Plant Explorers Archives

February 15, 2021 Pioneer Trees for the Forest Garden, Archibald Menzies, Ernest Henry Wilson, The Gardener-Botanists of the 1927 South Africa Expedition, Dried Flowers by Morgane Illes, and Garden Design Tips from David Stevens

Today we celebrate the man who introduced the Monkey Puzzle tree to England. We’ll also learn about the prolific plant explorer who was disabled after searching for the regal lily – but he never had any regrets. We hear some words about the 1927 expedition to South Africa. We Grow That Garden Library™ with a…

February 5, 2021 Carnation History, John Lindley, Karl Theodor Hartweg, Botanists Getting Home Alive, Cadwallader Colden by Seymour Schwartz, and Celebrating Friedrich Welwitsch

Today we celebrate a botanist and orchidologist who saved Kew, We’ll also learn about an orchid hunter who collected plants on behalf of the London Horticultural Society. We hear some words about the challenging experience of a botanist in 1874. We Grow That Garden Library™ with a book about one of America’s earliest botanists and…

The Botanical Adventuress Behind Every Great Bougainvillea: The Remarkable Jeanne Baret

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. August 5, 1807 On this day in our garden history, we bid farewell to a remarkable woman who sailed the seas disguised as a man and discovered flowering vines that now grace gardens…

The Remarkable Rise and Tragic Fall of Botanist 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…

Sir Joseph Banks: The Gentleman Who Preferred Plants to People

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. June 19, 1820 It was on this day in 1820 that Sir Joseph Banks, that most indomitable of botanical adventurers, departed this mortal garden for the great greenhouse beyond. One cannot help but…

Hartweg’s Legacy: From Parisian Gardens to Mexican Orchid Hunting

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. June 18, 1812 It was on this day, that the illustrious botanist Karl Theodor Hartweg drew his first breath, commencing what would become a life dedicated to the pursuit of botanical treasures. One…

Plant Explorers Ynes Mexia’s Adventures and Botanical Legacy

“Once she realized such posterity was possible, it was almost as if Ynes was scrambling to ensure her legacy. Today, fifty species have been named in her honor.” May 24, 1870 On this day, the Mexican-American botanist Ynes Mexia, was born. When researching Ynes, I learned she loved having plants named in her honor.…