André Michaux: The French Botanist Who Brought Camellias to America

André Michaux, a prominent French botanist and explorer.

Long-Live Love and Loyalty March 8, 1746 Today is the birthday of the French botanist and explorer André Michaux. Most people think of André Michaux as the accomplished old botanist, but I always prefer to recall the beginning of his story because that’s what set him on his course. André grew up on a royal…

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Antoine Nicolas Duchesne: The Botanical Pioneer Behind the Modern Strawberry

Antoine Nicolas Duchesne

The Modern Strawberry February 18, 1827 Today is the anniversary of the death of the French botanist, gardener, and professor at Versailles, Antoine Nicolas Duchesne (“do-Shane”). A specialist in strawberries and gourds, Antoine was a student of Bernard de Jussieu at the Royal Garden in Paris. A plant pioneer, Antoine, recognized that mutation was a…

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November 6, 2020 Bernard de Jussieu, Alice Lounsberry, Alfred Austin, American Gardens by Monty Don and Derry Moore, and Frank Kingdon Ward

The Daily Gardener Podcast Album Cover with a pot of rosemary - the herb for remembrance - beckoning gardeners to remember to listen to the show. Updated September 2025.

Subscribe Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart Support The Daily Gardener Buy Me A Coffee  Connect for FREE! The Friday Newsletter |  Daily Gardener Community Botanical History On This Day 1777 Bernard Jussieu, the French naturalist who created the first natural classification system for flowering plants and tended a cherished Cedar of…

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Antoine Nicolas Duchesne: The Botanist Who Created the Modern Strawberry

Antoine Nicolas Duchesne

Strawberry Specialist Today is the anniversary of the death of the French botanist, gardener, and professor at Versailles, Antoine Nicolas Duchesne (“do-Shane”). A specialist in strawberries and gourds, Duchesne was a student of Bernard de Jussieu at the Royal Garden in Paris. A plant pioneer, Duchesne recognized that mutation was a natural occurrence and that…

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