George Shull Archives

George Shull

The Father of Hybrid Corn Today newspapers announced the retirement of the “father of hybrid corn,” George Shull. An Ohio farm kid, George was a noted botanist who taught at Princeton University for 27 years. George’s work resulted in a one hundred and fifty million-dollar increase in the value of US corn as a result…

July 9, 2020 Magnolia Gardens White Bridge, Cottage Garden Style, Sowing Biennial Flower Seeds, Henry Wallace Johnston, Nikolay Vavilov, George Shull, Tomato Poetry, The Backyard Parables by Margaret Roach, and Samual Smithers aka Plantman

Today we celebrate the man who named the lipstick tree and was known as Florida’s Burbank. We’ll also learn about the incredible work of an extraordinary Russian botanist who was tragically sentenced to death on this day in 1941. And we honor the life of the “Father of Hybrid Corn.” Today’s poetry is all about…

The Corn Professor’s Silent Fortune: George Shull’s Retirement

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. July 9, 1942 On this day, dear readers, society columns and agricultural gazettes alike buzzed with news that would scarcely ruffle the petticoats of the fashionable set, yet sent tremors through America’s breadbasket.…

July 9, 2019 Mulch Placement, Colonel Henry Wallace Johnston, Nikolay Vavilov, George Shull, Emily Dickinson, Answer July, Lives of the Trees by Diana Wells, Wheelbarrow Garden, and Samual Smithers as Plantman

Here’s a little primer on mulch placement. Keep mulch away from the bases of plants and trees. Trees can be harmed or killed by mulching too heavily around the trunk. Perennials and other plants can be smothered or damaged by heavy mulch around the crown as well. Mulch is a wonderful tool in the garden,…