Posts Tagged ‘Plant Breeding’
Dawn with the Iris King: Remembering William Rickatson Dykes
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. November 4, 1877 Today we celebrate the birth of William Rickatson Dykes [RICK-et-sun DYKES], born in Bayswater, London. Though he began his career as a classics teacher at Charterhouse School, it was his…
Read MorePansies, Painters, and Prestige: The Horticultural Reign of Denys Zirngiebel
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. November 16, 1964 On this day, dear readers, we bid a fond farewell to Denys Zirngiebel, a Swiss-born naturalist whose green thumb left an indelible mark on American horticulture. Like a well-tended perennial,…
Read MoreFrom Railroad to Orchard: The Remarkable Journey of Ivan Michurin
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. June 7, 1935 On this day, dear cultivators of curiosity and admirers of horticultural ingenuity, we bid farewell to a true titan of the botanical world. Ivan Michurin, the Russian botanist and plant…
Read MoreRemembering Jim Zampini and the Art and Joy of Growing Crab Apples
“If you want to plant a mini-orchard of Crabapple trees, space the saplings 6 to 15 feet apart. Group them on the closer end of that range if you are planting dwarf or more upright varieties.” April 14, 2017 On this day, the Beijing Crabapple Conference began. Visitors toured the Crabapple Garden during the…
Read MoreBlossoming Ambitions: The Massachusetts Horticultural Society’s Phlox Challenge
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. August 19, 1843 On this day, dear readers and fellow cultivators of beauty, the Massachusetts Horticultural Society unfurled its petals to the world, presenting an exhibition of flowers that would set tongues wagging…
Read MoreThe Many Moods of Darwin Revealed Through His Letters
“At present, I care for nothing in this wide world except the biology of seedling plants.” May 7, 1855 On this day, Darwin wrote to William Darwin Fox: I am rather low today about all my experiments — everything has been going wrong — the fan-tails have picked the feathers out of the Pouters in…
Read MoreReverend Engleheart: A Pastor with a Passion for Daffodils
“Great Daffodils like ‘Beersheba, ‘Lucifer, or ‘White Lady… are his floral legacy.” April 25, 1851 On this day, Daffodil breeder Reverend George Herbert Engleheart was born. George’s work with Daffodils was prolific and he produced over 700 varieties in his lifetime. Fans of great Daffodils like ‘Beersheba,’ ‘Lucifer,’ or ‘White Lady,’ owe a debt…
Read MoreThe Corn Whisperer: George Harrison Shull’s Botanical Legacy
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: April 15, 1874 On this day, dear devotees of the garden and aficionados of agricultural innovation, we celebrate the birth of a true botanical revolutionary: George Harrison Shull. Born in 1874, this American botanist would grow to earn the illustrious title of “father of…
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