Berkeley Archives

February 16, 2021 Plant Selfishness, Townshend Stithe Brandegee, the New Jersey State Flower, Duck Hill Journal by Page Dickey, and the Remarkable Josephine S. Margetts

Today we celebrate a botanist of the American West and the husband of Kate Brandegee. We’ll also learn about the woman who created the legislation for the New Jersey State Flower, the Violet. We hear some words about the role of the botanist from one of our horticultural greats. We Grow That Garden Library™ with…

Alice Waters: The Garden Revolutionary Who Forever Changed American Dining

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. August 27, 1971 My darling garden enthusiasts, today in 1971, the incomparable Alice Waters—a culinary revolutionary disguised as a humble restaurateur—opened her now-legendary Chez Panisse restaurant in Berkeley, California. What a delicious milestone…

The Late-Blooming Botanist: Ynes Mexia’s Extraordinary Legacy

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. May 24, 1870 On this day, dear readers, the gardening world received a most remarkable gift – though none would know it for decades to come. Today marks the birth of Ynes Mexia,…