rose family plants Archives

The Highest Peach: James Whitcomb Riley’s Sweet Ode to Unreachable Love

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. November 14, 1849 On this day, dear readers and fellow admirers of nature’s sweet bounty, we celebrate the birth of James Whitcomb Riley, an American writer and poet whose words, like the ripest…

Antoine Duchesne: The Botanical Genius Behind Your Strawberry Shortcake

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. October 7, 1747 On this day, dear readers and fellow cultivators of nature’s sweetest treasures, we celebrate the birth of Antoine Nicolas Duchesne, a French botanist, gardener, and professor whose work at Versailles…

Johnny Appleseed: The Orchard Planter and America’s First Herbalist

Johnny Appleseed, the legendary American pioneer nurseryman whose real name was John Chapman.

An Apple a Day Keeps the Doctor Away March 18, 1845 Today is the anniversary of the death of John Chapman – better known as Johnny Appleseed – who died on this day at the age of 70. Johnny was born in Massachusetts. In fact, the street where he was born is now called Johnny…