Posts Tagged ‘18th century gardens’
From Dairy Farm to Dreamscape: The Horticultural Vision of William Shenstone
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. November 18, 1714 On this day, the garden world welcomed a true visionary – William Shenstone, English poet and landscape gardener extraordinaire, drew his first breath. Little did the world know that this…
Read MoreHorace Walpole’s Strawberry Hill: Rainy Reflections from an 18th-Century Garden
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. July 11, 1788 On this day, dear readers, we find ourselves transported to the lush gardens of Horace Walpole, that witty chronicler of 18th-century life and letters. As we meander through his verdant…
Read MoreThe Countess and Her Secret Garden: Mary Eleanor Bowes, Botanist, Survivor, Scandal
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. February 24, 1749 Dearest Gardeners, On this day, we celebrate the birthday of one of Georgian England’s most extraordinary—and most whispered-about—women of the soil: Lady Mary Eleanor Bowes, Countess of Strathmore (books about…
Read MoreBatty Langley: The Revolutionary Who Reshaped English Gardens
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. September 14, 1699 On this day, dear readers, we turn our attention to a most fascinating figure in the annals of garden history – one whose very name seems plucked from a whimsical…
Read MoreAlexander Pope: Poet of Words, Gardens, and a Glittering Grotto
Bridge in Bath, Capability Brown, and Prior Park May 21, 1688 Today is the birthday of the British poet, critic, gardener, and satirist Alexander Pope. Known for his poetry and writing, Alexander Pope is less remembered for his love of gardens. Yet Alexander was a trailblazer in terms of garden design and originality. He designed…
Read MoreJohn Jay: Founding Father, First Chief Justice, and Dedicated Gardener
A Founding Father December 23, 1745 Today is the birthday of the American Founding Father and gardener John Jay. When he wasn’t serving as the second Governor of New York and the United States’ first Chief Justice, John Jay loved to garden. John’s ancestral home was in Rye, New York. And today, the Jay Heritage…
Read MoreThomas Gainsborough: The Painter of Blue Boy and the Gardens of Suffolk
A Master Landscape Painter Today is the anniversary of the death of the landscape and portrait painter, known for his painting of the Blue Boy, Thomas Gainsborough. Gainsborough is regarded as one of the master Landscape painters. But, he is also remembered for his portraits, which made his subjects look relaxed, natural, and beautiful. Thomas’s…
Read MoreRichard Savage and the Price of Garden Access
Flowering Pride of Gardens Today is the anniversary of the death of the English poet Richard Savage. Richard once wrote about a practice among the wealthy, allowing their servants to show their gardens in exchange for money. Even the Queen let her Richmond garden and cave to be viewed for a sum. It was a…
Read MoreKarl Wilhelm von Baden-Durlach: The King Who Dreamed a Garden City
![Charles III William (German: Karl III. Wilhelm;c. 27 January [O.S. 17 January] 16794 -12 May 1738) was Margrave of Baden-Durlach between 1709 and 1738.](https://thedailygardener.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/download-9-560x560.jpg)
The Karlsruhe Pyramid Today is the birthday of German King Karl Wilhelm von Baden-Durlach. In 1715, Karl founded the city Karl’s Ruhe or Charles’ Repose after he actually had a dream about building the city. At Karl’s castle in Durlach, there was a large flower garden with nearly 1,200 varieties of tulips. He also had…
Read MoreJohann Julius Hecker: The Educator Who Cultivated Practical Learning and Gardens
Cancelling Classical Education Today is the birthday of the German theologian and educator, Johann Julius Hecker, who was born on this day in 1707. Hecker recognized that a classical education didn’t work for everyone, and so he founded secondary schools that prepared students for practical jobs and callings. Hecker referred to his schools as, “the…
Read MoreCapability Brown: The Birthday of Britain’s Landscape Visionary
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. August 30, 1716 My darling green-thumbed companions, it’s the birthday of Lancelot Brown, who was born on this day in 1716. Our dear Lancelot—destined for horticultural greatness—found himself at Stowe working under the…
Read MoreTwo Words That Changed Gardens Forever: The Gilbert Laing Meason Story
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. July 3, 1769 Dearest reader, On this day, the world quietly welcomed Gilbert Laing Meason, a gentleman whose name might not grace the roses of our common garden parlance, yet whose legacy blooms…
Read MoreThe Glittering Grotto: How Alexander Pope Connected Home to Garden in Spectacular Fashion
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. May 21, 1688 On this day, Alexander Pope—that diminutive giant of poetry and gardens—entered our world, destined to leave an outsized mark despite his rather undersized frame. Born to Catholic parents in a…
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