From Nosegays to Newbery: The Floral Verses of Elizabeth Coatsworth

Elizabeth Coatsworth and husband by the Iris bed

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. May 31, 1893 On this day, dear readers and lovers of verse, we celebrate the birth of Elizabeth Coatsworth, that most enchanting American writer of fiction and poetry for both children and adults.…

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Verses of Vernal Promise: Nora Perry’s Springtime Poetry

Nora Perry

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. May 13, 1896 On this day, dear readers, we bid farewell to Nora Perry, an American poet, newspaper correspondent, and writer whose verses captured the essence of spring’s awakening. Though she has left…

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Phebe Ann Holder: Songs of May Blossoms and October’s Calm

Phebe A. Holder

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. Phebe A. Holder November 27, 2020 Today marks the birthday of Phebe Ann Holder, the New England poet born on this…

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Minnie Aumônier’s Garden Joy and the Turning of the Year

The Poetry of Gardens by Minnie Aumonier

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. The Poetry of Gardens by Minnie Aumonier January 2, 2020 On this evening, when the last of the garden’s light seems…

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Celia Thaxter’s “August”: Island Beauty and Timeless Garden Muse

A vibrant pink water lily, likely a fragrant water lily (Nymphaea odorata), floating among its distinctive round leaves on the water's surface.

by Celia Laighton Thaxter Buttercup nodded, and said good-bye; Clover and Daisy went off together; But the fragrant water-lilies lie Yet moored in the golden August weather.     Note: The poet Celia Laighton Thaxter (1835-1894) grew up on an island. Her father built a hotel on Appledore Island, and it became a hub for…

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