Karl Friedrich von Gaertner: Cultivating the Future of Plant Science

Karl Friedrich von Gaertner

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. May 1, 1772 On this day, Karl Friedrich von Gaertner, a German botanist with a name that destiny seemed to have chosen, was born. Gaertner, which translates to “gardener,” was indeed a fitting…

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Parsing Petals: John Berkenhout and the Language of Botany

John Berkenhout

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. July 8, 1726 On this day, dear readers, we celebrate the birth of one John Berkenhout, an English physician, naturalist, and writer of no small repute. While his name may not be as…

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The Botanical Casanova: Sébastien Vaillant’s Floral Revolution

Sébastien Vaillant

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. May 26, 1669 On this day, dear gardeners and botanists alike, we celebrate the birth of Sébastien Vaillant, a French botanist whose passion for the floral world blossomed as early as his fifth…

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Breathing Green: Jean Senebier and the Secret Life of Leaves

Jean Senebier

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. May 6, 1742 On this day, the world welcomed Jean Senebier, a Swiss pastor and botanist whose work would forever change our understanding of the natural world. One might wonder, dear readers, where…

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Elsa Beate Bunga: The Countess Who Defied Botanical Boundaries

Carl Linnaeus letter 3 December 1768 to Elsa Beata Wrede,

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. April 18, 1734 On this day, dear readers and fellow admirers of botanical mavericks, we celebrate the birth of Elsa Beate Bunga, a Swedish botanist who was, to put it mildly, quite the…

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