April Archives

William Bartram

A Student of the Natural World Today is the birthday of the naturalist William Bartram. In 1775, when he was 36 years old, William Bartram left Charleston, South Carolina, on horseback to explore the Cherokee Nation near Franklin, North Carolina. In addition to his botanical discoveries, Bartram was a student of all aspects of the…

Louise Beebe Wilder

One of America’s Greatest Garden Writers Today is the anniversary of the death of one of America’s greatest Garden writers and one of the 20th century’s most famous horticulturists, Louise Beebe Wilder. Louise was born into a wealthy family in Baltimore. After marrying an architect named Walter Wilder, they bought a country place – a…

Joan Miró

A Gardener or a WInegrower Today is the birthday of the Spanish painter and artist Joan Miró Born in Barcelona, Miró’s surrealist art left a mark on the world. Gardeners will especially enjoy his 1918 work called The Vegetable Garden with Donkey and his 1919 work called “Vines and Olive Trees.” Miró’s biography was subtitled…

Celebrating the California State Flower on Poppy Day

“In 1817, when the Rurik ended up in the San Francisco Bay area, the ship’s botanist Adelbert von Chamisso (“Sha-ME-So”) discovered the California poppy, which he named Eschscholzia californica after his friend Johanns Friedrich Von Eschscholz.” Every year since 2010, April 6th is California Poppy Day, celebrating the California State Flower. Poppy Day is celebrated…

Albrecht Dürer

The Great Piece of Turf Today is the anniversary of the death of the German painter, engraver, printmaker, mathematician, and theorist from Nuremberg, Albrecht Dürer. Dürer’s work was extraordinary, and by the time he was in his 20’s, he was already quite famous. While he was known for his calm demeanor and introversion, his work…

Johann Zinn

Zinn and Zinnias Today is the anniversary of the death of Johann Zinn, who died young at the age of 32. Still, Zinn accomplished much in his short life, and he focused on two areas of science: human anatomy and botany. From an anatomy standpoint, in his early twenties, Zinn wrote an eye anatomy…

José Celestino Mutis

Growing in Cloud Forests Today is the birthday of the Spanish priest, botanist, and mathematician José Celestino Mutis. Recognized as a distinguished botanist in his home country of Spain, Mutis was the architect of the Royal Botanical Expedition of the N. Kingdom of Granada (what is now Columbia) in 1783. For almost 50 years, Mutis…

Celebrating John Burrough’s First Book with Rebecca Palfrey Utter’s Poem: The Wake-Robin

“A fair and pleasant vision the nodding blossoms make; And the flower’s name and mission is ‘Wake, Robin, wake!'” April 3, 1837 On this day, the Naturalist, poet, and philosopher John Burroughs was born. John’s first book was called Wake Robin, a common name for the woodland plant known as trillium. In my research,…

Kate Brandegee

A Passion for Botany Today is the anniversary of the death of the botanist Kate Brandegee. Kate was the third woman to enroll at Berkely’s medical school and the second woman to be professionally employed as a botanist in the US. After getting her MD at Berkley, she found starting a practice too daunting. Thankfully,…

Count Nikolay Rumyantsev

Funded the Rurik Today is the birthday of a man who was the foreign minister of Russia, Count Nikolay Rumyantsev. In 1815, he funded the round the world scientific voyage of the Rurik which included the poet and botanist Adelbert von Chamisso (“Sha-ME-So”) and a doctor/surgeon named Johann Friedrich von Eschscholtz. Two years later, in…

John Burroughs

John O’ Birds Today is the birthday of the Naturalist, poet, and philosopher John Burroughs (books by this author) was born on a dairy farm in Roxbury, outside of Boston on this date in 1837. He was sent to the local school, where his desk was next to that of Erie Railroad Robber Baron, Jay…

Graham Stuart Thomas

A Life in the Garden Today is the birthday of Graham Stuart Thomas. GST was fundamentally a nurseryman and he lived a life fully immersed in the garden. His passion was sparked at a young age by a special birthday present he was given when he turned six: a beautiful potted fuchsia. In 2003. his…

American Farmer

The First Successful Agricultural Journal 1819 Today the first successful agricultural journal, American Farmer, was published in Baltimore. This post was featured onThe Daily Gardener podcast: helping gardeners find their roots, one story at a time American Farmer

Celebrating Dadaist and Surrealist Max Ernst and his Love of Nature, Leonora Carrington, and Early Mornings in the Garden

“Max created a technique called frottage or texture rubbings or rubbing on paper – and he used plants or the texture of wood planks and other items in the house to create some fantastic artwork.” April 2, 1891 On this day, the German-American-and-French painter, sculptor, printmaker, poet, Dadaist, and Surrealist Max Ernst was born. He…