Jean-Baptiste Van Mons

Jean-Baptiste Van Mons

The Pear King November 11, 1765 Today is the birthday of the Belgian physicist, chemist, botanist, horticulturist, and pomologist, Jean-Baptiste Van Mons. The name of the game for Jean-Baptiste was selective breeding for pears. Selective breeding happens when humans breed plants to develop particular characteristics by choosing the parent plants to make the offspring. Check…

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November 11, 2020 Jean-Baptiste Van Mons, Elizabeth Coleman White, Lucy Maud Montgomery, Galileo, Foraged Flora by Louesa Roebuck and Sarah Lonsdale, and Nathaniel Wallich

20200101 The Daily Gardener Album Cover

Today we celebrate a botanist who gave us one of my favorite quotes about plant breeding. We’ll also remember the fantastically driven woman who dreamed of providing blueberries to the nation… and her dream came true. We review some words about November by Lucy Maud Montgomery, author of the Anne of Green Gables series, as well…

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Jean-Baptiste Van Mons

Jean-Baptiste Van Mons

Birth of Selective Breeding Today is the birthday of Jean-Baptiste Van Mons, who was born on this day in 1765. The name of the game for Van Mons was selective breeding for pears. Selective breeding happens when humans breed plants to develop particular characteristics by choosing the parent plants to make the offspring. Check out…

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November 11, 2019 Kashmir Paradise, Orchids with Alys Fowler, Perennial Garden Care, Jean-Baptiste Van Mons, Chrysanthemums, the Leonids, Carl Peter Thunberg, Beverley Nichols, Gardening for Butterflies by The Xerces Society, Staking Trees, and Elizabeth Coleman White

20200101 The Daily Gardener Album Cover

Today we celebrate the botanist who bred more than 40 types of pears – including our most popular varieties. We’ll learn about the cultural meanings associated with the chrysanthemum and the Swedish botanist who posed as a Dutchman to botanize in Japan. We’ll hear some thoughts on November from one of my favorite garden writers…

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Jean-Baptiste Van Mons

Jean-Baptiste Van Mons

Selective Beeding for Pears Today is the anniversary of the death of the botanist Jean-Baptiste Van Mons who died on this day in 1842. The name of the game for Mons was selective breeding for pears. Selective breeding happens when humans breed plants to develop particular characteristics by choosing the parent plants to make the…

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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

20200101 The Daily Gardener Album Cover

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…

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