July 1, 2019 Martagon Lilies, Vale of York Field Naturalists Club, Illinois State Flower, the Violet, Joseph Hooker, Ann Taylor, Tree in the House by Annabelle Hickson, Dividing Flag Iris, and Frank Kingdon-Ward
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Monologue
Martagon Lilies are in peak right now in most gardens.
They bring the most beautiful architectural aspect and form to the garden; they are so exquisite.
Offering a Turk’s cap-style bloom, like many plants, Martagon colonies get better and better with age.
Martagons like rich soil, and they will be grateful for a dusting of lime every year.
Botanical History On This Day
1871 Vale of York Field Naturalists Club held its first excursion, as reported by the Yorkshire Herald.
Despite dreadful weather, forty-seven enthusiasts explored Rievaulx Abbey’s valley. Geologists, botanists, and entomologists alike ended the experience by dining together at the Crown Hotel in Helmsley, declaring the day a resounding success.
1908 Illinois adopted the violet as its State Flower.
Chosen by schoolchildren, the purple violet triumphed over the wild rose, even as newspapers lamented that violets were no longer fashionable, supplanted by orchids, gardenias, and the latest Parisian pink roses.
1910 Joseph Dalton Hooker celebrated his ninety-third birthday.
King George sent congratulations to the tireless explorer, whose expeditions, from Antarctica to the Himalayas, had profoundly expanded botanical knowledge across the British Empire.
Unearthed Words
Ann Taylor offers a lesson in modest beauty with her poem “The Violet.”
Best remembered for children’s verse, Taylor reminds us that humility and quiet grace often bloom best in the shade.
Grow That Garden Library™
Read The Daily Gardener review of Tree in the House by Annabelle Hickson
Buy the book on Amazon: Tree in the House by Annabelle Hickson
Today's Botanic Spark
1932 Newspapers celebrated the adventures of Frank Kingdon-Ward.
From Tibetan marshes to Himalayan cliffs, Kingdon-Ward’s discoveries of blue poppies, slipper orchids, and rivers long lost. He revealed a world where beauty demanded endurance and curiosity was richly rewarded.
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