June Archives

Edwin Hunt

The Old Oriskany Swamp It was on this day in 1869 that the botanist Edwin Hunt collected the last known specimen of Arethusa bulbosa in the old Oriskany swamp in New York. Arethusa bulbosa is known as Dragon’s Mouth Orchid and it is found in the eastern and central parts of the United States and…

The Secret Garden

by Gilbert Keith Chesterton The garden was large and elaborate, and there were many exits from the house into the garden. But there was no exit from the garden into the world outside; all-round it ran a tall, smooth, unscalable wall with special spikes at the top; no bad garden, perhaps, for a man to…

President Harding

Garden Parties at the White House It was on this day in 1922 that Pres. Harding’s voice was heard on the radio. Just the year before, Pres. Harding and his wife had opened the grounds to the White House. The Harding enjoyed throwing garden parties; especially for veterans. During one event in the garden, in…

Harriet Beecher Stowe

The Author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin It’s the birthday of Harriet Beecher Stowe on this day in 1811. Stowe is best known as the author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin. When Stowe met Pres. Abraham Lincoln, he greeted her by saying, “So you’re the little woman who started this great war.” During the Victorian era, the language…

Ruth Stout

The No Work Garden It’s the birthday of garden author Ruth Stout, born on this day in 1884. Ruth wrote a number of garden books including the No Work Garden and Gardening Without Work. Here’s a sampling of her famous prose: “If you have the soul of a gardener, not for anything would you work…

Our Rose Tree

by William Butler Yeats ‘O words are lightly spoken,’ Said Pearse to Connolly, ‘Maybe a breath of politic words Has withered our Rose Tree; Or maybe but a wind that blows Across the bitter sea.’ ‘It needs to be but watered,’ James Connolly replied, ‘To make the green come out again And spread on every…

David Douglas

Work Lost in TIme It was on this day in 1833 David Douglas’ luck ran out. On the Rocky Island of the Fraser River at Fort George Canyon, Douglas’s canoe was smashed into bits and Douglas himself barely escaped alive. All of Douglas’s work: his specimens and all of his writings – covering the years…

George Thurtell

Flowers to Fines It was on this day in 1832 that George Thurtell held his impressive ranunculus show. It was said that Thurtell had exhibited between 700 and 800 blooms; including 360 varieties. They were preeminent in beauty, variety, color, form, and size. Fourteen years after his ranunculus show, Thurtell was fined…

Martha Washington

The Mount Vernon Gardener It’s the birthday of Martha Washington, born on this day in 1731. The kitchen garden at Mount Vernon was said to have been Martha Washington’s personal pride. Surrounded by 4-inch-brick walls her garden was protected and it also enjoyed a bit of a microclimate. In addition to the walls,…

June is Bustin’ Out

by Oscar Hammerstein II, 1945 June is bustin’ out all over. As featured onThe Daily Gardener podcast: Words inspired by the garden are the sweetest, most beautiful words of all. Oscar Hammerstein II

What is One to Say About June

by Gertrude Jekyll What is one to say about June, the time of perfect young summer, the fulfillment of the promise of the earlier months, and with, as yet, no sign to remind one that its fresh young beauty will ever fade. As featured onThe Daily Gardener podcast: Words inspired by the garden are the…

God Created June

by Al Bernstein Spring being a tough act to follow, God created June. As featured onThe Daily Gardener podcast: Words inspired by the garden are the sweetest, most beautiful words of all. Al Bernstein

If a June Night Could Talk

by Bern Williams If a June night could talk, it would probably boast it invented romance. As featured onThe Daily Gardener podcast: Words inspired by the garden are the sweetest, most beautiful words of all. Bern Williams

Karl Freiherr von Drais

Inventor of the Bicycle It was a little over 200 years ago today, in 1817, that a forest ranger, named Karl Freiherr von Drais, invented the first bicycle. This post was featured onThe Daily Gardener podcast: helping gardeners find their roots, one story at a time Karl Freiherr von Drais