From Amazon to Windsor: The Water Lily Tale

Water lily pads form a floating community. The leaves of the Victoria amazonica, also known as the Amazon water lily or giant water lily, which is the largest species in the water lily family.

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. November 13, 1849 On this day, a most extraordinary presentation took place at Windsor Castle. Queen Victoria, known for her love of botanical wonders, was about to encounter her magnificent namesake – the…

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John Yapp Culyer: The Engineer Who Moved Trees and Shaped America’s Parks

Colonel John Yapp Culyer (1839-1924), an American civil engineer, landscape architect, and architect.

The Brain Behind the “Tree-Movers” May 18, 1839 Today is the birthday of the American civil engineer, landscape architect, inventor, and plantsman John Yapp Culyer. John was commissioned to work on parks in major cities across America – like Chicago and Pittsburgh. He was the Chief Landscape Engineer of Brooklyn’s Prospect Park, which opened to…

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