May 11, 2021 Cassian Schmidt, Henri Frederic Amiel, Abel Aken Hunter, Death Valley Discovery, Pruning as a Metaphor for Life, Mycelium Running by Paul Stamets, and Isamu Noguchi Garden Museum
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Curated News
Cassian Schmidt | GRÜNES BLUT | Anke Schmitz
Botanical History On This Day
1881 Death anniversary of Swiss philosopher and poet Henri Frederic Amiel, who used gardens as a metaphor for life’s essence, urging simplicity and reflection. He saw healing in nature’s beauty and wrote, “A modest garden contains, for those who know how to look and to wait, more instruction than a library,” celebrating the soul’s connection to the natural world.
1928 Orchid collector Abel Aken Hunter showcased a remarkable collection at the Third National Orchid Show in New York. His botanical expeditions in Panama, alongside Charles Powell and experts from the Missouri Botanical Garden, led to the discovery of numerous rare orchids, including the precious Sobralia powellii, which enriched orchidology before his death in 1935.
2020 Discovery of a 1952 CIA plane wreck in Death Valley was captured by a botanist’s hike video, revealing the durable remnants of Cold War history amid diverse desert plant life. The plane crash survivors safely parachuted miles away, and the site added an unexpected layer of intrigue to the harsh landscape’s botanical treasures.
Unearthed Words
An excerpt from Gary Thorp’s Sweeping Changes discusses the metaphor of pruning as life’s ongoing balance between care and restraint, reminding us that excessive intervention can stunt growth. As in the spring landscape where “flowering branches grow naturally, some are long, some are short,” we learn the art of thoughtful letting be.
Grow That Garden Library™
Read my review of Mycelium Running by Paul Stamets, a 2005 seminal work revealing mushrooms’ environmental healing power. Stamets shares how mycelium recycles vital elements and offers solutions from pollution cleanup to pest control, showcasing fungi’s essential role in nurturing forest and garden health.
Buy the book on Amazon: Mycelium Running: How Mushrooms Can Help Save the World
Today's Botanic Spark
1985 Opening of the Isamu Noguchi Garden Museum in Queens, New York—the first American museum founded by a living artist displaying his own work. Noguchi’s blend of sculpture and garden design reflects Japanese Zen principles of natural placement and harmony, with his famous quotes reminding us that art is lifelong play and that “We are a landscape of all we have seen.”
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