California Gardens Archives

The Bold Dry Garden by Johanna Silver

As Heard on The Daily Gardener Podcast: The Bold Dry Garden: Lessons from the Ruth Bancroft Garden by Johanna Silver. This book tells the story of Ruth Bancroft, a lifelong plant lover who, in her fifties, began collecting cacti and succulents suited to the dry climate of Walnut Creek, California. Her garden challenged the idea…

The Pink Lady of Woodhills: Cora Older’s Legacy

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. October 24, 1875 And it was on this day in 1875, my dear friend, that a remarkable woman who would come to be known as “The Pink Lady” was born in Clyde, New…

Ina Coolbrith: California’s First Poet Laureate and the Sweet Singer of the West

Ina Coolbrith in San Francisco at the age of 29 or 30 (colorized and enhanced).

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. March 10, 1841 Dearest reader, On this day, we celebrate the birth of Ina Donna Coolbrith—a woman destined to be crowned as the “Sweet Singer of California,” whose verses drifted through orchards and…