Posts Tagged ‘English poets’
William Blake: Poetry in Seeds, Flowers, and Trees
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. November 28, 1757 On this day, William Blake, the English poet, was born. During his lifetime, Blake lived in relative obscurity, but today he is remembered as one of the essential voices of…
Read MoreBlooms and Gloom: The Poetic Landscapes of Charlotte Mary Mew
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: November 15, 1869 On this day, dear readers and fellow gardeners, we celebrate the birth of a most intriguing literary flower: Charlotte Mary Mew, the English poet whose verses bloomed with a haunting beauty that continues to captivate us to this very day. Born…
Read MoreThe Witch, the Turtle, and the Polyp: Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s Natural Philosophy
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. October 10, 1825 On this day, dear readers and fellow admirers of nature’s endless wonders, the eminent English poet, literary critic, philosopher, and theologian Samuel Taylor Coleridge put quill to paper and birthed…
Read MoreDorothy Frances Gurney: The Poet of the Garden’s Prayer
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. October 4, 1858 On this day, Dorothy Frances Blomfield Gurney was born — the English hymn-writer and poet whose words have long outlived her name. Many gardeners have forgotten Dorothy, yet her little…
Read MoreThomas Tusser: Peas, Beans, and the Poetry of Husbandry
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. May 3, 1580 On this day, dear readers, we bid farewell to a most curious figure in the annals of horticultural history: Thomas Tusser, English poet and farmer extraordinaire. Though he has shuffled…
Read MoreThe poetry of hops and flowers: Christopher Smart’s garden verses
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. April 11, 1722 Dearest reader, On this day, the English poet Christopher Smart first greeted the world, though perhaps the world was not yet ready for a man of such curious brilliance. Known…
Read MoreThe Garden of Dreams: John Henry Newman’s Spiritual Repose
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. February 21, 1801 Dearest reader, On this day, we celebrate the birth of John Henry Newman, the English theologian, scholar, and poet whose sacred words grace the introduction to Abram Linwood Urban’s beloved…
Read MoreStevie Smith’s Garden Wisdom: The Dual Nature of Lilacs
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. September 20, 1902 My dearest garden enthusiasts, on this day we find ourselves contemplating the fascinating intersection of poetry and horticulture through the lens of one of England’s most distinctive voices. Today marks…
Read MoreThomas Hardy’s Garden of Words: Literature, Landscapes, and Legacy
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. June 2, 1840: the English novelist and poet Thomas Hardy was born. Thomas Hardy, the Victorian realist whose novels and poems continue to captivate readers, was a product of provincial England, his imagination…
Read MoreLaurence Binyon and the Garden of Remembrance: Poetry, Peace, and Sheffield’s Tribute
For the Fallen March 10, 1943 Today is the anniversary of the death of the English poet, dramatist, and art scholar Laurence Binyon. During Laurence’s time at Trinity College, Oxford, he won the Newdigate poetry prize. Some of Laurence’s work referenced the garden as in this beautiful verse about spring: They will come again, the…
Read MoreWinifred Mary Letts: The Poet Who Gave Gardeners Words for Spring
Spring the Cheat February 10, 1882 Today is the birthday of the English writer Winifred Mary Letts. Gardeners love her quote on spring: That God once loved a garden, we learn in Holy writ. And seeing gardens in the Spring, I well can credit it. Winifred also wrote a poem about spring called “Spring the…
Read MoreAlfred Lord Tennyson’s Timeless Garden Inspiration
Forever Garden November 19, 1850 Today is the anniversary of the death of the English poet Alfred Lord Tennyson. Alfred was the fourth of twelve children in his family, and he became one of the most well-loved Victorian poets. Today, Alfred’s walled garden on the Isle of Wight is still available for walk-throughs. Both Alfred’s…
Read MoreTraveller’s Joy: The Poetic Clematis of England’s Countryside
The Traveller’s Joy Poet November 2, 1848 Today is the anniversary of the death of the English poet and Irish bishop Richard Mant. Richard wrote a little poem about the wild clematis that happens to be England’s only native Clematis. In the 17th century, the herbalist John Gerard gave it the common name “The Traveller’s…
Read MoreLammas and the Gifts of August: Poppies, Waterlilies, and Summer’s Queen
Today’s Garden Words were featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. Words inspired by the garden are the sweetest, most beautiful words of all. August poppies August 1, 2020 Today we celebrate Lammas Day, the old festival of first fruits—the time when the wheat and…
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