February 11, 2022 Margaret Cavendish Bentinck, Oklahoma State Flower, JA Bates, William Morris’s Flowers by Rowan Bain, and Eliza Calvert Hall
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Botanical History On This Day
1715 Birth of Margaret Cavendish Bentinck, Duchess of Portland, British aristocrat, naturalist, and botanist. Known as Maria to friends, she amassed an enormous natural history collection with dedicated experts at her Buckinghamshire home, dubbed "the hive." She received the original red Portland Rose in 1800, from which all Portland Roses descend.
1893 On this day, Mistletoe was officially adopted as the State Flower of the Oklahoma Territory, making it the first state flower in the US. Known for its tiny flowers and semi-parasitic nature, mistletoe was later replaced by the red Oklahoma rose in 2004 after much debate.
1896 At the Vermont state botanical club meeting, Reverend JA Bates highlighted the lack of botany education in schools, citing poorly prepared teachers and botanists’ tendency to obscure their subject behind Latin names.
Grow That Garden Library™ Book Recommendation
Explore the floral designs and garden inspirations of William Morris in William Morris’s Flowers by Rowan Bain. This beautifully illustrated 2019 book reveals nature’s influence on Morris’s timeless Arts and Crafts patterns, including insights from his own gardens and historic inspirations.
Buy the book on Amazon: William Morris's Flowers
Today's Botanic Spark
1856 Birth of Eliza Calvert Hall, American author and women’s rights advocate. In Aunt Jane of Kentucky, she described two classes of people: those with gardens who live joyfully amid nature, and those without, "darkly entombed" indoors where winter feels perpetual.
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