June 17, 2019 Reusing Potting Soil, Edwin Hunt, James Weldon Johnson, Alexander Braun, Nellie McClung, the University of Wisconsin’s Arboretum, Emily Dickinson, Joanne Shaw, The Plant Hunters by Carolyn Fry, Geranium Care, and Lajos Kossuth

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Monologue

Do you change the soil in your window boxes and containers every spring?

You really don't need to - I don't.

Here's what I do instead:

I remove about a quarter to a third of the soil from my containers and put it in my potting soil bin.

Then, I add a little perlite and compost to the original container, and that's it.

Any extra potting soil that I have leftover in my bin, I use for new containers.

Botanical History On This Day

1869 Edwin Hunt collected the last known specimen of the Dragon’s Mouth Orchid in New York’s Oriskany Swamp. He was a meticulous botanist remembered for his tireless pace, guarded wisdom, and devotion to preserving what was rare.

1871 James Weldon Johnson, poet, lyricist, and Harlem Renaissance leader, was born. His garden retreat, Five Acres, inspired works of enduring beauty.

1879 Alexander Braun was honored with a monument at the Botanical Garden of Berlin, commemorating his influential work on plant morphology.

1916 Nellie McClung was photographed with suffragette leader Emmeline Pankhurst. McClung’s writing and gardening nourished her reformist spirit.

1934 The University of Wisconsin Arboretum was officially dedicated, fulfilling a vision first imagined by naturalist Increase Lapham and shaped by Aldo Leopold and William Longenecker.

Unearthed Words

June Remembered by Emily Dickinson reflects on the season through the softened lens of autumn — reminding us that June is often sweetest in retrospect.

Grow That Garden Library™

Read The Daily Gardener review of The Plant Hunters by Carolyn Fry

Buy the book on Amazon: The Plant Hunters by Carolyn Fry.

Today's Botanic Spark

19th century
A reflection on Edwin Hunt’s work reveals how the study of nature became a source of consolation for his political disappointment and personal sorrow alike.

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