Robert Buist: The Scotsman Who Shaped American Gardens

Robert Buist, portrait sketch

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. November 14, 1805 Robert Buist, florist and nurseryman was born near Edinburgh, Scotland. Trained at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, Buist emigrated to Philadelphia in 1828 at age 23, where he would become…

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Breaking Ground: Ellen Biddle Shipman’s Garden Legacy

Ellen Shipman (colorized), 1890, Streeter collection

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. November 5, 1869 Today we celebrate the birth of Ellen Biddle Shipman, a woman who found her voice in the whispers of flowers and her strength in the structure of garden walls. Ellen…

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From Altar to Arbor: The Fruitful Union of David and Marian Fairchild

David (holding bouquet) and Marian after their wedding 1905

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. April 25, 1905 On this most auspicious day, dear garden enthusiasts, we celebrate the union of two extraordinary souls: the eminent botanist David Fairchild and his beloved Marian Graham Bell, daughter of the…

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The Spy Who Loved Apples: The Double Life of Metcalf Bowler

Sketch of Metcalf Bowler as a Member of Congress, 1765

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. September 24, 1789 Dear fellow custodians of earth’s verdant secrets, today we unearth a tale that would make even the most steadfast gardener’s trowel tremble – a story of apples, espionage, and the…

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“Good Seeds Cheap”: How R.H. Shumway Democratized American Gardening

Roland Hallet Shumway

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. July 26, 1842 On this day, dear gardeners and horticultural enthusiasts, we celebrate the birth of a true champion of the soil – Roland Hallet Shumway. This remarkable man would transform American gardening…

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Wellesley’s Wonder: The Horticultural Legacy of H.H. Hunnewell

Italian Garden and Lake at Wellesley near Boston, ca. 1830 by JD Smillie for A Treatise on the Theory and Practice of Landscape Gardening, 8th edition by A.J.Downing (colorized)

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. May 20, 1902 On this day, dear garden enthusiasts, we mark the passing of one of America’s most prominent horticulturalists – the inimitable Horatio Hollis Hunnewell. A man of considerable means and even…

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The Rise and Fall of Delaware’s Peachy Empire

Peach on a tree

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. May 9, 1888 On this day in 1888, the fair state of Delaware adorned itself with a most becoming floral emblem. The Peach Blossom, that harbinger of spring’s sweet promise, was elected to…

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