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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The Accidental Aloe Enthusiast: Harold Basil Christian’s Botanical Legacy

Basil Christian and wife at their home on the Ewanrigg Aloe Gardens c. 1948.

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. October 28, 1871 On this day, Harold Basil Christian [KRIS-tee-un] was born. His journey into botany began with an “unsightly rock” and turned into one of the world’s most important aloe collections. Born…

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The Tree That Kept Time: Ludwig Leichhardt’s Last Garden

Ludwig Leichhardt

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. October 23, 1813 It was on this day in 1813, as autumn leaves were turning in Prussia, that Friedrich Wilhelm Ludwig Leichhardt was born. And oh, what a reminder his story is of…

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National Public Gardens Week: Celebrating Nature’s Living Masterpieces

National Public Gardens Week

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. May 9, 2022 Dearest reader, On this splendid occasion, we usher in National Public Gardens Week, a vibrant celebration spanning from May 6th to the 15th, 2022. Since its inception in 2009, this…

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San Juan Botanical Garden: Tropical Treasures and a Garden iCloud

The San Juan Botanical Garden: Jardin Botanico

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. March 10, 1971 Dearest reader, On this day, the San Juan Botanical Garden was inaugurated as a verdant jewel of the University of Puerto Rico. Far more than a collection of plants, this…

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Gladiolus of Remembrance: The Enduring Legacy of Rod and Rachel Saunders

Gladiolus watercolor

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: February 10, 2018 Dearest reader, On this dark day, the world lost two extraordinary botanical explorers and horticulturalists, Rod and Rachel Saunders, British botanists whose dedication to the natural world was as enduring as the flora they cherished. Tragically, they were murdered by terrorists during…

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Wally Scales: The Green-Thumbed Guardian of Indiana University’s Living Wonders

Colorized photo of Hugh Wallace Wally Scales, chief botanical gardener, October 15, 1959. Original BW Photo by Elwood Martin Barney Cowherd, courtesy of IU Photo Archives

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. October 15, 1959 Dearest readers, On this day in 1959, a snapshot captured the indefatigable spirit of Hugh Wallace Scales—affectionately known as “Wally”—hard at work within the verdant sanctuary of Indiana University’s greenhouse…

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From Mangroves to Mountains: The Keen Eyes of Glenn Leiper

Glenn Leiper

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. October 1, 2019 Dearest reader, On this day, the verdant stage of Australian botany saw one of its most devoted amateurs crowned with high honor. Glenn Leiper, a man whose eyes seem more…

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