Posts Tagged ‘Harvard’
Unmoved by Mountains: The Enigmatic Life of Charles Sprague Sargent
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. April 24, 1841 On this day, the horticultural world was graced with the birth of Charles Sprague Sargent, a man destined to become one of America’s most distinguished botanists. Charles, a figure as…
Read MoreArthur Shurcliff’s Colonial Revival Gardens at Williamsburg: A Triumph in Landscape Architecture
“Arthur did have Boxwood on the brain. Boxwood was Arthur’s signature plant – he called it “Box” for short. And for his Williamsburg makeover, Arthur brought in boatloads of Box.” March 17, 1928 On this day, the pioneering landscape architect Arthur Shurcliff began working on the Colonial Revival Gardens at Williamsburg. His efforts helped make Colonial…
Read MoreDecember 3, 2020 Seed Size, Gourds and Squashes, James Arnold, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Sara Coleridge, Earth to Table by Jeff Crump and Bettina Schormann, and Octavia Hill
Today I’ll talk about the difference between gourds and squash. We’ll also celebrate the man whose philanthropy made the Arnold Arboretum possible. We’ll recognize the painter who said flowers made him paint freely. We salute the English author who gave us a lovely poem called The Garden Year. We Grow That Garden Library™ with a…
Read MoreCelebrating Pittsburgh Landscape Architect M. Robert Fenton and his Lost Battle for a Tree
“After trying for weeks to get permission from the City Forester Earl Blankenship to plant a tree in front of his building, Robert decided it was better to ask forgiveness and went ahead with the planting. Robert told reporters that planting the tree was in line with President Johnson’s thinking on beautification…” July 19, 1933…
Read MoreAsa Gray’s First Day at Harvard: How a Soft-Spoken Genius Transformed Botanical Science
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. July 22, 1842 On this day, dear garden friend, the esteemed botanist Asa Gray graced Harvard with his arrival, marking the beginning of what would become a most illustrious tenure at America’s oldest…
Read MoreCelebrating Landscape Architect Robert Fenton and His Early Fight to Plant a Tree
“After two weeks of discussions, City Attorney David Stahl said the tree was cut down and hauled away by City Forester Earl Blankenship in the middle of the night. Robert came to work and was shocked to discover the tree gone, cut down to the ground.” July 19, 1933 On this day, Landscape Architect Robert Fenton…
Read MoreThe First-Ever Richard Evans Schultes Award Went to Ethnobotanist Calvin R. Sperling
“As Schultes once said, ‘Ethnobotany simply means someone who is investigating plants used by primitive societies in various parts of the world.'” July 3, 1993 On this day, The Press Democrat out of Santa Rosa, California, reported on the first Richard Evans Schultes Award recipient. The honor went to a preeminent botanist and plant explorer…
Read MoreA Curator’s Triumph: Benjamin Robinson’s Botanical Legacy
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. June 20, 1892 On this day, Benjamin Lincoln Robinson ascended to his rightful botanical throne as curator of the Asa Gray Herbarium at Harvard. One might say the botanical world trembled with anticipation,…
Read MoreWhat Happens When Two Ol’ Botanists Hike to the Top of Grandfather Mountain
“Then I happened to look round and catch sight of [Sargent] standing there as cool as a rock, with a half-amused look on his face at me, but never saying a word.” April 24, 2019 On this day, while researching Charles Sprague Sargent for today’s book recommendation, I stumbled upon a fantastic article from 1915…
Read MoreA Life Among Giants: Joseph Trimble Rothrock and His Beloved Trees
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. April 9, 1839 On this day, Joseph Trimble Rothrock made his entrance into the world—a man destined to transform from a sickly child into the formidable “Father of Forestry.” The irony, dear readers,…
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