Remembering Martha Turnbull and her Rosedown Plantation Diary

Martha Turnbull portrait (colorized & 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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December 14, 1819: Alabama Picks the Camellia as the State Flower

Camellias

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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