Therese of Bavaria: The Princess Who Found Freedom in Flowers

Princess Therese of Bavaria (sketch is colorized & enhanced), 1810

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. November 12, 1850 On this day, Princess Therese of Bavaria (teh-RAY-zuh of buh-VAIR-ee-uh), was born.  This remarkable woman found her true calling not in the gilded halls of Bavaria’s royal palaces but in…

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Never Against Nature: Thomas Hanbury’s La Mortola

Thomas Hanbury and La Mortola

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. May 2, 1867 On this day, Thomas Hanbury, a man of discerning taste and boundless ambition, purchased a property that would become a testament to his love of nature and his desire to…

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The Botanical Martyr: Remembering Jean-André Soulié

Jean-André Soulié

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. October 6, 1858  On this day, dear readers, we commemorate the birth of a most intriguing figure in the annals of botany and missionary work. Jean-André Soulié, a name that might not roll…

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Bill Burtt: The Botanical Champion Who Brought African Violets to Our Homes

Brian Lawrence Burt

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. August 27,  My dearest garden confidantes, on this most auspicious day, we celebrate the birth of that remarkable English botanist, Brian Lawrence “Bill” Burtt – a man whose green thumbs worked wonders that…

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The Remarkable Rise and Tragic Fall of Botanist David Douglas

David Douglas

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. June 25, 1799 It was on this day in 1799 that the Scottish botanist David Douglas graced our world with his arrival – a man destined to transform our gardens while possessing neither…

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Botanical Bloodlines: Remembering Louis Claude Richard

Louis Claude Richard

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. June 7, 1821 Today marks the passage of one of botany’s most illustrious figures – Louis Claude Richard, who departed this mortal coil on this very day. One cannot help but note that…

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The Late-Blooming Botanist: Ynes Mexia’s Extraordinary Legacy

Ynes Mexia

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. May 24, 1870 On this day, dear readers, the gardening world received a most remarkable gift – though none would know it for decades to come. Today marks the birth of Ynes Mexia,…

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From Churchyard to Garden Museum: John Tradescant’s Lasting Legacy

John Tradescant the Elder (portrait attributed to Cornelis de Neve)

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: April 17, 1638 On this day, dear readers, we mark a somber yet significant moment in horticultural history. For it was on this date, that the mortal remains of John Tradescant the elder were laid to rest in the hallowed ground of St Mary…

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Sir Hans Sloane: From Plant Collector to National Treasure

Sir Hans Sloane portrait at The Royal Society

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. April 16, 1660 On this day, dear gardeners, we celebrate the birth of that most extraordinary gentleman, Sir Hans Sloane – physician, naturalist, and collector extraordinaire. One simply cannot overstate the magnitude of…

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