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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John Bradby Blake: The Young Botanist Who Bridged East and West

John Bradby Blake

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. November 4, 1745 On this day, we celebrate the birth of the English botanist John Bradby Blake [BRAD-bee BLAKE].  Though he lived a tragically short life – dying at just twelve days after…

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The Walking Botanist: Celebrating Charles Wright

Charles Wright, botanist

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. October 29, 1811 Today we celebrate the birthday of Charles Wright born on this day in Wethersfield, Connecticut. Wright embodied the spirit of botanical exploration in early America, becoming one of the most…

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A Count’s Legacy: The Botanical Adventures of Hippolyte François Jaubert

Hippolyte François Jaubert (1860)

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. October 28, 1798 Today we celebrate Count Hippolyte François Jaubert [ee-po-LEET frahn-SWAH zho-BEAR], a fascinating figure who bridged the worlds of politics and botany in 19th century France. Though his heart yearned for…

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Marianne North: The Victorian Artist Who Painted the World’s Flora

Marianne North at her home in Ceylon in customary attire for women of the time

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. October 24, 1830 And it was on this day, my dear friend, that one of the most extraordinary botanical artists ever to wield a brush drew her first breath in Hastings, England. I…

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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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From Altar to Arbor: The Fruitful Union of David and Marian Fairchild

David (holding bouquet) and Marian after their wedding 1905

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. April 25, 1905 On this most auspicious day, dear garden enthusiasts, we celebrate the union of two extraordinary souls: the eminent botanist David Fairchild and his beloved Marian Graham Bell, daughter of the…

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Blooms Across the Pacific: Ernest H. Wilson’s Azalea Diplomacy

Ernest Henry Wilson

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. April 24, 1919 On this day, dear garden enthusiasts, a horticultural treasure trove arrived at the hallowed grounds of the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University. Ernest H. Wilson, that intrepid plant explorer and…

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Blooming Against the Odds: Ellsworth Jerome Hill’s Botanical Triumph

Ellsworth Jerome Hill

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. December 1, 1833 On this day, dear friends of the garden and admirers of human perseverance, a most remarkable individual drew his first breath. Ellsworth Jerome Hill, destined to become a Presbyterian minister,…

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The Widowmaker’s Namesake: Thomas Coulter’s Botanical Legacy

Thomas Coulter

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. September 28, 1793 Dearest fellow enthusiasts of botanical exploration, today we commemorate the birth of that most intrepid Irish plant hunter, Thomas Coulter, whose legacy blooms eternal in the flora of California. Imagine,…

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First Lady of Mount Kinabalu: The Remarkable Legacy of Lilian Gibbs

Lilian Gibbs, Plant Explorer

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. September 10, 1870 On this day in horticultural history, we find ourselves transported to an era when botanical discovery required more than merely consulting The Garden magazine or ordering from the latest nursery…

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From Yangtze to Your Garden: The Extraordinary Life of Frank Nicholas Meyer

Frank N Meyer and the Meyer Lemon

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. May 28, 1918 On this day, the intrepid Dutch-American botanist and USDA Plant Explorer, Frank Nicholas Meyer, embarked upon his final journey. With a heavy heart and weary bones, Frank boarded a steamer…

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From Foreign Soils to American Gardens: The Legacy of Seed Importation

Seed Crate

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. June 28, 1939 On this day, dear readers, we find ourselves transported to a time when the very seeds of agricultural innovation were being sown across our fair nation. It was precisely a…

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