August 15, 2019 Garden Turmoil, Karl von Schreibers, Elias Magnus Friesz, John Torrey, Walter Crane, Geoff Hamilton, W.H. Auden, The Gardens of Emily Dickinson by Judith Farr, Pickerel Weed, and Sylvia Edlund
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Monologue
Last week was one of turmoil in my garden.
We decided to put new windows and siding on the house.
Then we decided to enjoy the ravages of a hail storm which dumped ping pong ball-sized hail on the garden for about five minutes - the entire storm lasted 30 minutes.
I always remind new gardeners that we never garden alone. We’re still gardening, and in partnership with Mother Nature, and in this partnership, Mother Nature still has her way. Sometimes we may feel like we win, but I kind of think it’s like the first time you play Go Fish or some other game with your child, they just THINK they won.
In any case, I am using this as an opportunity to address some crowding in my garden beds. In some places, everything is just gone, and I suppose I could see it as an early start on fall cleanup.
The one thing I’m grateful for is the replacement of this large 14 x 20‘ Arbor on the side of our house. I had started growing several rows of it over the years, then settled on golden hops during my hops phase.
Over the past few years, I’ve decided I’m not a fan of hops. The vines are aggressive and sticky, and the sap can be irritating to the skin. And I wasn’t a massive fan of the color.
My student gardeners will help me cover the area with landscape fabric to prevent it from coming back, and then I think a climbing hydrangea would be lovely.
Botanical History On This Day
1745 Karl Franz Anton Ritter von Schreibers was born, the Austrian naturalist and museum director whose passion for minerals and meteorites shaped Vienna’s Natural History Museum.
1794 Elias Magnus Fries was born, the Swedish botanist who laid the foundation for the modern classification of fungi.
1796 John Torrey was born, the pioneering American botanist whose meticulous records documented the flora of New York and beyond.
1845 Walter Crane was born, the illustrator whose enchanted book, A Floral Fantasy in an Old English Garden, brought flowers to life as characters in their own secret society.
1936 Geoff Hamilton was born, the beloved BBC Gardener’s World presenter whose garden at Barnsdale remains a living legacy.
Unearthed Words
Listening gardens and speechless flowers—W. H. Auden’s “Their Lonely Betters” reflects on language, nature, and restraint.
Grow That Garden Library™
Read The Daily Gardener review of The Gardens of Emily Dickinson by Judith Farr
Buy the book on Amazon: The Gardens of Emily Dickinson by Judith Farr
Today's Botanic Spark
1945 Botanist Sylvia Edlund is remembered for her Arctic plant research, artistic spirit, and resilience in the far north.
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And remember: For a happy, healthy life, garden every day.
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