November 18, 2024 A Century of November Garden Reflections, Archibald Menzies, Asa Gray, New Nordic Gardens by Annika Zetterman, and Beatrix Farrand Plans the Rose Garden for the New York Botanical Garden (NYBG)

Subscribe Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart Support The Daily Gardener Buy Me A Coffee  Connect for FREE! The Friday Newsletter |  Daily Gardener Community Botanical History On This Day 1793 Archibald Menzies (MEN-zeez), the Scottish surgeon-botanist, reluctantly departs Santa Barbara aboard the HMS Discovery during Vancouver’s expedition. 1810 Asa Gray is…

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The Explorer’s Rose: John Cabot’s Lasting (and Thorny) Impact

John Cabot on the Matthew

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. May 2, 1497 On this day, John Cabot, the intrepid Canadian Explorer, set sail from Bristol, England, on his ship, Matthew. Little did he know that his quest for a westward route would…

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November 2, 2021 Happier with Horticulture, Carnegie Cactus, Daniil Andreyev, Potpourri, Tom Perrotta, The Art of the Islamic Garden by Emma Clark, and 1975 Book Recommendations

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Today in botanical history, we celebrate the botanical name of the Saguaro Cactus, a Russian writer and mystic, and November potpourri. We’ll hear an excerpt from Tom Perrotta’s best-selling 2011 book. We Grow That Garden Library™ with a book that celebrates the Islamic Garden. And then we’ll wrap things up with some hip Book Recommendations…

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September 23, 2021 Small Flowering Shrubs, Horace Walpole, Mary Coleridge, Dayton University Botanical Park, the National Nlower, Alice Hoffman, Will Bonsall, and Edgar Lee Masters

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Today in botanical history, we celebrate an English earl, an English poet, a forgotten garden, and a national floral emblem. We hear a floral excerpt from a best-selling fiction book – it’s a little love story about an extraordinary woman who gave birth to a painter who became the Father of Impressionism. We Grow That…

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A Rose for America: The Crowning of Our National Flower

The rose, of any color, is America's national flower

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. September 23, 1986 My cherished companions of trowel and bloom, gather ’round as we delve into a most momentous occasion in horticultural history. On this day in 1986, after what one might call…

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A Look Back at the Massive Funeral for Charles Darwin

An engraving of Darwin's funeral from the cover of The Graphic

“Darwin was buried at the Abbey next to the eminent scientist Sir John Herschel and just a few feet away from Sir Isaac Newton.” April 26, 1882 On this day, thousands of people attended the funeral of Charles Darwin, which was held at noon sharp at Westminster Abbey.   On his deathbed, at Down House,…

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January 25, 2021 How to Grow Chillies, Robert Burns, the Star of Bethlehem Orchid, the Vegetable History of Neeps and Tatties, Botanica Magnifica by Jonathan Singer, and the Garden’s Three R’s of Renovation

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Today we celebrate a poet who loved flowers and became the beloved poet-son of a country that celebrates him still today. We’ll also learn about an orchid that inspired a fabled true story about Charles Darwin. We’ll hear about some fascinating vegetable history that is celebrated every year on this day. We Grow That Garden…

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Remembering Frank Lebby Stanton: A Lyricist Who Plucked Our Heartstrings

Frank Lebby Stanton, c. 1926

“This world we’re a’livin’ in is mighty hard to beat. You get a thorn with every rose, but ain’t the roses sweet? January 7, 1927 Today is the anniversary of the death of the American lyricist and columnist for the Atlanta Constitution, Frank Lebby Stanton. A son of the South, Frank was influenced by hymn writers…

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January 7, 2021 Beautiful Bark on Deciduous Trees, Louise Imogen Guiney, Vivi Laurent-Täckholm, Enticing Plant Descriptions in Garden Catalogs, A Passion for Detail by Charlotte Moss, and Frank Lebby Stanton on Rosy Living

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Today we celebrate an American poet, essayist, and editor who is often remembered in a photograph where she is dressed as Saint Barbara with a laurel wreath around her head. We’ll also learn about the woman who started a flower club that offered rare and exotic plants to Swedish homemakers during World War II. We’ll…

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December 17, 2020 Five Low-Maintenance Annuals, Ludwig Van Beethoven, Charles Morren, Rachel Peden, Jean Hersey, The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh and Shooting Down Mistletoe

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Today we celebrate one of the world’s best composers and his intense appreciation of nature. We’ll also learn about the botanist who cracked the code on pollinating vanilla and came up with a new word for the cyclical nature of things. We’ll recognize the incredible written work of a daughter of Indiana – and yes,…

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Advice For Rose Care During the Hottest Part of Summer From 1951

Rose Care

“Giving roses an adequate water supply is probably the prime responsibility during these hot dry periods. A plentiful supply of water is important to keep up the blooming rate and growth and to build energy which will mean better plants next year.” July 21. 1951 On this day, the Lancaster Era newspaper, out of Lancaster,…

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