Posts Tagged ‘October’
Longleat Gardener William Taylor and His Thoughts on the 1875 Autumn Garden
“Gardeners generally have [less work] during August and September. They are enabled to look round themselves at home and often to make a little tour and pick up useful hints from others of the fraternity; they then begin about October with renewed vigor to work for another year.” October 25, 1875 On this day, Longleat…
Read MoreOdoardo Beccari
Travelling to The Titan Arum Today is the anniversary of the death of Odoardo Beccari, who died on this day in 1920. After growing up an orphan, Beccarri managed to get an education in his native Italy, and he eventually traveled to England to study at Kew. Beccarri was friends with Hooker and Darwin, but…
Read MoreCount Bertrand de Molleville
Developer of the Pruner Today is the birthday of Count Bertrand de Molleville, who was born on this day – 275 years ago -in 1744. During the French Revolution, Molleville escaped to England, where he developed the secateurs or the pruner. He created them to help with pruning grapevines – something he was all too…
Read MoreBernard Verdcourt
Flora, Snails, and Slugs Today is the 8th anniversary of the death of the botanist Bernard Verdcourt or who died on this day in 2011. For over 60 years, Bernard Verdcourt was known as “BV” to his colleagues at Kew. Verdcourt specialized in East African flora, and he had an unrivaled knowledge of around 4,000…
Read MoreAutumn Song
by Bliss Carman Shall we not grow with the asters? – Never reluctant nor sad, Not counting the cost of being, Living to dare and be glad. Shall we not lift with the crickets A chorus of ready cheer, Braving the frost of oblivion, Quick to be happy here? The deep red cones of the…
Read MoreA Review of Henry Austin Dobson’s Rose Poem: Beauty, Time, and the Fallacy of the Ephemeral
“For the roses, life with the gardener is a constant. They emerge in the spring, thrive in the summer, and go dormant as fall changes to winter – all under the care of Fontenelle.” October 24, 1885 On this day, a little poem about a rose by the English poet Henry Austin Dobson appeared in…
Read MoreMargaret Owen
“The Patch” Today is the fifth anniversary of the death of Margaret Owen, who died on this day in 2014. Owen was an English farmer and gardener. When she was twenty, Margaret married Godfrey Owen (he had proposed to her in a cattle shed). On their family farm, they raised four children together. They were…
Read MoreAntonie van Leeuwenhoek
Father of Microbiology Today, in 1632, the “father of microbiology” Antonie van Leeuwenhoek was born. Leeuwenhoek’s interest in making lenses led to his discovery of microbial life. Leeuwenhoek’s work set the stage for plant anatomy. This post was featured onThe Daily Gardener podcast: helping gardeners find their roots, one story at a time…
Read MoreMarianne North
The Marianne North Today is the birthday of the intrepid traveler and botanical artist Marianne North who was born on this day in 1830. Marianne’s father was friends with Darwin and Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker, who was the director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. When she was 25 years old, Marianne’s mother died, and…
Read MoreNature 27 – Autumn
by Emily Dickinson The morns are meeker than they were, The nuts are getting brown; The berry’s cheek is plumper, The rose is out of town. The maple wears a gayer scarf, The field a scarlet gown. Lest I should be old-fashioned, I’ll put a trinket on. As featured onThe Daily Gardener podcast: Words inspired…
Read MoreRemembering Ernest Thompson Seton: Writer, Artist, Naturalist, and Cofounder of the Boy Scouts of America
“When Ernest turned 21, his dad handed him a bill for $537.50 – the grand total for every dime he had spent raising Ernest, including the fee from the delivery doctor for his birth in 1860. Ernest paid his father and then never spoke to him again.” October 23, 1946 On this day, the English-born…
Read MoreFrançois-André Michaux
A Father and Son Duo Today is the anniversary of the death of François-André Michaux, who died on this day in 1855. François-Andre was the son of the botanist, Andrea Michaux. His father named an oak in his honor. When François-Andre was 15 years old, he and his dad set sail for North America. The…
Read MoreBonnie Templeton
Wild Victory Gardens Today is the birthday of the botanist Bonnie Templeton who was born on this day in 1906. In 2002, Templeton died at the age of 95. She was a trailblazing female in the field of botany. Her obituary noted her some of her botanical accomplishments which included, “discovering a rare plant on…
Read MoreLudwig Leichhardt
Prince of Explorers Today is the birthday of the Prussian botanist Ludwig Leichhardt who was born on this day in 1813. Leichhardt is remembered for his impressive and arduous collecting efforts in Australia. For his part, Leichhardt loved Australia. He wrote, “I would find it hard to remain in Germany, or even in Europe, now.…
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