Candlemas: A Gardener’s Guide to Winter’s Midpoint

Candlemas, also known as the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, is a Christian holiday celebrated on February 2nd, forty days after Christmas. The image of a lit candle is highly relevant to Candlemas as candles play a central role in its traditions and symbolism.

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. February 2, 2021 On this day, dear gardeners, we find ourselves at the cusp of a most intriguing celebration – Candlemas. A day that, much like the delicate unfurling of a spring bud,…

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Beatrix Potter’s Charming Garden Letter to Dulcie

Beatrix Potter

Letters to Dulcie Beatrix Potter writes to a little girl named Dulcie and describes her garden. She writes that her garden has: “… a box hedge around the flower bed, and moss roses and pansies and black currants and strawberries and peas —and big sage bushes for Jemima, but the onions always do badly. I…

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Surprising Facts About January’s Birthflowers: Carnation and Snowdrop

Carnations and Snowdrops

“Snowdrops are an indicator flower signaling the transition from winter into spring. Thus, the meaning of a Snowdrop blossom is Hope.” January’s birth flowers are the carnation and snowdrop. Let’s take a moment to celebrate both.   Carnations Carnations are some of the world’s oldest flowers. They have been cultivated for over 2000 years. The…

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The Secret Garden of George Orwell

George Orwell thumbnail image

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. June 25, 1903 On this day, the incomparable George Orwell made his entrance into our world – a man whose pen would later carve truths into the collective consciousness of society with such…

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