February Archives

February 25, 2021 This Year’s Garden Trends, Katherine Sophia Kane, Josif Pančić, The February Birds at Jean Hersey’s Feeder, Everlastings by Bex Partridge, and an Edna Walling Theater Production

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.

Why the Little Month of February has TWO Birth Flowers: the Violet and the Primrose; the Surprising Answer Along with Fun Facts

“Napoleon’s followers used the violet to weed out his detractors. They would ask strangers if they liked violets; a positive response was a sign of loyalty.” Even though roses are often associated with February, thanks to Valentine’s Day, February’s birth flower is not the rose. Instead, February has two birth flowers: the Violet and the…

February 17, 2021 Stickiness as a Plant Weapon, Rudolph Jacob Camerarius, Reginald Farrer, The Over-Nurturer Gardening Style, The Earth Moved by Amy Stewart, and the Birth Flowers of February

Four Favorite Garden-Inspired Verses About Love for Valentine’s Month

“You came when most needed, my winter rose.” I thought I’d close the show today by getting you ready for Valentine’s Day with a few of my favorite garden-inspired verses about love. Violet has the shortest wavelength of the spectrum. Behind it, the invisible ultraviolet. Roses are Red, Violets are Blue. Poor Violet, violated…

Preparing the Spring Garden: A Look at February Chores from 1889

“Whatever… winter work remains must now be cleared up, or the consequences will be serious.” February 9, 1889 On this day, The Lancaster Gazette shared a little snippet about the garden chores that should be done this week. Let’s see how our chores stack up against chores from the late 1800s. Outdoor Work must have a full…

Welcome February with Cicely Mary Barker: the Fair Maids of February and the Snowdrop Fairy

“Cicely would draw the flowers and the fairies and then write poetry about them.” The English illustrator Cicely Mary Barker is remembered for depicting fairies and flowers. In Cicely’s fabulous fantasy world, every flower was granted its particular fairy to protect it from harm. For winter, Cicely created fairies and poems for these plants: Snowdrop,…

Candlemas: A Gardener’s Guide to Winter’s Midpoint

Candlemas, also known as the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, is a Christian holiday celebrated on February 2nd, forty days after Christmas. The image of a lit candle is highly relevant to Candlemas as candles play a central role in its traditions and symbolism.

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. February 2, 2021 On this day, dear gardeners, we find ourselves at the cusp of a most intriguing celebration – Candlemas. A day that, much like the delicate unfurling of a spring bud,…

Welcome February with The Language of the Trees by Scottish Poet Charles MacKay

Aerial view of dense forest treetops, showing a mix of tall, green coniferous trees with varying shades and textures, forming a lush woodland canopy.

“This little obscure poem from the Scottish poet Charles MacKay seems an excellent way to usher in February.” We’re in the grips of winter now, and the trees dominate the landscape. I thought I’d close today’s show with a little poem about trees that I stumbled upon while doing tree research. We’re learning more and…

Celebrating English Gardener and Writer Frances Perry and Her Life With Plants

“There is nothing static about a garden. All gardeners know this and are constantly devising different features. Yet it’s easy to let sentiment or inertia spare plants that have long since past their prime. Too often, also, a design suited to younger gardeners sticks, even though age has made it more and more difficult to…

February’s Birthflowers: Violet and Primrose

February's Flowers: the Violet and the Primrose

“After he was exiled to Elba, Napoleon vowed to return before the Violet season. Napoleon’s followers used the Violet to weed out his detractors. They would ask strangers if they liked Violets; a positive response was the sign of a loyal Napoleon supporter.” February 18, 2020 Even though roses are often associated with February (thanks…

Celebrating an Intrepid Explorer, Writer, Illustrator and an Irish Botanist’s Wife: Eleanor Constance Rundall Bor

“Mrs. Bor had expected to share exciting plant discoveries and, at least, to give her name to a rare orchid. Instead, she found her husband was a specialist in grasses, and it was a new species of grass extremely rare but, to her, looking no more than a “mangy bit of fur” that finally bore…

Celebrating Nantucket Botanist Maria Tallant Owen

“When she was a little girl, Maria was interested in the plants growing around her home on Nantucket. The women in her family – her mother, her sisters, and her aunt – all shared in the hobby of botany. It wasn’t long before Maria showed an aptitude for it.” February 13, 1825 On this day,…

Remembering Surrey Nurseryman George Jackman and the Purple Jackman Clematis

“The beginning of the year 1840 was a terrible time in the life of George Jackman. He lost his wife, Mary, in January and his father, William, in February. In twenty-five days, George and his 3-year-old son, George II, were alone. The nursery became the center of their world.” February 12, 1869 On this day,…

Celebrating the Cherry and Grapefruit Month of February with Fun Facts and Folklore

“Sometimes, sayings about February aren’t very kind, like the translation of a famous French saying: February is the shortest month and by far the worst.” February 11, 2020 On this day, we celebrate the month of February. February joined the calendar with January around 700 B.C. The etymology of February comes from the Latin…