Remembering Martha Turnbull and her Rosedown Plantation Diary

Martha Turnbull portrait (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. October 25, 1973 My dear garden friends, let me transport you back exactly 50 years to a charming story that began with a simple newspaper article about two extraordinary plantsmen. “No Garden Should…

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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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December 14, 1819: Alabama Picks the Camellia as the State Flower

Camellia japonica NBG

The Beautiful Camellia December 14, 1819 On this day, Alabama became the 22nd state to join the Union. Forty years later, the Camellia (“kah-MEE-lee-ah”) became the official state flower of Alabama. Before that, Alabama’s state flower was the Goldenrod. Camellia is an evergreen plant in the tea family. The flower size of Camellias can range…

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John Drayton Hastie: The Ninth Generation Plantsman of Magnolia Gardens

John Drayton Hastie

Magnolia Gardens Today is the birthday of John Drayton Hastie of Magnolia Gardens. The Drayton family has lived on the plantation on the banks of the Ashley River since the 1670s. Magnolia Gardens is often regarded as one of the most staggeringly beautiful places in the entire South. And it’s worth noting that it was…

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From Royal Gardens to American Forests: The Legacy of Francois-Andre Michaux

Gilbert Stuart Williamstown Portrait of George Washington.

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. August 16, 2023 Today is the birthday of François-Andre Michaux, my darling green-thumbed companions. A man whose legacy blooms eternal in our botanical hearts. He was the son of the botanist, Andrea Michaux.…

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