Posts Tagged ‘March’
William Roscoe
The Butterfly Ball and Grasshopper Feast March 8, 1753 Today is the birthday of the Liverpool poet, historian, botanist, and politician William Roscoe. William grew up in the Presbyterian church. He learned his love of poetry from his mother, and he’d helped his father with his work as a market gardener. As an adult, William…
Read MoreAndré Michaux
Long-Live Love and Loyalty March 8, 1746 Today is the birthday of the French botanist and explorer André Michaux. Most people think of André Michaux as the accomplished old botanist, but I always prefer to recall the beginning of his story because that’s what set him on his course. André grew up on a royal…
Read MoreIdabelle Firestone
“In My Garden” March 5, 2012 Today The Akron Beacon Journal shared a story about some of the wealthiest women in Akron Ohio during the Victorian era. One of the women profiled was the gardener, composer, songwriter, and philanthropist Idabelle Firestone. As you might have suspected, Idabelle was the wife of rubber baron Harvey Firestone. In 1929,…
Read MoreAnna Scripps Whitcomb
The Anna Scripps Whitcomb Conservatory March 5, 1866 Today is the birthday of Anna Scripps Whitcomb. Anna was born to James and Harriet Scripps. Anna’s father was an entrepreneur; he founded the Detroit News and helped found the Detroit Museum of Art. In 1891, Anna married Edgar Whitcomb and together they raised two children. The…
Read MoreMarch 5, 2021 What to Plant in March, Anna Scripps Whitcomb, Idabelle Firestone, A March Garden Diary, Floral Cocktails by Lottie Muir, and Flowers for the Country Border
Today we celebrate the woman who donated her entire orchid collection to begin the Belle Isle Conservatory. We’ll also learn about a woman who Burpee honored with the naming of a Marigold. We hear an excerpt from a garden diary for this week of March. We Grow That Garden Library™ with a very delightful book…
Read MoreArbor Day
Arbor Day Dedication March 4, 1949 On this day, the Santa Cruz Sentinel out of Santa Cruz, California, published a lovely story about the upcoming Arbor Day celebration. The story featured a wonderful photo of a tree being pruned with the caption, “Santa Rosa Citizens To Plant Trees In Commemoration Of Birth Of Famed Luther Burbank: Nurseryman Joe Badger,…
Read MoreHenry Frederick Conrad Sander
Vanda Sanderiana March 4, 1847 Today is the birthday of the German-English orchidologist and nurseryman Henry Frederick Conrad Sander. As a young man of 20 years old, Conrad met the Czech plant collector Benedict Roezl. Benedict’s heart lay in exploration and acquisition; he did not enjoy the marketing and sales aspects of plant hunting. Instead,…
Read MoreDaffodils: the March Birth Flower, Fun Facts, and the Mother of all Daffodil Poems
“All parts of the Daffodil are toxic, and the sap is harmful to other flowers, so you must soak them separately for 24 hours before adding them to a bouquet.” The birth flower for March birthdays is the Daffodil. Daffodils are also the 10th-anniversary flower. A bouquet of Daffodils means happiness and hope, but a…
Read MoreAlexander Graham Bell
The Co-founder of AT&T March 3, 1847 Today is the birthday of the Scottish-born inventor, scientist, and engineer credited with inventing and patenting the first practical telephone, Alexander Graham Bell. In 1855, Alexander co-founded the American Telephone and Telegraph Company, known today as AT&T. And although most people know about Alexander’s story with regard to…
Read MoreMathias de l’Obel
Lovely Lobelia March 3, 1616 Today is the birthday of the Flemish physician and botanist Mathias de l’Obel (“ma-TEE-us dew Lew-bell”). Mathias practiced medicine in England. And among his accomplishments, Mathias was the first botanist to recognize the difference between monocots and dicots. Today we remember Mathias de l’Obel (“LEW-bell”) with the Lobelia plant. Before…
Read MoreMarch 3, 2021 Planning a Productive Veg Garden, Matthias de L’Obel, Alexander Graham Bell, Katie Vaz on Rhubarb, Find Your Mantra by Aysel Gunar, and the Birth Flower for March
Today we celebrate the man who is remembered in one of the garden’s sweetest summer annuals – the lobelia. We’ll also learn about the man who invented the telephone – he also happened to love gardening and the natural world. We hear a great memory about rhubarb from one of my favorite garden books from…
Read MoreJoel Roberts Poinsett
The Painted Leaf March 2, 1779 Today is the birthday of the physician, botanist, and American statesman, Joel Roberts Poinsett. In the 1820s, President John Quincy Adams appointed Joel to serve as a US ambassador in Mexico. Joel was introduced to a beautiful plant that the Aztecs called the cuetlaxochitl (“qwet-la-SHO-chee-til”) but today it’s better…
Read MoreLenore Elizabeth Mulets
Tales of Nature March 1, 1877 Today is the birthday of the children’s author, volunteer, poet, and teacher, Lenore Elizabeth Mulets. Born Nora Mulertz in Kansas, Lenore’s mother died when she was ten. Raised by her uncle’s family, Lenore left for Chicago’s Wheaton College to become a teacher. She found a position in Malden, Massachusetts,…
Read MoreCatharina Helena Dörrien
Beautiful Botanical Art March 1, 1717 Today is the birthday of the German artist, children’s book author, translator, editor, and pioneering female botanist Catharina Helena Dörrien (“Durr-ee-in”). Catharina was born into an intellectual family in Hildesheim, a community Southeast of Hannover. Her father, Ranier, believed that while beauty fades, ignorance can be a lifelong affliction.…
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