David Prain Archives

David Prain

Director of The Royal Botanic Gardens On this day in Fettercairn Scotland, the amateur botanist David Prain was born. He would ultimately become the Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens of Calcutta and Kew. In 1887, David was sent to Calcutta to be the curator of the herbarium. While he was there, he researched Indian…

July 11, 2020 Drying Flowers & Herbs, National Rainier Cherry Day, David Prain, Charles Joseph Sauriol, Charles Sumner Lambie, Hamilton Traub, Linden Tree Poetry, Kathryn at Home by Kathryn M Ireland and Clarence Henry Dennesen

Today we celebrate National Rainier Cherry Day. We’ll also learn about the Scottish Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens of Calcutta and Kew. We celebrate a journal entry from this day in 1938 by one of Canada’s most-beloved naturalists. We also celebrate a rare orchid breeder from Denver. We honor the discovery of a very…

Quinine, Quarrels, and Quiet Dignity: The Life of Botanist David Prain

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. July 11, 1857 On this day in the quaint Scottish village of Fettercairn, a certain David Prain drew his first breath—a seemingly unremarkable event that would, in time, prove to be anything but.…

July 11, 2019 National Rainier Cherry Day, David Prain, Charles Sumner Lambie, Hamilton Traub, Charles Joseph Sauriol, Ornamental Shrubs, Climbers, and Bamboos by Graham Stuart Thomas, and Deadheading

It’s National Rainier Cherry Day. Rainier cherries were bred at Washington State University by crossing Vans and Bings. They are one of the most delicate and challenging cherries to grow because of one big drawback: their thin red-yellow skin. This makes them super sensitive to the elements, and they bruise easily. Even if a grower…