September Archives

Autumn Arrives Early in the Morning

by Elizabeth Bowen Autumn arrives early in the morning but Spring at the close of the day. As featured onThe Daily Gardener podcast: Words inspired by the garden are the sweetest, most beautiful words of all. Elizabeth Bowen

John Chapman

Johnny Appleseed Today is the birthday of John Chapman, who was born on this day in 1774. You may never have heard of John Chapman, but you’ve probably heard of his nickname, Johnny Appleseed. Chapman was born in Massachusetts, and the street where he was born is now called Johnny Appleseed Lane. As a young…

Oakes Ames

Oakes and Orchids Today is the birthday of the botanist Oakes Ames who was born on this day in 1874. What a great name for a botanist, huh? Ames was trained as an economic botanist, but his specialty was orchids. He had his own orchid collection as a kid, and you know what they say…

Nehemiah Grew

The Father of Plant Anatomy Today is the birthday of the Father of Plant Anatomy, Nehemiah Grew, who was born on this day in 1641. Grew was an English botanist and was the first person to illustrate the inner structures and functions of plants in all their wondrous intricacies. If you’ve ever seen a Nehemiah…

I Grow Old, I Grow Old

by Robert Finch ‘I grow old, I grow old,’ the garden says. It is nearly October. The bean leaves grow paler, now lime, now yellow, now leprous, dissolving before my eyes. The pods curl and do not grow, turn limp and blacken. The potato vines wither, and the tubers huddle underground in their rough weather-proof…

Francis Kingdon-Ward

Jungle Botanist On this day in 1942, the newspaper in Spokane Washington had a headline that said: Noted Botanist Crosses Jungle (Takes Long Mule Route Through Tibet to Get a Few Flowers.) The article was about the botanist Francis Kingdon-Ward who had just arrived in New Delhi after a 500 hundred mile walk over mountains…

Valerius Cordus

The Herbal of Valerius Cordus Today is the anniversary of the death of the German botanist Valerius Cordus who died on this day in 1544. Cordus was the author of one of the most influential herbals in history. In fact, centuries later, the botanist Thomas Archibald Sprague re-published “The Herbal of Valerius Cordus” with his…

Celebrating Landscape Architect and Birkenhead Park Superintendent Edward Kemp

Mersey Park, Birkenhead, designed by Edward Kemp

“The fluttering testimonials which he has received from numberless visitors to the Birkenhead park… will be sufficient to ensure… a large and liberal patronage.” Today is the birthday of the Landscape Gardener Edward Kemp, who was born on this day in 1817. Edward Kemp was the landscape gardener and architect at Birkenhead under Joseph Paxton.…

September 25, 2019 Fall Reset, Valerius Cordus, Edward Kemp, the Sequoia National Park, Francis Kingdon-Ward, Felicia Hemans Birthday Garden Poem, Living Decor by Maria Colletti, Cutting Back the Garden, and the September Garden from 1915

If you’re feeling a little glum about the end of the gardening season, here are a few activities that can help you rebalance: First, support your local farmers by shopping at a local farm stand. Often the growers will have insights on plants and practices that apply to your own garden. Get inspired by seeing…

Where Sucks the Bee Now

by Felicia Hemans Where sucks the bee now? Summer is flying, Leaves round the elm-tree faded are lying; Violets are gone from their grassy dell, With the cowslip cups, where the fairies dwell. The rose from the garden hath passed away Yet happy, fair boy, is thy natal day! For love bids it welcome, the…

William Herbst

Bucks County Botanist Today is the birthday of the botanist William Herbst born on this day in 1833. As a child, William would accompany his father on horseback as he visited his patients across Bucks County in Pennsylvania. While his dad met with the sick in their homes, William stayed outside and passed the time…

Wilhelm Nikolaus Suksdorf

The Seven Suksdorfs On this day in 1886, the botanist Wilhelm Nikolaus Suksdorf began his journey by train to Cambridge, Massachusetts, to go work for Harvard’s top botanist, Asa Gray. Now I know what you’re thinking. This must be another story about a budding young botanist who makes his way to Harvard and then writes…

Youth is Like Spring

by Samuel Butler Youth is like spring; an overpraised season, more remarkable for biting winds than genial breezes. Autumn is the mellower season, and what we lose in flowers we more than gain in fruits. As featured onThe Daily Gardener podcast: Words inspired by the garden are the sweetest, most beautiful words of all. Samuel…

Ruth Patrick

First Female President of the American Society of Naturalists Today is the anniversary of the death of the botanist Ruth Patrick who died on this day in 2013 at the age of 105. Patrick was known for a little saying that went like this: you can’t live a day without diatoms. Diatoms are single-celled algae;…