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…

Read More

Jacob Ritner: Home and Garden News During the Civil War

Jacob Ritner Portrait

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. On May 16, 1861, Jacob Ritner, a Union captain, wrote to his wife, Emeline. Gardens have served as sources of comfort and inspiration throughout history, a testament to the enduring power of nature…

Read More

Pen and Prose: The Blooming Legacy of Shelby Foote

Shelby Foote

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. November 17, 1916 On this day, dear readers, we celebrate the birth of one Shelby Foote, a gentleman of letters whose passion for the written word rivaled only his devotion to the art…

Read More

Remembering Civil War Doctor and Salisbury Diet Founder James Henry Salisbury

James Henry Salisbury

“With his anti-vegetable views, James is probably rolling over in his grave to see more people than ever trying their hand at gardening.” January 12, 1823 Today is the birthday of the 19th-century American physician and the inventor of the Salisbury steak, James Henry Salisbury. James began thinking critically about diet after serving as a…

Read More