Beatrix Farrand’s 1916 Vision for the NYBG’s Rose Garden

Beatrix Farrand thumbnail image

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. November 18, 1916 On this day, renowned landscape architect Beatrix Farrand (FAIR-rand) created a visionary rose garden plan for the New York Botanical Garden. This garden would become one of the most significant…

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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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Jim Salyards and the Silent Spring at Filoli During COVID-19

Jim Salyards

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. March 25, 2020 Dearest reader, On this day, Jim Salyards, the dedicated Director of Horticulture at the grand Filoli Center, found himself wandering a silent paradise. The famed estate and its 16-acre formal…

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A Bloom Reimagined: The Return of New York’s Great Flower Show

Spring's flower show.

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. November 15, 1984 Dearest reader, On this day, the venerable New York Times heralded the return of something most dear to the city’s heart—a Spring Flower Show. After a decade-long silence following the…

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Brooklyn Botanic Garden: Celebrating Over a Century of Botanical Beauty

The Brooklyn Botanic Garden in New York City, particularly highlighting the cherry blossoms in bloom.

Home of Hundreds of Cherry Trees May 13, 1911 On this day, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden in New York City opened to the public. Today the garden is home to over 200 cherry trees representing forty-two different species. The garden is made up of several defined garden spaces. First, the Japanese Hill-and-Pond Garden was one…

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Phipps Conservatory: Pittsburgh’s Timeless Gift of Botanical Wonder

Henry Phipps Jr. (1839-1930), an American entrepreneur and philanthropist known for his association with Andrew Carnegie and his significant charitable contributions.

The Phipps Conservatory December 7, 1893  On this day, the Phipps Conservatory first opened to the public. A gift from Henry Phipps, Jr. to the City of Pittsburgh, Henry was a childhood friend and business partner of Andrew Carnegie. And gardeners who know their garden history probably already know that the Crystal Palace by Joseph…

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Richard William Fagan and Portland’s Tiny Wonder: Mill Ends Park

A red rose, likely a Hybrid Tea variety such as Ingrid Bergman' or 'Veterans' Honor.

The Rose City November 20, 1969  Today is the anniversary of the death of the Oregon Journal columnist and gardener Richard William Fagan, who died on this day in 1969. As gardeners, we celebrate Richard for installing the world’s smallest rose park – Mill Ends Park – in Portland on February 23, 1954. The installation…

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Sydney Dylan Ripley and the Creation of the Smithsonian Gardens

Sidney Dillon Ripley

The Louvre Inspiration It was on this day that the horticulture program at the Smithsonian Gardens was established by Sydney Dylan Ripley, who served as the secretary of the Smithsonian. An American ornithologist and conservationist, Sidney had been inspired by the area around the Louvre in France as a child. With the Louvre always in…

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The Tree-Obsessed Doctor Who Built Kansas’s Bartlett Arboretum

Dr. Walter E. Bartlett thumbnail image

The Bartlett Arboretum Today is the birthday of the physician, naturalist, and civic leader of the south-central Kansas town of Belle Plaine – Dr. Walter E. Bartlett. In 1910, Bartlett started the Bartlett Arboretum By purchasing 15 acres of land on the edge of a town called Belle Plaine – about 20 miles south of…

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The Humboldt Botanical Garden: How Volunteers Grew a California Treasure

The Humboldt Botanical Gardens, located near Eureka, California.

Botanical Education The Humboldt Botanical Garden was incorporated in the State of California. Organized by a small group of volunteers, the goal was to create an educational botanical garden for the Northern California region. The Humboldt Botanical Gardens are constructed on a 44.5 -acre site south of Eureka near the Humboldt Bay adjacent to the…

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