Never Against Nature: Thomas Hanbury’s La Mortola

Thomas Hanbury and La Mortola

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. May 2, 1867 On this day, Thomas Hanbury, a man of discerning taste and boundless ambition, purchased a property that would become a testament to his love of nature and his desire to…

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From a Duke’s Gardens to Botanical Immortality: Thomas Hoy’s Legacy

Hoya Flower

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. May 1, 1822 On this day, the horticultural world bid farewell to Thomas Hoy, an English gardener, horticulturist, and botanist of considerable repute. Hoy’s life was a testament to the dedication and passion…

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The Buzz About White Mustard: Fisk Bangs’ 1878 Bee Journal

White Mustard

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. June 7, 1878 On this day, dear cultivators of both garden and apiary, we find ourselves transported back to a time when the hum of bees and the rustle of leaves were the…

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A Victorian Gardener’s Tale: Stephen Sears and His South Yarmouth Plot

Stephen Sears

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. June 2, 1893 On this day, dear readers, we find ourselves transported to the quaint environs of South Yarmouth, Massachusetts, where a most diligent and upright citizen, one Stephen Sears, put quill to…

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Thomas Jefferson’s Floral Ballet: A Letter from Monticello

Thomas Jefferson

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. May 26, 1811 On this day, dear readers and fellow gardeners, we find ourselves privy to a most charming correspondence between the esteemed Thomas Jefferson and his granddaughter, Anne. As we delve into…

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From Blooms to Battleground: Anne Frobel’s Civil War Garden

The Civil War Diary of Anne S. Frobel

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. May 24, 1861 On this day, dear readers, we find ourselves transported to the tumultuous era of the American Civil War, peering into the life of 45-year-old Anne Frobel. This remarkable woman, residing…

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From Heartbreak to Herbarium: The Extraordinary Life of Georgiana Molloy

Georgiana Molloy

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. May 23, 1843 On this day, we celebrate the birth of Georgiana Molloy (books about this person), an English-Australian pioneer and one of the first botanical collectors in Western Australia. Her life, dear…

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William Bartram’s May Diary: A Window into Early American Nature

William Bartram

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. May 13, 1823 On this day, William Bartram, American botanist, ornithologist, natural historian, and explorer, penned an entry in his diary that transports us to a spring day nearly two centuries ago. Can…

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George Jackman I and the Legacy of the Jackmanii Clematis

Clematis, specifically resembling Clematis montana 'Alba' or Clematis chrysocoma var. sericea.

The Jackman Nursery February 12, 1869 Today is the anniversary of the death of the English nurseryman, pomologist, florist, and Clematis hybridizer George Jackman. George died at the age of 68. I thought you’d enjoy learning about the Jackman family because that really is the story behind George Jackman and the multigenerational family behind the…

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William Saunders: From Gettysburg’s Cemetery to California’s Navel Oranges

William Saunders (1822-1900), a prominent Scottish-American horticulturist, landscape designer, and nurseryman.

Navel Oranges December 7, 1822 Today is the birthday of the English-American botanist, nurseryman, landscape gardener, and landscape designer William Saunders. William served as the first horticulturist and superintendent of the experimental gardens at the newly created U.S. Department of Agriculture. During his professional career, William enjoyed many successes, but two stand out above the…

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George Elwanger: The Nurseryman Who Made Rochester a “City in a Forest”

George Ellwanger (1816-1906), a German immigrant who co-founded the Ellwanger & Barry Nursery in Rochester, New York, in 1840.

Flower City Co-Founder November 26, 1906  Today is the anniversary of the death of the German-American horticulturist and nurseryman George Ellwanger (“El-WANG-ur”). In the mid-1800s, George Ellwanger and his Irish business partner and experienced nurseryman, Patrick Barry, claimed their Rochester, New York nursery was the largest in the world. Built on 650 acres along Mount…

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