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

20200101 The Daily Gardener Album Cover

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…

Read More

Remembering Fern Specialist and Botanist Warren “Herb” Wagner, Jr.

Deer in Winter

“Deer in the winter are nature’s closest thing to actual zombies.” January 8, 2000 Today is the anniversary of the death of a leading botanist in the study of ferns, Warren “Herb” Wagner, Jr. Herb was the founder of modern systematics for plants and animals. Biologists still use “Wagner trees” to classify plants and animals…

Read More

The Biography of Indiana Botanist Charles Clemon Deam by Robert Kriebel

Charles C. Deam

“Suddenly, Charlie quickly opened the drawer, pulled out the gun, and fired two or three shots through the open window, making some disparaging comments about the “canine ancestry of a rabbit,” which had been terrorizing his garden.” July 16, 1987 On this day, The Indianapolis Star announced that the biography of Charles Clemon Deam, the…

Read More

A Botanical Marvel Villain: Samuel Smithers a.k.a. Plantman

Samuel Smithers a.k.a. Plantman

“In his final storyline, Plantman transformed into a giant plant monster and attacked the city of Los Angeles in retaliation for humans polluting the world.” July 9, 1963 On this day, the Marvel comic botanist Samuel Smithers became Plantman when lightning struck his plant ray gun, giving it the power to control and animate all…

Read More

The Beloved Alien Botanist: E.T.

ET: the Alien Botanist

“E.T. has unknown abilities but gives a glimpse of his powers by reviving dead chrysanthemums.” June 11, 1982 On this day, a little movie about a botanist was released. The movie was E.T.   The premise was that alien botanists secretly visited Earth one night to gather plant specimens in a California forest. When government…

Read More

Remembering Irish Botanist Charlotte Grace O’Brien

Charlotte Grace O'Brien

“I will puzzle the botanists of another generation, and when my bones are dust and my good spade rust…” June 3, 1909 On this day, the Irish immigration reformer Charlotte Grace O’Brien died. After a life devoted to improving the lives of others, Charlotte devoted her leisure time to writing and studying plant life. Charlotte…

Read More