China Archives

Frank Kingdon-Ward: The Last of the Great Plant Hunters

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. November 6, 1885 On this day, the renowned British botanist and explorer Frank Kingdon-Ward was born in Manchester, England. The son of a distinguished botanist, Frank seemed destined to follow in his father’s…

The Botanical Martyr: Remembering Jean-André Soulié

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. October 6, 1858 On this day, dear readers, we commemorate the birth of a most intriguing figure in the annals of botany and missionary work. Jean-André Soulié, a name that might not roll…

February 15, 2021 Pioneer Trees for the Forest Garden, Archibald Menzies, Ernest Henry Wilson, The Gardener-Botanists of the 1927 South Africa Expedition, Dried Flowers by Morgane Illes, and Garden Design Tips from David Stevens

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.

January 13, 2021 Gardening Trends for 2021, John Gilbert Baker, Joseph Francis Rock, Holly, and Ivy with Beth Chatto, A Small Porch by Wendell Berry, and Helen Morgenthau Fox on Garden Cinderellas

The Golden Orchid Scandal: How Collectors Devastated a Species

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. July 10, 1988 On this day, a most scandalous revelation shook the genteel world of horticulture to its very foundations. The esteemed British plant explorer Roy Lancaster—that intrepid adventurer of verdant realms—pulled back…

The Viral 1930s Article Featuring Plant Explorer Frank Kingdon-Ward and his Botanical Adventures

“On another of his Tibetan expeditions, he discovered the blue poppy, a flower sought by all horticulturists in this country and obtained by few.” July 1, 1932 On this day, newspapers worldwide ran a fascinating article about the botanist Frank Kingdon-Ward titled “Plant Explorer Finds Adventure.” Here’s what the Altoona Mirror out of Altoona, Pennsylvania,…

Vanished on the Yangtze: The Enduring Mystery of Plant Hunter Frank Meyer

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. June 12, 1918 It was on this day that the remarkable plant hunter Frank Nicholas Meyer was laid to rest in Shanghai. His mysterious demise still whispers secrets that we modern gardeners may…