natural cycles Archives

Seeds aren’t stupid: Midas Dekkers on nature’s patient wisdom

Portrait of Midas Dekker (colorized and enhanced).

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. April 22, 1946 Dearest reader, On this day, we celebrate the birth of Midas Dekkers, a remarkable Dutch biologist and author known for his sharp wit and curious mind. Born in Haarlem, Dekkers…

Slow Down, Look Down: Chris Howell’s Celebration of Fallen Leaves

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. October 6, 2017 Dearest readers, On this day, Chris Howell—the dedicated gardener at Birmingham Botanical Gardens—captured a moment of simple seasonal beauty, sharing a photograph of autumn leaves carpeting a garden path. In…

Winter’s Hidden Heart: The Nature Wisdom of Hugh Macmillan

Hugh Macmillan Scottish minister and naturalist.

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. September 17, 1833 Dearest garden enthusiasts, today we celebrate the birth of Hugh Macmillan, a Scottish minister and naturalist whose poetic understanding of winter’s mysteries continues to illuminate our understanding of nature’s cycles.…

July Folklore: Weather Signs, Farming Wisdom, and Garden Lore

A close-up of a traditional Russian folk costume, specifically a sarafan, and possibly a headpiece worn by a woman.

by Anonymous Never trust a July sky. Never trust the sky in the month of July. As July, so next January. If the 1st of July be rainy weather, it will rain more or less for three weeks together. If ant hills are high in July, the coming winter will be hard. Whatever July and…