zampini

Buy the book on Amazon:
Garden-pedia by Pamela Bennett and Maria Zampini

Today’s Garden Chore

Nothing green or brown leaves the property, a composting mantra worth adopting, turning every leaf and clipping into future fertility.

Today’s Botanic Spark

Agnes Chase’s inspiring belief in grass reminds us that civilization itself rests on humble plants, quietly holding the earth together.

Thanks for listening to The Daily Gardener

And remember: For a happy, healthy life, garden every day.