Henry Danvers

Henry Danvers

Linnaeus Filius January 20, 1741 Today is the birthday of the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus the Younger, the son of the great Carl Linnaeus or Carl von Linné. To distinguish him from his famous father, he was referred to as Linnaeus filius, Latin for Linnaeus, the son. For botanical purposes, he is referred to with…

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Henry Danvers

Henry Danvers

Founder of the Oxford Botanic Garden January 20, 1643 Today is the anniversary of the death of Henry Danvers, the 1st Earl of Danby. In 1621, Henry founded the Oxford Botanic Garden, but planting didn’t start until the 1640s. As a young man, Henry was an English soldier who was outlawed after killing a rival…

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January 20, 2021 January Garden Chores, Henry Danvers, Carl Linnaeus the Younger, Elizabeth Lawrence on Dogwoods and Spider Lilies, All Along You Were Blooming by Morgan Harper Nichols, and the first female botanist in America: Jane Colden

20200101 The Daily Gardener Album Cover

Today we celebrate the pardoned outlaw who donated the land for the Oxford Botanic Garden. We’ll also learn about Carl Jr. – Linnaeus’s son – Linnaeus filius, who surely felt some pressure growing up in his father’s shadow. We’ll hear one of my favorite letters from the garden writer Elizabeth Lawrence. We Grow That Garden…

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A Verdant Legacy: 400 Years of the Oxford Botanic Garden

A view of the University of Oxford Botanic Garden from outside the walled garden. Magdalen Tower of Magdalen College is visible in the background

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. July 25, 1621 On this day, at the stroke of two in the afternoon, a most extraordinary event transpired in the hallowed grounds of Oxford University. The Botanic Garden, known also as the…

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