Posts Tagged ‘horticultural innovation’
Karl Friedrich von Gaertner: Cultivating the Future of Plant Science
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. May 1, 1772 On this day, Karl Friedrich von Gaertner, a German botanist with a name that destiny seemed to have chosen, was born. Gaertner, which translates to “gardener,” was indeed a fitting…
Read MoreDeoban’s Secret: India’s Groundbreaking Garden of Cryptogams
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. July 11, 2021 On this day, dear horticultural enthusiasts, we find ourselves transported to the lush, misty heights of the Deoban area in Dehradun, Uttarakhand. Here, nestled at a breathtaking altitude of 9,000…
Read MoreFrom France to the Frost: The Botanical Legend of Georges Bugnet
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. February 27, 1879 Dearest Gardeners, On this day, Georges Bugnet, that indefatigable French-Canadian plant breeder, was born. In the early 1900s, George and his young wife left France and settled in Canada, with…
Read MoreDavid Austin: Breeding English Roses with Timeless Charm and Fragrance
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. February 16, 1926 Dearest reader, On this day, we celebrate the birth of the illustrious David Austin, an English rose breeder and writer whose visionary work transformed gardens across the world. Known affectionately…
Read MoreJohn Galvin: The Hands That Planted Boston’s Public Garden and Brought Flowers to the City
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: February 8, 1823 Dearest reader, On this day, John M. Galvin was born in the lush fields of Kent, England—a future sower of beauty and order for the city of Boston. Trained in the nursery business under his grandfather’s careful eye in Ireland, Galvin…
Read MoreJean Jules Linden: The Orchid Pioneer Who Transformed European Horticulture
Appreciation for Orchids January 12, 1898 Today is the anniversary of the death of the 19th-century Belgian botanist, explorer, horticulturist, rare orchid hunter, and businessman Jean Jules Linden. Before he reached 20, Jean began collecting rare orchids in South America. In 1844, Jean discovered the Dendrophylax lindenii or the Ghost orchid in Cuba. But there…
Read MoreHyacinths in Glass: Mandy Kirkby on a Victorian Winter Delight
by Mandy Kirby The January 1860 garden column of the famous fashion magazine the New Monthly Belle Assemblee recommended the Hyacinth Bottle and Flower Support as being ideal for growing [Hyacinths] indoors. The slender bottle with bulbous base was nothing new; hyacinths were often grown in water, not soil, in these small glass vases, which…
Read MoreJames Harvey Logan: Judge and Creator of the Loganberry
The Loganberry December 8, 1841 Today is the birthday of the California Superior Court judge and gardener James Harvey Logan. An avid gardener, Judge Logan enjoyed trying his hand at hybridizing. In 1881, Logan was working with blackberries. He crossed a local wild blackberry with a cultivated blackberry known as the Auginbaugh. At the same…
Read MoreAlbert Etter: The Apple Visionary Behind the Pink Pearl
Ettersburg Ranch November 27, 1872 Today is the birthday of a lifelong American plantsman and master plant breeder Albert Etter. Albert was a born horticulturist. When most children are mastering the alphabet and learning to tie their shoes, Albert was learning to graft and hybridize plants. By the time Albert was 12, his plant…
Read MoreThe Glass Box That Changed the World: Nathaniel Bagshaw Ward and the Wardian Case
The Wardian Case November 23, 1833 On this day, the ship Captain Charles Mallard wrote a letter to Nathaniel Bagshaw Ward. Four years earlier, in 1829, Nathaniel developed the first terrarium when he accidentally grew a fern in an insect jar. A fern spore had gotten into a jar Nathaniel was using to observe insect…
Read MoreDavid Prain: Scottish Botanist and Director of Kew Gardens
Director of The Royal Botanic Gardens On this day in Fettercairn Scotland, the amateur botanist David Prain was born. He would ultimately become the Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens of Calcutta and Kew. In 1887, David was sent to Calcutta to be the curator of the herbarium. While he was there, he researched Indian…
Read MoreHenry Bewley, gutta-percha, and the invention that changed gardening and global communication
The Gutta-percha Pioneer Today is the birthday of the gutta-percha pioneer Henry Bewley who was born on this day in Dublin, Ireland. A trained chemist, Bewley began work manufacturing soda water. Bewley’s work with soda got him in touch with Charles Hancock, who was eager to develop a stopper for bottles. Hancock’s solution came to…
Read MoreAgnes Block: Dutch Art Collector, Horticulturist, and Botanical Patron
First Pineapple in Europe Today is the anniversary of the death of the inspiring female Dutch collector, paper artist, illustrator, and horticulturist, Agnes Block. A Dutch Mennonite, Agnes first married a silk merchant named Hans de Wollf. His income made it possible for Agnes to pursue her many passions. The Dutch poet Joost van den…
Read MoreThe Night Gardener: How Edward Budding Revolutionized Our Lawns
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. August 22, 1830 My dearest garden comrades, on this most auspicious day in horticultural history, a revolution sprouted from the ingenious mind of one Edward Beard Budding – the very first lawn mower…
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