September 6, 2019 Planting in September, Jean-Baptiste Van Mons, Thoreau leaves Walden Pond, James Veitch Jr, Joseph Hers, Kathleen Basford, Bartlett Giamatti, Montrose by Nancy Goodwin, Sowing Flowers, and Stolen Flowers
Subscribe
Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart
Support The Daily Gardener
Connect for FREE!
The Friday Newsletter | Daily Gardener Community
Monologue
September is my favorite month for planting trees, shrubs, and perennials.
The cool air makes outdoor exercise a joy, and the ground temperatures add the perfect amount of warmth for plants to get established.
Planting in the fall is preferred because it's the time of year when perennials experience less transplant shock. At the same time, there is still enough time for plants to establish their roots in the garden before winter. After their season of dormancy, when the ground warms again, fall-planted perennials grow and bloom more vigorously than if they were planted in the spring.
Bottom line: Now is NOT the time to stop planting. It's the perfect time to get your dig on.
Botanical History On This Day
1842 Jean-Baptiste Van Mons, Belgian botanist and master pear breeder, died on this day. He left behind a legacy of patience, continuous sowing, and pear cultivars still cherished today.
1847 Henry David Thoreau left Walden Pond after two years of deliberate simplicity and moved in with Ralph Waldo Emerson, closing one of the most influential chapters in American nature writing.
1869 James Veitch Jr., visionary nurseryman of the famed Veitch dynasty, died, having expanded the family enterprise into Europe’s largest exotic nursery and helped professionalize horticulture through the RHS committees.
1884 Joseph Hers, Belgian dendrologist and tireless plant collector in China, was born. He later safeguarded arboretum collections while sounding early alarms about deforestation.
1916 Kathleen Basford, British botanist and orchid breeder, was born. She later illuminated ancient plant history and brought the mysterious Green Man into modern scholarship.
Unearthed Words
A bittersweet reflection from A. Bartlett Giamatti reminds us that gardens, like seasons, are designed to bloom, linger, and then—inevitably—leave us alone with autumn. Read the full passage here.
Grow That Garden Library™
Read The Daily Gardener review of Montrose: Life in a Garden by Nancy Goodwin
Buy the book on Amazon:
Montrose: Life in a Garden by Nancy Goodwin
Today's Garden Chore
Sow flower seeds in late fall. Cold climates are ideal for direct sowing now—many perennials and annuals will reward your faith with stronger, better-timed blooms come spring.
Today's Botanic Spark
1893 A Minnesota newspaper issued a stern notice to garden thieves, reminding us that flowers have always stirred passion—and that even in the 19th century, borrowed blooms came with consequences. Read the curious notice here.
Thanks for listening to The Daily Gardener
And remember: For a happy, healthy life, garden every day.
Featured Book
