Louisa Yeomans King: Planning August’s Glory in May’s Splendor
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast:
May 23, 1905
On this day, Louisa Yeomans King (books about this person) recorded an entry in her garden diary, which later blossomed into her book, The Flower Garden Day By Day.
Let us peek into her horticultural musings for this day, shall we?
MAY 23.
Sow seed now of the beautiful pale yellow oenothera ("ee-nah-THAIR-ah") (Evening-primrose), Afterglow, at the back of the border near Physostegia ("fy-sah-STEE-jee-ah ver-jin-ee-AYE-nah")(Obedient plant).
A group of these two with Artemesia lactiflora (White Mugwort) and the little annual sunflower known as Primrose Stella, will make August well worth waiting for.
Oh, what a delightful vision Mrs. King paints for us!
Can you imagine the scene she describes?
Picture, if you will, the soft yellow blooms of the evening primrose, their petals unfurling as dusk approaches, nestled behind the tall, sturdy stems of the obedient plant. The white plumes of the Artemesia lactiflora sway gently in the late summer breeze, while the cheerful faces of Primrose Stella sunflowers turn towards the fading light.
How thoughtful of Mrs. King to plan for August's beauty in the midst of May's exuberance!
Her careful consideration of plant combinations and bloom times reminds us that a truly successful garden is not just a collection of individual plants, but a carefully orchestrated symphony of color, texture, and form.
Isn't it fascinating how she provides the pronunciation for the more challenging plant names?
It's a gentle reminder that gardening is as much about learning and sharing knowledge as it is about digging in the soil.
As we plan our own gardens today, let us take a leaf from Louisa Yeomans King's book.
May we look beyond the immediate pleasures of spring and early summer, and cast our horticultural imaginations forward to the dog days of August.
What delights can we plant now that will reward us with beauty when the season begins to wane?