national trust Archives

Thomas Hardy’s Garden of Words: Literature, Landscapes, and Legacy

Thomas Hardy with the Hardy Tree in the background

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. June 2, 1840: the English novelist and poet Thomas Hardy was born. Thomas Hardy, the Victorian realist whose novels and poems continue to captivate readers, was a product of provincial England, his imagination…

Edna Walling: Australia’s Legendary Gardener and Advocate for Native Plants

Charismatic Creations Today is the birthday of the charismatic Australian gardener, designer & writer Edna Walling who was born on this day in 1896. Edna created some gorgeous gardens in Australia. She is remembered for her beautiful wonderful books on gardening & landscaping. Edna worked nonstop for four decades between the 1920s and 1960s, creating…

Capability Brown: The Birthday of Britain’s Landscape Visionary

Lancelot "Capability" Brown (1716-1783), is widely recognized as the pre-eminent designer of landscapes in 18th-century England, transforming overc. 250 gardens and parklands in England and Wales.

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. August 30, 1716 My darling green-thumbed companions, it’s the birthday of Lancelot Brown, who was born on this day in 1716. Our dear Lancelot—destined for horticultural greatness—found himself at Stowe working under the…