July 11, 2019 National Rainier Cherry Day, David Prain, Charles Sumner Lambie, Hamilton Traub, Charles Joseph Sauriol, Ornamental Shrubs, Climbers, and Bamboos by Graham Stuart Thomas, and Deadheading

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Monologue

It's National Rainier Cherry Day.

Rainier cherries were bred at Washington State University by crossing Vans and Bings.

They are one of the most delicate and challenging cherries to grow because of one big drawback: their thin red-yellow skin. This makes them super sensitive to the elements, and they bruise easily.

Even if a grower addresses these challenges, they must still contend with the birds.

Birds LOVE Rainiers and can eat as much as 1/3 of the cherry crop before the harvest arrives. Watch what happens if you add a few Rainier Cherries to your bird feeder.

Botanical History On This Day

1857 David Prain was born in Fettercairn, Scotland.
From humble beginnings, Prain rose to become Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens of Calcutta and later Kew, where his work with cinchona ensured quinine reached villages across India—saving unnumbered lives—and his leadership combined scientific rigor with uncommon fairness.

1941 Charles Sumner Lambie was featured in the Amarillo Daily News.
A Denver civil engineer by day and orchid breeder by night, Lambie found solace among greenhouse blooms, meticulously documenting each plant—proof that careful observation is as essential to gardening as to engineering.

1950 Ramon Ferreyra collected a rare dwarf amaryllis in Peru.
Despite frost damage during shipment, Hamilton P. Traub patiently nursed the bulbs back to health, earning the plant its name: Hippeastrum traubii.

Unearthed Words

Charles Joseph Sauriol recorded a quiet joy in his diary in 1938.
Writing of pansies grown from seed, he confessed how difficult it was to leave the flower borders, reminding us that enchantment often waits just beyond the back door.

Grow That Garden Library™

Read The Daily Gardener review of Ornamental Shrubs, Climbers, and Bamboos by Graham Stuart Thomas

Buy the book on Amazon: Ornamental Shrubs, Climbers, and Bamboos by Graham Stuart Thomas

Today's Botanic Spark

1936 Clarence Henry Dennesen was born.
Soldier, sailor, professor, and teacher of future royalty, the “jolly old Dane” hinted that one cannot easily surprise a man who has lived so long—and so fully.

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