May 30, 2019 Extra Garden Tools, Voltaire, Gustav Leopold Miller, the Brush Weeder, Bill Burt, National Mint Julep Day, Cicily Mary Barker, The Lilac Fairyx, Green Thoughts, Eleanor Perenyi, Perennial Vines, and Concealing Unsightly Clothesline Posts
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Monologue
Today I'm heading to Walmart at 1 o'clock to pick up my mobile order. It has a ton of things I need to get for my student gardeners.
When the kids help me out in the garden, I put them in teams of two, and I generally have 6 to 8 kids helping me out in the garden on any given day. That means I need to have multiples of some of my favorite garden tools.
So, today, I'm picking up a whisk broom and eight pruners. The whisk brooms are for some of the detailed work we will do along the garden paths. This year, we will be adding some polymeric sand.
And the pruners, of course, are for all the pruning that will be done. In fact, one of the first things they learn is to chop and drop, allowing small pieces of plant material to fall back to the earth.
Botanical History On This Day
1778 Voltaire, the great French writer and philosopher, died. He left gardeners everywhere with his enduring wisdom from Candide: “We must cultivate our garden.”
1884 Gustav Leopold Miller, inventor of the brush weeder, was born in Illinois, later donating his first invention to the Red Cross and transforming weed control in American cornfields.
2008 Brian Lawrence “Bill” Burt, English botanist and Gesneriaceae expert, died. His plant expeditions helped make African violets and Streptocarpus beloved windowsill companions.
Today is National Mint Julep Day, and it reminds us that no proper julep is complete without fresh spearmint — a small but essential botanical indulgence.
Unearthed Words
Cicely Mary Barker, beloved illustrator of fairies and flowers, lends her voice to May with a lyrical celebration of lilac, laburnum, and the sweetness of spring in bloom.
Grow That Garden Library™
Read The Daily Gardener review of Green Thoughts by Eleanor Perenyi
Buy the book on Amazon: Green Thoughts by Eleanor Perenyi
Today's Botanic Spark
1906 A Wisconsin newspaper offered gardeners timeless advice on beautifying the backyard, disguising unsightly clothesline posts with vines and lilacs, and adding living greenery. As in the home, even practical spaces outdoors deserve grace.
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And remember: For a happy, healthy life, garden every day.
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