Medieval Morsels: A Gardener’s Guide to Chaucer-Era Edibles

Chaucer's People by Liza Picard

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. October 5, 2017 On this day, dear garden enthusiasts and history aficionados, a most intriguing tome graced the shelves of our literary world. Liza Picard’s Chaucer’s People: Everyday Lives in Medieval England burst forth…

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The Pineapple King: How James Dole Created a Tropical Empire

Dole inspecting a pineapple in the field (colorized)

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. September 27, 1877 Dearest admirers of horticultural enterprise, today we mark the birth of that most ingenious cultivator of tropical abundance, James Drummond Dole, whose vision would transform a humble bromeliad into an…

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The Thaddeus’ Secret Cargo: Hawaii’s Potato Pioneers

The Thaddeus was 85 feet long, with a beam of 24 feet

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. August 2, 1820 On this day, dear gardeners, a most curious botanical revolution took root in the paradisiacal shores of Hawaii. It was not the swaying palms or the vibrant orchids that marked…

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