17th century gardens Archives

Nicolas Boileau-Despréaux: The Critic’s Garden at Auteuil

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. November 1, 1636 Nicolas Boileau-Despréaux (pronounced “nee-koh-LAH bwah-LOH day-pray-OH”) was born on this day in Paris. Boileau was a French poet and critic whose garden became a sanctuary for some of the greatest…

Wheelbarrows and Woe: The Day Peter the Great Trampled John Evelyn’s Dreams

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. June 8, 1698 On this day, our esteemed gardener and diarist, John Evelyn, ventured to Deptford to witness the lamentable state in which the Czar had left his beloved estate after a three-month…

A Verdant Legacy: 400 Years of the Oxford Botanic Garden

A view of the University of Oxford Botanic Garden from outside the walled garden. Magdalen Tower of Magdalen College is visible in the background

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. July 25, 1621 On this day, at the stroke of two in the afternoon, a most extraordinary event transpired in the hallowed grounds of Oxford University. The Botanic Garden, known also as the…