April 21, 2022 Jan van Riebeeck, Humphry Repton, Charlotte Brontë, John Muir, Royal Gardens of the World by Mark Lane, and National Day of Sa’di
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Botanical History On This Day
1619 Birth of Jan van Riebeeck, Dutch navigator and colonial administrator of the Dutch East India Company. In 1660, Jan planted what is now known as Van Riebeeck's Hedge — a border hedge of native wild almond trees (Brabejum stellatifolium) around the settlement in Cape Town, South Africa. Parts of this historic hedge still stand today in Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden and Bishopscourt.
1752 Birth of Humphry Repton, renowned English landscape designer, pupil of Capability Brown. Humphry forged his own path, designing over 400 picturesque gardens featuring rolling vistas, tree clumps, terraces, and homes nestled among foliage. Famous for his innovative "Red Books" — lavish portfolios with before-and-after watercolors of estates — he coined the term “landscape gardener.” He requested to be buried in a rose garden with the epitaph:
Unmixed with others shall my dust remain;
But moldering, blended, melting into earth,
Mine shall give form and color to the rose.
And while its vivid blossoms cheer mankind,
Its perfumed odor shall ascend to Heaven.
1816 Birth of Charlotte Brontë, eldest of the famous Brontë sisters known for their classic novels. Although not ardent gardeners, Emily and Anne treasured their currant bushes, their "own bit of fruit garden." Charlotte’s writing reflects a complex view of flowers — in Villette, she wrote:
I like to see flowers growing, but when they are gathered, they cease to please... I never offer flowers to those I love; I never wish to receive them from hands dear to me.
And in The Professor:
In sunshine, in prosperity, the flowers are very well; but how many wet days are there in life... without the clear, cheering gleam of intellect.
1838 Birth of John Muir, Scottish-American naturalist and conservationist, known as the "Father of the National Parks." His passionate efforts helped preserve Yosemite National Park. A memorable anecdote recounts Muir’s exuberant dancing atop Grandfather Mountain, while his companion simply observed. John wisely noted:
In drying plants, botanists often dry themselves. Dry words and dry facts will not fire hearts.
His enduring words inspire:
The mountains are calling, and I must go.
Everybody needs beauty as well as bread...
Between every two pines is a doorway to a new world.
Grow That Garden Library™ Book Recommendation
Read The Daily Gardener review of Royal Gardens of the World by Mark Lane, a stunning tribute to 21 celebrated gardens from the Alhambra to Highgrove, celebrating history, design, and signature plants.
Buy the book on Amazon: Royal Gardens of the World by Mark Lane
Botanic Spark
National Day of Sa'di ("SAH-dee") honors the master of Persian prose and poetry, born in 1210 in Shiraz, a city famed for its grapes, wine, gardens, and poetry. Sa’di’s lifelong travels and deep compassion resonate through his timeless verses:
I bemoaned the fact I had no shoes
Until I saw the man who had no feet.
A Persian saying says:
Each word of Sa’di has 72 meanings.
Ralph Waldo Emerson celebrated Sa’di’s insight in verse:
The forest waves, the morning breaks,
The pastures sleep, ripple the lakes,
Leaves twinkle, flowers like persons be,
And life pulsates in rock or tree.
Saadi! so far thy words shall reach;
Suns rise and set in Saadi's speech.
Sa’di’s The Gulistan ("The Rose Garden") recounts how on this day in 1258, he was led to a garden, inspiring this beloved verse:
If... thou art bereft,
And ...
Two loaves alone to thee are left,
Sell one, and with the dole
Buy hyacinths to feed thy soul.
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And remember: For a happy, healthy life, garden every day.
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