Indiana Archives

Fourth Time’s the Charm: Indiana’s State Flower is the Peony

A Small, Sad, Neglected-Looking Pink or Peony

“A young, distinguished member of the Indiana legislature named Lawrence Baker, who happened to be a peony grower, suggested the Peony. And that is how the Peony ended up on the ballot.” March 15, 1957 On this day, the Peony became Indiana’s fourth State Flower. First, they picked the Carnation, then the Tulip Poplar, next…

February 24, 2021 The World’s Largest Honey Bee, Steve Jobs, the Indiana State Flower, February Chores, English Gardens by Kathryn Bradley-Hole, and an Appeal to Plant More Dogwood in Virginia from 1957

Today we celebrate the birthday of a man who appreciated simplicity and knew that we would, too. We’ll also learn about the Indiana State Flower – it’s not a native – but it sure is beautiful. We hear some words from a 1997 Garden Chore list. We Grow That Garden Library™ with a beautiful book that…

January 27 2021 Predicting the New Year’s 2021 Garden Trends, Lewis Carroll, Terramycin, Skunk Cabbage, Botanical Baking by Juliet Sear, and the Surprise in a Botanist’s Garden: Running Buffalo Clover

Today we celebrate the writer inspired by the Oxford Botanic Garden – a place he saw every day. We’ll also learn about medicine with roots in the soil in Indiana. We’ll hear a lovely excerpt about a harbinger of spring: Skunk Cabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus) We Grow That Garden Library™ with a fantastic book about botanical…

December 17, 2020 Five Low-Maintenance Annuals, Ludwig Van Beethoven, Charles Morren, Rachel Peden, Jean Hersey, The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh and Shooting Down Mistletoe

Today we celebrate one of the world’s best composers and his intense appreciation of nature. We’ll also learn about the botanist who cracked the code on pollinating vanilla and came up with a new word for the cyclical nature of things. We’ll recognize the incredible written work of a daughter of Indiana – and yes,…

December 11, 2020 Brazil’s Deforestation Surges, Jacob Schneck, Henry David Thoreau, Victor Lemoine, Edgar Albert Guest, Growing Perennial Foods by Acadia Tucker and Krishna Chavda, and Fiorello LaGuardia

Today we celebrate the Indiana botanist remembered in a particular species of Red Oak (Quercus rubra). We’ll also learn about the Red-Pole – one of the smallest birds in the finch family. We’ll recognize the French flower breeder remembered for his work with the Lilac (Syringa vulgaris). We hear a poem about the Winter garden…

The Biography of Indiana Botanist Charles Clemon Deam by Robert Kriebel

“Suddenly, Charlie quickly opened the drawer, pulled out the gun, and fired two or three shots through the open window, making some disparaging comments about the “canine ancestry of a rabbit,” which had been terrorizing his garden.” July 16, 1987 On this day, The Indianapolis Star announced that the biography of Charles Clemon Deam, the…

Toxic Plant Spotlight: Wild or White Snakeroot; the Plant that Killed Abraham Lincoln’s Mother

“Wild or White snakeroot is a problem for livestock if they consume it. All parts of the plant are toxic. Transferring the toxin through cow’s milk is a concern for humans, known as milk sickness.” July 7, 1965 On this day, The Vincennes Sun-Commercial out of Vincennes, Indiana, reported: It was about 140 years ago that…