Elizabeth Fox: The Baroness Who Brought Dahlias to Britain

Elizabeth Fox, portrait

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. November 16, 1845 On this day, dear readers, we bid farewell to a most remarkable woman, Elizabeth Fox, Baroness Holland, whose life bloomed as vibrantly as the flowers she so adored. A political…

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Sir Jean Chardin: Unearthing the Secret Language of Persian Tulips

Sir Jean Chardin

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. November 16, 1643 On this day, dear readers, we celebrate the birth of Sir Jean Chardin, a French jeweler whose life sparkled with adventure and whose pen captured the essence of distant lands.…

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Pansies, Painters, and Prestige: The Horticultural Reign of Denys Zirngiebel

Portrait of John Denys Zirngiebel, 1906

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. November 16, 1964 On this day, dear readers, we bid a fond farewell to Denys Zirngiebel, a Swiss-born naturalist whose green thumb left an indelible mark on American horticulture. Like a well-tended perennial,…

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Rose by Any Other Name: The Many Facets of Rosamund Marriott Watson

Rosamund Marriott Watson

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. October 6, 1860 On this day, dear readers, we celebrate the birth of a most remarkable soul, Rosamund Marriott Watson, an English poet, nature writer, and critic of extraordinary talent. Known affectionately as…

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Unveiling the Secrets of Peony Perfection: Lessons from 1908

Peony cuttings in water

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. June 8, 1908 On this day, dear readers, a most intriguing review of the Peterson Nursery in Chicago graced the pages of horticultural discourse, offering a tantalizing glimpse into their annual peony week.…

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A Royal Gardener’s Legacy: Sophia of Hanover and Herrenhausen

Sophia of Hanover, Portrait by Gerard van Honthorst, 1650

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. June 8, 1714 On this day, dear readers, we commemorate the passing of a most remarkable woman, Sophia of Hanover, the Electress of Hanover. At the venerable age of 83, she departed this…

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Blooms and Biceps: The Joyful Workout of Gardening

National Garden Exercise Day

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. June 6, 2022 On this day, dear readers, we celebrate National Garden Exercise Day, a delightful occasion that marries the pleasures of horticulture with the virtues of physical exertion. As one who has…

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The Extraordinary Garden of Mahdi Obeidi: The Bomb Beneath the Lotus Tree

Dr. Mahdi Obeidi

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. June 2, 2003 On this day, dear garden enthusiasts, we find ourselves transported to a rose garden in Iraq, where a tale of intrigue and horticulture intertwines like the most tenacious of vines.…

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