Posts Tagged ‘desert plants’
The Kew Gardener’s Guide to Growing Cacti and Succulents by the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew and Paul Rees
As Heard on The Daily Gardener Podcast: This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. The Kew Gardener’s Guide to Growing Cacti and Succulents by the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew and Paul Rees This book came out in 2023, and the…
Read MoreFrederick Arthur Walton: England’s Cactus Collector and Desert Explorer
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. May 2, 1853 Frederick Arther Walton was born in Birmingham, and while his trade was jewels, it was the cactus that captured his heart. What better metaphor for life itself than a plant…
Read MoreBreaking Ground: Helia Bravo Hollis and Her Beloved Cacti
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. September 30, 1901 Today we celebrate the birth of Helia Bravo Hollis, that most remarkable Queen of the Cacti, whose pioneering spirit broke ground not only for women in science but for our…
Read MoreThe botanist’s unexpected discovery: The CIA plane wreck in Death Valley
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. May 11, 2020 Dearest reader, On this day, a most extraordinary tale unfolded far from the clipped lawns and shy blossoms of our beloved gardens, yet as strange and compelling as any rare…
Read MoreSurviving the Desert: The 1874 Expedition of Botanist WEP Giles in Central Australia
by Anita Silvey In 1874, the English botanist WEP Giles (William Ernest Powell) explored the vast deserts of central Australia. Setting out with his hunting partner from a base camp at Fort McKellar, he discovered a leak in one of his large water bags. The two men decided to continue, even though the temperature had…
Read MoreHoward Scott Gentry: The Elder Statesman of Agaves
Agave Man November 13, 1982 On this day newspaper shared a great story about the author of “Agaves of Continental North America,” Howard Scott Gentry: “This elder statesman of the botanical world [is] a first-class charmer when you get …. to his subject;… his love for the wilds of Sonora and Chihuahua, Mexico, …the…
Read MoreThe Misnamed Palm: How Arizona’s Native Palm Became the California Fan Palm
Finder of the Arizona Fan Palm November 4, 1984 On this day, the Arizona Republic newspaper shared an article about the history of the native palm of Arizona written by Vic Miller, a professor of agriculture at Arizona State University. The article starts this way: “Yes, we do have a native palm. Seeds of it…
Read MoreThe Temple of Flora: Robert John Thornton’s grand tribute to Linnaeus and nature’s night queen
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. January 21, 1837 Dearest reader, On this day, we mark the passing of Robert John Thornton — English physician, poet of plants, and undeterred dreamer of “The Temple of Flora.” Thornton adored Carl…
Read MoreHoward Scott Gentry: The Agave Explorer Who Traveled the World on a Mule
Agaves of Continental North America On this day in 1982, the newspaper shared a great story about the author of “Agaves of Continental North America,” Howard Scott Gentry. “This elder statesman of the botanical world [is] a first-class charmer when you get …. to his subject;… his love for the wilds of Sonora and Chihuahua,…
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