I Prefer Winter and Fall

A serene winter landscape in Hokkaido, Japan, showcasing a lone, bare tree against a backdrop of a soft sunrise and snow-covered terrain.

By Andrew Wyeth I prefer winter and fall when you feel the bone structure in the landscape – the loneliness of it – the dead feeling of winter. Something waits beneath it – the whole story doesn’t show. Today’s Garden words were featured on the podcast: Words inspired by the garden are the sweetest, most…

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The Davenport Woman’s Club December Meeting: Seed Packets for Gifts and Honoring Botanical Heroes Ernest Henry Wilson and John T. Temple

Christmas wreath made of green pine branches and large pine cones, accented with a few small red ornaments, hanging from a star-shaped door knocker with a red ribbon, displayed on a blue paneled door.

“The seed and bulb committee… presented each member with a dainty Christmas package in bright-hued Christmas wrappings, containing seeds for next spring’s sowing.” December 4, 1930 On this day, the Quad-City Times shared a sweet little update from the garden department of the Davenport Woman’s Club. The seed and bulb committee… presented each member with…

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The Dead of Winter

A male Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis).

Edwin Way Teale The “dead of winter” —– how much more dead it would be each year without the birds!   Note: The American naturalist, Edwin Way Teale has given us some marvelous prose about birds and winter in his books: A Walk Through the Year, Circle of the Seasons: The Journal of a Naturalist’s…

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On the Roughest Days of Winter

A chickadee, most likely a Black-capped Chickadee, a common winter bird in North America.

Edwin Way Teale On the roughest days of winter, when life seems overwhelmed by storm and cold, watch a chickadee, observe in good cheer and take heart.   Note: The American naturalist, Edwin Way Teale has given us some marvelous prose about birds and winter in his books: A Walk Through the Year, Circle of…

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Bluebird Blue

Eastern Bluebird (Sialia sialis)

Edwin Way Teale Bluebird blue….one of the loveliest manifestations of the color blue.   Note: The American naturalist, Edwin Way Teale has given us some marvelous prose about birds and winter in his books: A Walk Through the Year, Circle of the Seasons: The Journal of a Naturalist’s Year, and Wandering Through Winter: A Naturalist’s…

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How Strangely Inaccurate

How Strangely Inaccurate

by Edwin Way Teale How strangely inaccurate it is to measure the length of living by length of life! The space between your birth and death is often far from a true measure of your days of living.   Note: The American naturalist Edwin Way Teale has given us some marvelous prose about birds and…

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There Are Many in This Old World of Ours

Bartholomew William Barclay "Bat" Masterson, a prominent figure of the American Old West.

By Bat Masterson There are many in this old world of ours who hold that things break about even for all of us. I have observed, for example, that we all get the same amount of ice. The rich get it in the summertime, and the poor get it in the winter. Today’s Garden words…

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A Vegetable That Can Make People Laugh

A wicker basket filled with a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables.

by Will Rogers An onion can make people cry, but there’s never been a vegetable that can make people laugh. Today’s Garden words were featured on the podcast: Words inspired by the garden are the sweetest, most beautiful words of all. Will Rogers

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December’s Birth Flower: The Poinsettia

The classic red Poinsettia in sunlight.

“Poinsettia is botanically known as the Euphorbia pulcherrima. Pulcherrima means ‘very beautiful.'” December 2, 2019 As we begin December, you may wonder about the December birth flower. Well, it’s no surprise that the December birth flower is the Poinsettia.   Poinsettia is botanically known as the Euphorbia pulcherrima. Pulcherrima means “very beautiful.”   Like all…

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December 2, 2019 Plant Science Careers, Dirk Denison Home, Cheesy Acorn Squash, Johann Julius Hecker, James Edward Smith, John Lewis Russell, Ferdinand Lindheimer, Gardenlust by Christopher Woods, Gardeners Hand Cream, and December’s Birth Flower

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 Most young scientists will not study plant science. So why did I? | @talkplant Great post from Dr. Rupesh Paudyal @talkplant: “The best conversation killer…

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