Nikolay Vavilov Archives

Nikolay Vavilov

Help for Humanity Today a Soviet court sentenced the extraordinary twentieth-century Russian botanist Nikolay Vavilov to death by firing squad. Worried about the world’s plant biodiversity, Vavilov became a dedicated plant collector, and he had the foresight to build the world’s first seed bank in St. Petersburg. Nikolay’s life’s mission was something he called a…

July 9, 2020 Magnolia Gardens White Bridge, Cottage Garden Style, Sowing Biennial Flower Seeds, Henry Wallace Johnston, Nikolay Vavilov, George Shull, Tomato Poetry, The Backyard Parables by Margaret Roach, and Samual Smithers aka Plantman

Today we celebrate the man who named the lipstick tree and was known as Florida’s Burbank. We’ll also learn about the incredible work of an extraordinary Russian botanist who was tragically sentenced to death on this day in 1941. And we honor the life of the “Father of Hybrid Corn.” Today’s poetry is all about…

Nikolay Vavilov

Stuck in Soviet Prison On this day in 1941, a Soviet court sentenced the prominent Russian botanist Nikolay Vavilov to death by firing squad. Vavilov never faced the firing squad. Instead, he died of starvation in a Soviet prison two years after receiving his sentence. This post was featured onThe Daily Gardener podcast:…

July 9, 2019 Mulch Placement, Colonel Henry Wallace Johnston, Nikolay Vavilov, George Shull, Emily Dickinson, Answer July, Lives of the Trees by Diana Wells, Wheelbarrow Garden, and Samual Smithers as Plantman

Here’s a little primer on mulch placement. Keep mulch away from the bases of plants and trees. Trees can be harmed or killed by mulching too heavily around the trunk. Perennials and other plants can be smothered or damaged by heavy mulch around the crown as well. Mulch is a wonderful tool in the garden,…