The Lichen Lady: Annie Lorrain Smith’s Scientific Revolution

Annie Lorrain Smith

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. October 23, 1854 Today we also celebrate the birth of the remarkable Annie Lorrain Smith, and oh my dears, what a story she has to tell us about persistence in both gardens and…

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The Poetry of Pollinators: Neltje Blanchan’s Garden Revolution

Neltje Blanchan

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. October 23, 1865 Today we also remember the birth of Neltje Blanchan, and oh my dears, if Annie Lorrain Smith taught us to see the microscopic world of lichens, Blanchan taught an entire…

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Gilles Clément: The Gardener Who Broke Down the Walls

Gilles Clément

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. October 6, 1943 On this day, Gilles Clément was born — the French gardener, agronomist, designer, botanist, entomologist, and writer whose ideas have made him the darling of philosophers and the occasional scourge…

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In Praise of Fallen Leaves: Cyril Connolly’s Garden Wisdom

Cyril Connolly

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. September 10, 1903 On this day, dear readers of the garden and admirers of literary wit, we celebrate the birth of Cyril Connolly, whose sharp pen and keener eye would forever change how…

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Charles Sauriol’s Garden Toad Companion

Charles Sauriol

Garden Toad On this day, the Canadian Naturalist Charles Joseph Sauriol (“Sar-ee-all”) wrote about sharing his garden with a toad. He wrote, “One particular toad has taken quite a fancy to the Wild Flower garden. His den is alongside the Hepatica plant. There he sits half-buried, and blinks up at me while I shower water…

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Gilbert White’s Birthday: Celebrating the Father of Naturalist Garden Journals

Gilbert White thumbnail image

The Naturalist’s Journal Today is the birthday of the English naturalist, Gilbert White. Gilbert kept a journal for almost three decades, where he recorded observations of his garden. Gilbert’s observations were eventually published as a Calendar of Flora and the Garden. Then they were woven into a book called the Naturalist’s Journal. People immediately recognized…

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