Henry David Thoreau Archives

Henry David Thoreau

Walden Pond Living Today is the anniversary of the day in 1847 when Henry David Thoreau left Walden Pond and moved in with Ralph Waldo Emerson in Concord, Massachusetts. His two years of simple living at Walden Pond were over. This post was featured onThe Daily Gardener podcast: helping gardeners find their…

September 6, 2019 Planting in September, Jean-Baptiste Van Mons, Thoreau leaves Walden Pond, James Veitch Jr, Joseph Hers, Kathleen Basford, Bartlett Giamatti, Montrose by Nancy Goodwin, Sowing Flowers, and Stolen Flowers

September is my favorite month for planting trees, shrubs, and perennials. The cool air makes outdoor exercise a joy, and the ground temperatures add the perfect amount of warmth for plants to get established. Planting in the fall is preferred because it’s the time of year when perennials experience less transplant shock. At the same…

Henry David Thoreau

Written Words of Walden Pond It was on this day in 1854 that two years of simple living near Walden Pond in Massachusetts was shared with the world in the form of a book; Henry David Thoreau’s Walden was published. It was Henry David Thoreau who said: ”The question is not what you look at,…

August 7, 2019 Queen Anne’s Lace, Andreas Marggraff, Henry Perrine, MS Swaminathan, Henry David Thoreau, John Ruskin, The Evening Garden by Peter Loewer, Mulch, and Lucy Cranwell of New Zealand

There’s that lovely saying that goes something like, “One man’s weed is another man’s wildflower.” This is especially true in the case of Queen Anne’s Lace. In the Facebook group for the show, listener Danny Perkins shared how much he enjoyed allowing Queen Anne’s Lace to reign all over in his garden. I feel…

In August, the Large Masses of Berries

by Henry David Thoreau In August, the large masses of berries, which, when in flower, had attracted many wild bees, gradually assumed their bright velvety crimson hue, and by their weight again bent down and broke their tender limbs. As featured onThe Daily Gardener podcast: Words inspired by the garden are the sweetest, most beautiful…

What You See

by Henry David Thoreau The question is not what you look at, but what you see. Note: National Simplicity Day is observed on July 12th in his honor. Thoreau was an advocate for living a life of simplicity. As featured onThe Daily Gardener podcast: Words inspired by the garden are the sweetest, most…

A Different Drummer

by Henry David Thoreau If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Note: National Simplicity Day is observed on July 12th in Thoreau’s honor. Thoreau was an advocate for living a life of simplicity. As featured onThe Daily Gardener podcast:…

I Have Great Faith in a Seed

by Henry David Thoreau Though I do not believe that a plant will spring up where no seed has been, I have great faith in a seed. Convince me that you have a seed there, and I am prepared to expect wonders. Note: National Simplicity Day is observed on July 12th…

Gardening is Civil and Social

by Henry David Thoreau Gardening is civil and social, but it wants the vigor and freedom of the forest and the outlaw. Note: National Simplicity Day is observed every July 12th in Thoreau’s honor. Henry David Thoreau was an advocate for living a life of simplicity. As featured onThe Daily Gardener podcast:…

July 12, 2019 Giant Water Lily, Captain Cook, Charles Darwin, Henry David Thoreau, Gardens Are for People by Thomas Church, Propagating Pelargoniums, and Yerba Buena

In China, July is the month of the lotus. Recently I shared a video in the Facebook Group for the Show from the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh,, which shows Senior Horticulturist, Pat Clifford, teaching their intern Hazel, how to remove the older leaves of the Giant Water Lily so the pond does not get overcrowded.…

June 11, 2019 Garden Journal, National Corn on the Cob Day, John Constable, Julia Margaret Cameron, Henry David Thoreau, Thomas Love Peacock, The A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants by Christopher Brickell, Chamomile, and ET

Here’s another idea for your garden journal: Flip to the back and save two pages. On one page, write “Successes,” and on the other “Failures.” In the garden, we learn equally from both. Brevities #OTD Today is National Corn on the Cob Day – June 11th. Corn is part of the grass…