The Dangerous World of Rare Orchids: A Tale of Beauty and Deception

Orchids in bloom

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. November 13, 1989 On this day, the Sarasota Herald-Tribune published a story that lifted the veil on the shadowy world of rare orchid trading. The article focused on Limerick Inc. and an alleged…

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Frank Kingdon-Ward: The Last of the Great Plant Hunters

Frank Kingdon-Ward, 1942

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. November 6, 1885 On this day, the renowned British botanist and explorer Frank Kingdon-Ward was born in Manchester, England. The son of a distinguished botanist, Frank seemed destined to follow in his father’s…

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The Father of American Dendrology: Remembering Humphry Marshall

Depiction of Humphry Marshall by Adrian Martinez, 2016

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. November 5, 1801 On this day, America lost one of its pioneering botanists, Humphry Marshall. His legacy as the “Father of American Dendrology” continues to influence our understanding of native trees and shrubs…

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The Lady of Lucy’s Wood – Evelyn Mary Booth

Evelyn Wood in Lucy's Wood, photo credit Lady Rosemary FitzGerald

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. October 30, 1897 On this day, Evelyn Mary Booth was born at Annamoe [AN-ah-moh], County Wicklow, Ireland. Her story is a beautiful reminder that it’s never too late to find your true calling…

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A Flora of Concord from Thoreau’s Time to the Present Day

A Flora of Concord by Richard Jefferson Eaton

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. October 29, 1972 On this day, The Berkshire Eagle published a revealing article about Henry David Thoreau [pronounced: THOR-oh] titled “Thoreau: The Amateur Botanist.” The piece, penned by Wayne Hanley, drew heavily from…

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October 25, 2024 Patrick Neill, Joseph Hetherington McDaniels, Tyge Wittrock Bocher, The Healing Garden by Juliet Blankespoor, and A Tale of Two Postmen Turned Accidental Alpine Plant Merchants

Subscribe Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart Support The Daily Gardener Buy Me A Coffee  Connect for FREE! The Friday Newsletter |  Daily Gardener Community Botanical History On This Day 1776 Patrick Neill, British printer and horticulturalist, is born. 1840 Joseph Hetherington McDaniels, Classical Scholar, is born.  1909 Tyge Wittrock Böcher [TEE-guh VIT-rock…

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The Wise Wit: Geoffry Charlesworth’s Garden Observations

Geoffry B. Charlesworth

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. September 29, 1920 Today, we honor the birth of Geoffry B. Charlesworth, whose wit and wisdom continue to delight those of us who recognize our own horticultural obsessions in his words. Consider his…

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From Moss to Malaria: Richard Spruce’s Amazonian Adventures

Richard Spruce

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. October 21, 2024 On this day in 1817, we celebrate the birth of Richard Spruce, a botanical adventurer whose passion for the diminutive wonders of the plant world would forever change our understanding…

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Botanical Peril: How Banks and Solander Survived the Journey That Killed 38

Captain James Cook

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. July 12, 1771 On this day, dear readers, Captain Cook graced England’s shores once more, having triumphantly completed his maiden voyage to that far-flung curiosity we now call Australia. One cannot help but…

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The Golden Orchid Scandal: How Collectors Devastated a Species

Roy Lancaster

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. July 10, 1988 On this day, a most scandalous revelation shook the genteel world of horticulture to its very foundations. The esteemed British plant explorer Roy Lancaster—that intrepid adventurer of verdant realms—pulled back…

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The Botanical Survivalist: Thomas Grant Harbison’s Extraordinary Legacy

Thomas Grant Harbison - Portrait Colorized

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. April 23, 1862 On this day, dear readers, the botanical world was graced with the arrival of one Thomas Grant Harbison—a man whose peculiar dedication to flora would eventually lead him to subsist…

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