John Bartram: America’s First Botanist and His Lasting Garden Legacy

William Bartram, a prominent American naturalist and explorer (1739-1823).

“The Greatest Natural Botanist in the World” March 23, 1699 Today is the birthday of the one of American’s earliest botanists, horticulturists and explorers: John Bartram. John founded the first botanical garden in America and Linnaeus called John the “greatest natural botanist in the world.” Like many botanists of his time, John was born into…

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Georg Dionysius Ehret: Master of Botanical Illustration

Georg Dionysius Ehret thumbnail image

Gardening and Drawing Today is the birthday of the botanist and the incomparable botanical illustrator Georg Dionysius Ehret. Georg was born in Heidelberg, Germany, to Ferdinand Christian Ehret, who was a gardener and also had a talent for drawing. He taught his son both skills- gardening and drawing – before he died. Georg made his…

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January 30, 2020 Good Garden Decisions, African Violets, George Ehret, Adelbert von Chamisso, Yerba Buena, Louise Beebe Wilder, Asa Gray, Ann Taylor, The Seed Underground by Janisse Ray, Garden Cloche, and Elizabeth Wirt

The Daily Gardener Podcast Album Cover with a pot of rosemary - the herb for remembrance - beckoning gardeners to remember to listen to the show. Updated September 2025.

Subscribe Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart Support The Daily Gardener Buy Me A Coffee  Connect for FREE! The Friday Newsletter |  Daily Gardener Community Curated News Good Decisions by @papaver Alison Levey (“Lee-Vee”) – The Blackberry Garden “I planted them and whispered to the nearby ants ‘when you wake up, take…

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Thomas Moore, ferns, and the Victorian fern craze at Chelsea Physic Garden

Thomas Moore

Thrive in the Garden Today is the anniversary of the death of the gardener, naturalist, and Chelsea Physic Garden curator Thomas Moore. Before Moore worked at Chelsea Physic Garden @ChelsPhysicGdn, he spent four years at Fraser’s Lea Bridge Nurseries, Leyton from 1839-1842. Moore wrote several books on horticulture – many reflected his lifelong passion for…

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Thomas Moore’s Floral Verses: Roses, Tuberose, and Jasmine by Night

Thomas Moore

Today’s Garden Words were featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. Words inspired by the garden are the sweetest, most beautiful words of all. Thomas Moore January 1, 2020 On this day, with autumn’s edges marked by the fragrance of fading roses and the tender…

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Georg Dionysius Ehret: Master Botanical Illustrator of the 1700s

Georg Dionysius Ehret thumbnail image

The Greatest Artist-Illustrator  Today is the anniversary of the death of the botanist and the incomparable botanical illustrator Georg Dionysius Ehret who died on this day in 1770. Ehret was born in Heidelberg, Germany, to Ferdinand Christian Ehret, who was a gardener and also had a talent for drawing. He taught his son both skills-…

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“One or Two is Enough”: John Bartram’s Garden Philosophy Revealed

John Bartram

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. June 20, 1757 On this day, the esteemed botanist John Bartram penned what can only be described as a deliciously forthright letter to Philip Miller, revealing the unvarnished truth of his gardening preferences…

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