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Curated News

Predicting the New Year's 2021 Garden Trends | Ag Week | Don Kinzler

Botanical History On This Day

1832 Birth of Lewis Carroll (Charles Lutwidge Dodgson), the English mathematician and writer, inspired by the Oxford Botanic Garden to create Alice in Wonderland. His connection to the garden also influenced authors J.R.R. Tolkien and Philip Pullman. A memorable gardening passage comes from his Through the Looking-Glass: “In most gardens, they make the beds too soft—so that the flowers are always asleep.”

1950 Announcement of Terramycin by Pfizer, the first mass-marketed antibiotic produced via fermentation from soil bacteria. Terramycin, named from the Latin "terra" (earth) and “mycin” (fungus), highlighted Pfizer’s expertise and laid a foundation linking to today’s COVID-19 vaccines, tracing back to discoveries in soil microbiology and pharmaceutical innovation.

Unearthed Words

Today’s excerpt is from Hedgemaids and Fairy Candles. Author Jack Sanders reflects on The First Flower of Winter: Skunk Cabbage.

Skunk Cabbage is often referred to as the first flower of spring, yet it can appear as early as December, marking the very beginning of the new year.

Naturalist John Burroughs and Henry David Thoreau both marveled at this plant’s resilience, emerging boldly from frozen ground and symbolizing hope in the bleakness of winter, especially in January thaws known as “goose haws.”

Grow That Garden Library™

Read my review of Botanical Baking by Juliet Sear, a 2019 book blending contemporary baking with edible flowers and herbs. Juliet Sear, a celebrity baker, shares techniques for using, preserving, and decorating with edible botanicals, offering 20 stunning cake recipes, including confetti, wreath, gin and tonic, and jelly cakes. The book brings botanical beauty to the kitchen with expert guidance.

Buy the book on Amazon: Botanical Baking by Juliet Sear

Today's Botanic Spark

1994 Botanist George Yatskievych makes an unexpected discovery of the endangered Running Buffalo Clover (Trifolium stoloniferum) in the topsoil of his own garden in St. Louis, Missouri.

This rare, nearly vanished native plant was nurtured after its discovery into 700 seedlings across 25 conservation plots by the Missouri Department of Conservation, highlighting the delight and surprises that can be found in everyday gardening.

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And remember: For a happy, healthy life, garden every day.