Antoine Duchesne: The Botanical Genius Behind Your Strawberry Shortcake
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast:
October 7, 1747
On this day, dear readers and fellow cultivators of nature's sweetest treasures, we celebrate the birth of Antoine Nicolas Duchesne, a French botanist, gardener, and professor whose work at Versailles would forever change the landscape of our gardens and the contents of our summer fruit bowls.
Young Duchesne would grow to become a specialist in strawberries and gourds, two fruits as different as night and day, yet both equally captivating to this botanical pioneer. Under the tutelage of the esteemed Bernard de Jussieu at the Royal Garden in Paris, Duchesne's understanding of plant life blossomed like a well-tended perennial.
But it was in the realm of plant mutation that Duchesne truly set himself apart. In an age when many believed the natural world to be fixed and unchanging, our intrepid botanist recognized that mutation was not only a natural occurrence but that plants could be altered through this process at any time.
One can almost picture young Duchesne, his eyes alight with excitement, as he observed the subtle changes in his beloved specimens, his mind racing with the possibilities this knowledge presented.
And oh, what possibilities they were!
For you see, dear gardeners, it was Duchesne who, on that fateful day of July 6, 1764, created what we now know as the modern strawberry. Picture, if you will, the moment of triumph as Duchesne beheld the fruit of his labors - a strawberry unlike any that had come before, the very ancestor of the plump, juicy berries we so cherish today.
Now, let us delve deeper into the world of these delectable fruits.
Did you know, dear friends, that strawberries are members of the illustrious rose family?
Yes, these humble berries share a lineage with the queen of flowers herself! And here's a tidbit to truly impress at your next garden club meeting: those tiny seeds that adorn the strawberry's surface? They're not merely decorative.
Oh no, they are the true fruits of the plant, with the average strawberry boasting a staggering 200 of these little marvels!
But enough of botany lessons. Let us turn our attention to the practical matters of strawberry cultivation, for I'm sure many of you are wondering how best to care for these delicate plants as the chill of autumn sets in.
First and foremost, the question of pruning. Should one cut back their strawberry plants for winter? Indeed, you should! After your final harvest, when the plants have given their all, show them a little tender loving care by trimming them back to about three inches. Think of it as giving your plants a cozy winter haircut, if you will.
As you go about this autumnal grooming, take the opportunity to remove any dead leaves and trimmings. A tidy strawberry bed is a happy strawberry bed, after all. And just as we bundle up against the winter chill, so too must we protect our berried friends from Jack Frost's icy fingers.
The process of winterizing strawberry plants is blessedly straightforward, much like tucking a child into bed on a cold night. Simply cover your plants with a generous blanket of mulch, about 6-8 inches deep. This cozy covering will shield them from the worst of winter's bite, allowing them to rest peacefully until spring's gentle awakening.
And when those first warm breezes of spring do arrive, be ready! As your strawberry plants begin to stir and stretch towards the returning sun, it's time to peel back that winter mulch. Gradually expose them to the strengthening light, like a doting parent slowly opening the curtains to rouse a sleeping child.
So, dear friends, as we bid farewell to this year's strawberry season and prepare our plants for their winter slumber, let us raise a glass of strawberry cordial to Antoine Nicolas Duchesne.
Without his keen eye and innovative spirit, our summer desserts might be far less sweet, our gardens far less vibrant.
And who knows?
Perhaps as you tend to your strawberry patch, carefully pruning and mulching, you might feel a connection to Duchesne himself.
For in nurturing these plants, in observing their subtle changes and guiding their growth, we are all, in our own small way, carrying on the legacy of this great botanical pioneer.
