May 17, 2019 Ready to Garden, Botticelli, George Glenny, Requirements for Plant Explorers, Bernadette Cozart, Rocky Mountain Field Botany Course, Market Garden Workshop at Green Cauldron Farm, James Hunt, The Golden Circle, Hal Borland, and another Photo Friday in the Garden
Are you feeling it yet? The urge to get going in the garden?
I was reading a book from 1915 about spring, it started this way, "If you are not dead, you will feel the sap start within you..."
Everyone comes to the garden in their own time.
If you're not yet ready to put your pots together or take on gardening the way you did last year, that's completely fine.
Sometimes the seasons of our lives, don't align with the seasons of the year.
In seasons of loss or grief or depression, we can lose time. We can be out of sync.
If that is happening to you this season, please know it is ok to take a break.
Instead, enjoy the beauty around you in ways that feel right to you... until you feel the sap start within you again...
Brevities
#OTD Today, in 1510, Italian Renaissance master Sandro Botticelli died.
His painting Allegory of Abundance or Autumn is one of his most elaborate and detailed drawings, and it depicts an abundance of flowers and fruits.
#OTD Today, in 1874, the horticultural hornet, George Glenny, died. He was 83 years old.
Glenny was an opinionated gardener. Known for his sharp tongue and difficult personality, he was called the horticultural hornet by Will Tjaden. He was critical of John Claudius Loudon, Joseph Paxton, and Joseph Harrison. And yet, he was benevolent, assisting the efforts of numerous charities and causes during his time, including the Duke of York Column in London.
Glenny started the Horticultural Journal, which was followed in 1837 with the first garden newspaper, The Gardeners' Gazette. These early accomplishments brought Glenny much satisfaction; he knew his work was taken to heart by his readers, and his suggestions were being acted upon. As the editor of his paper wrote,
"There will be few to deny that his vigorous pen has contributed as much as, that of any single writer to the great and ever-increasing popularity of gardening amongst the people."
Through it all, Glenny was a devoted garden writer, sharing his knowledge of gardening with the people, week in and week out, through the very first gardening column and through numerous other articles and writings. His books were affordable; anyone could buy them - and they did. During the Victorian age, Glenny was an active contributor to garden literature. No doubt, Glenny's advice was swirling about in the heads of many new gardeners.
#OTD Today, in 1934, The Times Herald out of Port Huron, Michigan, shared quite the article about Plant Exploration.
With the onset of commencement season, The USDA Would receive an annual batch of letters asking about "agricultural exploring as a career, what the job is, how to qualify, and what the future prospects are."
The article shared that answers to those questions would be spelled out this way:
"Knowles A. Ryerson, formerly in charge of the plant exploration before his promotion to Chief of the Bureau of Plant Industry, recognizes such ambition as the natural outcropping of adventurous spirits, and he sympathizes with the boy whose mind is turning that way.
An agricultural explorer has to be a natural plant lover and must have studied botany and other plant subjects, and must have worked with plants in the field and garden. In addition, he must have a good general education as well as sound technical knowledge.
He must have certain other Indispensable qualities - robust health and a good sense of humor.
He must not only stand hard traveling in rugged countries day after day, but must be able to go to bed on an empty stomach after a trying day's work and sleep on a rough box without feeling abused.
I see no Indication that plant exploration will become unnecessary, but every indication that the requirements for plant exploration will continue to become even more exacting.
I would not want to discourage any boy from the effort, but there is no denying that it would-be Plant Hunter has a man-sized job ahead of him if he is to prepare himself to qualify for one of the relatively few openings."
#OTD Today is the birthday of Bernadette Cozart, born in 1949.
Cozart was a professional gardener and urban gardening advocate.
She founded the greening of Harlem coalition in 1989. Her efforts transformed Harlem, bringing flower gardens and green spaces.
It was Bernadette Cozart who said,
"Instead of taking children on field trips to see farms and gardens, why not bring nature into the community? I don't think it's fair that they should have to go outside the community to have that experience of seeing things grow."
#OTD Today in Lafayette Colorado, the Colorado School of Clinical Herbalism starts its Rocky Mountain Field Botany Certificate Course.
Designed to provide a thorough introduction to field botany, positive plant identification, wild-crafting ethics, and Sustainable harvesting and preservation techniques, this year, they will have an additional focus on wild edible plants.
#OTD Today in New Zealand, there is a one-day interactive workshop open to anyone interested in learning more about the concept of market gardening, creating one for personal food production, or setting one up as a business.
The workshop is sponsored by the Green Cauldron Farm and presented by a range of industry experts, including internationally renowned bio-intensive gardening educator and restoration grazing consultant Jodi Roebuck from Roebuck Farm.
This is a unique opportunity to hear and learn from industry leaders about how to start and operate a successful market garden, with the workshop conducted on the 105-acre Green Cauldron Farm, set in the beautiful Tyalgum ("Tal-gum") hills just one hour from the Gold Coast and nestled in the shadow of Mt Warning.
The brainchild of Katie and James Geralds, the farm was established as a research and development hub to realize their goal of innovative and sustainable use of harvests from around the region.
It already produces a range of fresh produce supplied to some of the best-known restaurants in South East Queensland and a range of pantry preserves highlighting Australian native ingredients.
Unearthed Words: May and the Poets by James Henry Leigh Hunt
A poem naming a handful of the poets to have written about Maytime
There is May in books forever;
May will part from Spenser never;
May’s in Milton, May’s in Prior,
May’s in Chaucer, Thomson, Dyer;
May’s in all the Italian books:—
She has old and modern nooks,
Where she sleeps with nymphs and elves,
In happy places, they call shelves,
And will rise and dress your rooms
With a drapery thick with blooms.
Come, ye rains, then if ye will,
May’s at home, and with me still;
But come rather, thou, good weather,
And find us in the fields together.
Today's book recommendation: “The Golden Circle” (1977) by Hal Borland
This is a book of writings for children, arranged by months of the year. I love these month-by-month books. The drawings in this book are outstanding.Mr. Borland won the John Burroughs Medal, considered the country's highest award for nature writing, in 1968. Two of his books, “Sundial of the Seasons” (1964) and “An American Year” (1973), are collections of his editorials. His other books include “A Place to Begin: The New England Experience” (1976).
Today's Garden Chore
It's another Photo Friday in the Garden.
Today take pictures of all the trees in your garden. Trees provide your garden with tremendous structure and a ceiling - making your space seem more intimate.
Something Sweet
Reviving the little botanic spark in your heart
After researching George Glenny, I came across his obituary, which appeared in Lloyd's weekly newspaper ten days after his passing.
It talked about how, for 25 years, Mr. Glenny's Garden article had faithfully appeared in the paper. In fact, he had sent his last column to the editor only a day or two before his death.
Glenny had titled his article "A Few Words For Myself." But, then, he must've had a change of heart because he had crossed that out. Whatever new title he thought would be better never made it onto the page. His readers, no doubt, were moved by his recollections - especially since they knew that Glenny was gone. Here's what he wrote about his life:
"Sixty-seven years ago I had a very fine collection of auriculas and of twenty rows of tulips, and visited several good amateur cultivators, from whom I received great encouragement and occasionally presents of flowers and plants.
I cultivated my stock at Hackney.
I was soon old enough to attend floral meetings, and there were plenty of them at Bethnal-green, Hoxton, Islington, Hackney, and other suburban localities.
And from observation of the doings of the most successful amateurs I had become a very successful grower of the auricula, the tulip, ranunculus, polyanthus, and other florists' flowers.
I had learned something from everybody and took many prizes.
I then, at the earnest request of some real friends of floriculture, wrote treatises upon all the flowers I had cultivated, and they were all founded on my own practice."
Thanks for listening to the daily gardener,
and remember:
"For a happy, healthy life, garden every day."
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