May 20, 2019 Knives in the Garden, National Pick Strawberries Day, Horatio Hollis Hunnewell, Chelsea Flower Show, Paul Martin’s Lazy Salad Days, John Milton’s Song on a May Morning, Wild Fruits by Thoreau, Edge Gardening, and Ludwig Leichhardt

Subscribe

Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart

Support The Daily Gardener

Buy Me A Coffee 

Connect for FREE!

The Friday Newsletter |  Daily Gardener Community

Monologue

Have you ever used a knife as a garden tool?

Serrated knives are my favorite to use in the garden.

The word serrated has Latin origins, meaning “saw-shaped”; think of the serrated edges of Maple leaves.

If you are a thrift shopper, at Goodwill, they keep most of the donated knives in a case at the front of the store. You can just ask to see if they have any serrated knives - they are so handy in the garden for weeding and working with difficult spaces like between pavers or even just wearing out the root systems of weeds through continuous cutting above ground.

Botanical History On This Day

2019 National Pick Strawberries Day reminds us that nothing rivals a sun-warmed berry eaten straight from the vine, a fruit as charming historically as it is botanically curious with its seeds worn proudly on the outside.

1902 Horatio Hollis Hunnewell, railroad magnate and passionate plantsman, died, leaving behind his legendary Wellesley estate, America’s first topiary garden, and a horticultural legacy that drew thousands to the shores of Lake Waban. Horatio Hollis Hunnewell

1913 The first Chelsea Flower Show opened its gates at Chelsea General Hospital, ushering in what would become the most influential flower show in the world. Chelsea Flower Show

2003 Paul Martin won a silver medal at the Chelsea Flower Show for his garden.  Lazy Salad Days was a witty and relaxed celebration of edible gardening that proved lettuces could lounge as stylishly as roses.

Unearthed Words

Song on May Morning by John Milton greets the season with cowslips, primroses, and a lyrical bow to bounteous May, who never arrives without stirring both youth and desire. :contentReference[oaicite:3]{index=3}

Grow That Garden Library™

Read The Daily Gardener’s review of Wild Fruits by Henry David Thoreau, his lyrical and unfinished meditation on berries, nuts, and hedgerow treasures.

Buy the book on Amazon: Wild Fruits by Henry David Thoreau

Today's Botanic Spark

1846 Ludwig Leichhardt, writing from the Australian bush, shared a moving letter about hardship, lost specimens, and undimmed hope, reminding us that the history of botany is written as much in sacrifice as in discovery.

Thanks for listening to The Daily Gardener

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