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

The Daily Gardener Podcast Album Cover with a pot of rosemary - the herb for remembrance - beckoning gardeners to remember to listen to the show. Updated September 2025.

Subscribe Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart Support The Daily Gardener Buy Me A Coffee Connect for FREE! The Friday Newsletter | Daily Gardener Community Curated News Carnation – A Little History and Some Growing Instructions | Harvesting History Botanical History On This Day 1799 Birth of John Lindley, British botanist, pomologist,…

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Bishop Henry Compton and the Gardens of Fulham Palace

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The Passionate Plantsman Today is the anniversary of the death of the passionate plantsman Bishop Henry Compton. Compton was famous for his substantial garden at Fulham Palace, which was home to more than a thousand exotic plants. Naturally, Compton was drawn to rare plants and new specimens. And, his position as a bishop gave him…

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David Douglas: Honored at the Site of His Tragic Death in Hawaii

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Doctor’s Pit On this day in 2014, the botanist David Douglas was memorialized with a plaque at his death site. The occasion marked the 100th anniversary of Douglas’s death. The Oregon Cultural Heritage Commission created the plaque because Douglas was the first scientist to visit the Oregon territory. Douglas scientifically identified hundreds of plants during…

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A Botanical Star Extinguished: Remembering John Gould Veitch

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This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. August 13, 1870 My precious petal-whisperers and garden confidantes, today marks the solemn anniversary of the death of that most intrepid botanical adventurer, John Gould Veitch, who departed this earthly garden on this…

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and Green Thumb: Benedict Roezl’s Iron Hook Botanical Adventures

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This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. August 1, 1823 On this day, my dearest green-thumbed companions, the world welcomed Benedict Roezl, born in the verdant landscapes of Czechoslovakia in 1823. Oh, what a remarkable plantsman he was! Perhaps the…

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Botanist Hugh Weddell’s Legacy: the Cinchona’s Healing Gift of Quinine

Hugh Algernon Weddell (1819-1877), an Anglo-French physician and botanist.

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. July 22, 1877 On this day in gardening history, we bid farewell to a botanical titan whose legacy continues to bloom long after his mortal coil has shuffled off. Dr. Hugh Algernon Weddell—physician,…

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Royal Recognition for a 93-Year-Old Plant Hunter: Sir Joseph Hooker

Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. July 1, 1910 On this day, dear readers, a most remarkable longevity was celebrated across the pond, as reported by our cousins at the Allentown Democrat. The distinguished Sir Joseph Hooker—that titan of…

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Plant Hunters by Carolyn Fry

The Plant Hunters by Carolyn Fry

As Heard on The Daily Gardener Podcast: The Plant Hunters by Carolyn Fry This book came out in 2017, and the subtitle is The Adventures of the World’s Greatest Botanical Explorers. Ever wondered where your favorite flowers and fruits came from? Join Carolyn Fry on an epic adventure through time and across the globe as…

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David Douglas at Columbia: The Price of Botanical Passion

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This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. June 15, 1830 It was on this day in 1830 that the intrepid botanical adventurer David Douglas finally arrived at the Columbia River, his eager eyes already scanning the horizon for undiscovered flora…

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