When Williamsburg Bloomed: John Custis’s Garden Vision

John Custis IV, by Charles Bridges, 1725

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. November 14, 1749 On this day, John Custis IV, an American planter, politician, government official, and military officer, died. His garden legacy has recently captured headlines as archaeologists uncover what was once colonial…

Read More

Martha’s Green Legacy: The Enduring Kitchen Garden of Mount Vernon

Martha Washington

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. June 2, 1731 On this day, dear garden enthusiasts, we celebrate the birth of a most remarkable woman, one whose influence extended far beyond the hallowed halls of the nascent American government. I…

Read More

Martha Washington

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,…

Read More

June 13, 2019 Repurposed Planter Idea, Martha Washington, George Thurtell, David Douglas, William Butler Yeats, Charles Joseph Sauriol, The Flower Fix by Anna Potter, Love in a Mist, Nigella, and James Clerk Maxwell and his Peacock Gardeners

20200101 The Daily Gardener Album Cover

My aunt Debbie in Des Moines sent me some fantastic pictures of a great portable elevated planter idea. She was at Lowes, and they had taken two old Weber grills and had spray-painted them different colors. Then, they turned them into planters. In between the two of them, they placed a bench. What a great…

Read More