Remembering Martha Turnbull and her Rosedown Plantation Diary

Martha Turnbull portrait (colorized & enhanced)

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. October 25, 1973 My dear garden friends, let me transport you back exactly 50 years to a charming story that began with a simple newspaper article about two extraordinary plantsmen. “No Garden Should…

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A Night at Ranelagh: Horace Walpole’s Garden Escapade

Horace Walpole by John Ciles Eccardt, 1755

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. May 26, 1742 On this day, dear readers, we find ourselves transported to the world of 18th century London, where the illustrious Horace Walpole penned a most intriguing letter to his friend Horace…

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The Eccentric’s Garden: William Beckford’s Horticultural Legacy

William Beckford (colorized & enhanced) from drawing of his portrait

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. September 29, 1760 Today, we celebrate the birthday of William Beckford as we contemplate the complex legacy of his wealth – derived from the unconscionable enslavement of Jamaicans – which funded his passionate…

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