May 12, 2021 Garden Therapy for Dementia, Florence Nightingale, Manitoba’s Prairie Crocus, Spring at Green Gables, Natural Affairs by Peter Bernhardt, and National Limerick Day
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Botanical History On This Day
1820 Birthday of Florence Nightingale, English social reformer and founder of modern nursing, nicknamed "The Lady with the Lamp." As a child, she gardened with 77-year-old botanist Margaret Stovin, collecting over 100 plant species. Florence believed flowers aided patient recovery and personally loved foxgloves. In 2021, the Florence Nightingale Garden, celebrating her legacy, debuted at the Chelsea Flower Show, featuring her pressed flower collections and handwriting.
1870 Manitoba joined Canada as a province. In 1906, the Prairie Crocus (Anemone patens), Manitoba’s floral emblem and first spring bloomer, was adopted. Early pioneers admired its bright blooms and resilience. This anemone symbolizes liberty and freedom in the language of flowers.
Unearthed Words
An excerpt from Lucy Maud Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables containing descriptions of a capricious Canadian spring with red-budded maples, curly ferns, and pink and white mayflowers, evoking the magic of childhood gathering blossoms in twilight’s golden glow.
Grow That Garden Library™
Discover Natural Affairs by Peter Bernhardt, a 1993 botanical exploration of the deep, sometimes quirky relationships between people and plants. Bernhardt blends folklore, history, and science to reveal plants’ survival strategies and cultural meanings through the ages, enriching our understanding of botanical connections.
Buy the book on Amazon: Natural Affairs: A Botanist Looks at the Attachments Between Plants and People
Today's Botanic Spark
Today is National Limerick Day. Here’s a garden-themed limerick from 1918:
"John soon had a fine garden growing,
And said, in a manner quite knowing,
'These beans and potatoes,
Peas, corn, and tomatoes
Will soon make a very fine showing.'"
And a 2020 limerick from @Paddysaurus on Twitter:
"There once was a gardener named Fred
Who was struggling with his raised beds
Nothing would grow
Then a friend said, 'you know,
you'd be better off fishing instead!'"
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