May Archives

From Bluebells to Winter Roses: The Life of Anne Brontë

Anne Bronte - enhanced and colorized - by Charlotte Bronte, 1834

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. May 28, 1849 Dear reader, on this day in history, we bid farewell to a literary gem, the English novelist and poet Anne Brontë. While we now celebrate the Brontë sisters for their…

From Yangtze to Your Garden: The Extraordinary Life of Frank Nicholas Meyer

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. May 28, 1918 On this day, the intrepid Dutch-American botanist and USDA Plant Explorer, Frank Nicholas Meyer, embarked upon his final journey. With a heavy heart and weary bones, Frank boarded a steamer…

Blossoms by the Hour: Unveiling the Floral Clock

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. May 27, 1873 Dear reader, on this day, a most intriguing missive emerged from the quaint hamlet of Pratt’s Junction, Massachusetts. It spoke of a marvel that would captivate both the horticultural enthusiast…

From Macabre to Marigolds: Vincent Price’s Horticultural Haven

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. May 27, 1911 On this day, dear reader, we celebrate the birth of a most intriguing figure in the annals of both cinema and horticulture: Vincent Price. While his name may conjure images…

Sébastien Vaillant

The Structure of Flowers May 26, 1669 Today is the birthday of the French botanist Sébastien Vaillant. Appointed to the King’s garden in Paris, Sebastien loved organizing and cataloging plants. Biographical accounts say Sebastian showed a passion for plants from the age of five. His masterpiece, forty years in the making, Botanicon Parisienne, was a book…

Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Intellectual Declaration of Independence” May 25, 1803 Today is the birthday of the American transcendentalist, essayist, philosopher, and poet Ralph Waldo Emerson. Ralph Waldo Emerson was a son of Boston. By the time he finished his schooling at Harvard, he had decided to go by his middle name, Waldo. He was his class poet, and…

Jamaica Kincaid

Dreams of Gardeners May 25, 1949 Today is the birthday of the Antiguan-American novelist, essayist, and short-story writer Jamaica Kincaid born Elaine Potter Richardson. Jamaica Kincaid is a gardener and popular garden writer. Her book Among Flowers: A Walk in the Himalaya offers many wonderful excerpts. And here, she discusses the dreams of gardeners – and how…

Sarah Josepha Hale

The Children’s Author May 24, 1830 On this day, Mary Had A Little Lamb by Sarah Josepha Hale is published by the Boston firm Marsh, Capen & Lyon. Born in New Hampshire in 1788, Sarah was homeschooled, and she attributed all of her learning and success to her mother. She wrote, ”I owe my early predilection for…

Michael Chabon

Chabon’s Writing Shed May 24, 1963 Today is the birthday of the American novelist and short-story writer Michael Chabon (“SHAY-bon”). In 2000, Michael wrote The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, which won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2001. Michael is married to the writer, Ayelet (“eye-YEll-it’”) Waldman, and together they have four children. They…

Alexander Pope

Bridge in Bath, Capability Brown, and Prior Park May 21, 1688 Today is the birthday of the British poet, critic, gardener, and satirist Alexander Pope. Known for his poetry and writing, Alexander Pope is less remembered for his love of gardens. Yet Alexander was a trailblazer in terms of garden design and originality. He designed…

Eugene O’Neill

Anna Christie May 21, 1922 On this day, the Pulitzer prize was awarded to Eugene O’Neill for his play “Anna Christie.” Remembered as one of America’s greatest playwrights, most people are unaware that Eugene O’Neill was also a gardener. After becoming a Nobel laureate in literature, Eugene used his Nobel prize money to buy over…

Honoré de Balzac

The Father of Realism in French Literature May 20, 1799 Today is the birthday of the prolific 19th-century French writer, poet, and the father of Realism in French literature, Honoré de Balzac. Today, the Maison de Balzac, or Honoré’s modest Paris home, has been turned into a museum. With its courtyard and garden, the house…

Chelsea Flower Show

The Royal Horticultural Society’s Great Spring Show May 20, 1913 On this day, the first Chelsea Flower Show was held at Chelsea General Hospital. Originally called the Royal Horticultural Society’s Great Spring Show, the first Chelsea Flower Show was held in 1862 at the RHS garden in Kensington. Staged in a single tent, the first…

Catherine Furbish

The Maine Botanist May 19, 1834 Today is the birthday of the daring self-taught American botanist Catherine Furbish. Kate is remembered for her life-long work collecting, classifying, and illustrating the flora of the great state of Maine. Kate spent six decades crisscrossing her home state. Her delicate, beautiful, and simple botanical art charms gardeners still…