Garden Writer Tovah Martin Beats the Winter Doldrums with Scented Plants

Jasmine | Jasminum sambac Maid of Orleans

“One word of caution: One person’s perfume is another’s stench.” January 29, 1998 On this day, The Courier-Journal out of Louisville, Kentucky, ran an article by Tovah Martin called “Winter is the Best Time for Scented Plants.” Here’s an excerpt: “In spring, there are violets, but who wants to crawl around sniffing flowers 2 inches…

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January 29, 2021 Eight Steps to Create a Stunning Winter Garden, Olga Owens Huckins, Larry McGraw, How Often Should You Prune Your Willows, Botanicals: 100 Postcards, and a Winter Joy: Scented Houseplants

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Today we celebrate a woman who helped change the way pesticides were used in the United States. We’ll also learn about the man who taught thousands of people how to prune and graft fruit trees and also founded the Home Orchard Society. We’ll hear about how to prune Willow (Salix) trees with one of my…

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Once Upon a Windowsill by Tovah Martin

Once Upon a Windowsill by Tovah Martin

As Heard on The Daily Gardener Podcast: Once Upon a Windowsill by Tovah Martin This book came out in 1988, and the subtitle is A History of Indoor Plants.  This book is an oldie but goodie. Tovah Martin is a fanatical and passionate organic gardener. She is the author of The Indestructible Houseplant, The Unexpected…

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July 26, 2020 How to Grow Blueberries, Garden Self-Care in the Heat, Roland Hallet Shumway, George Bernard Shaw, Aven Nelson, July Folklore, Once Upon a Windowsill by Tovah Martin, and Winthrop Mackworth Praed

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Today we remember a pioneering seedsman out of Rockford, Illinois, whose company became the world’s largest mail-order seed company. We’ll also learn about an Irish playwright and critic who had a unique writing hut in his garden. We recognize the botanist who botanized in Yellowstone for an entire summer. We also revisit some July Folklore…

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January 15, 2020 Scent in the Winter Garden, Top British Garden Shows, William Starling Sullivant, Nathaniel Lord Britton, Frances Benjamin Johnston, Sarah Plummer lemon, Cultivating Delight by Diane Ackerman, Buffalo Plaid Garden Apron, and The British Museum

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Today we celebrate a bryologist who Asa Gray called, “a noble fellow” and the botanist who, along with his wife, helped found the New York Botanic Garden in the Bronx. We’ll learn about one of the first and most prolific professional female garden photographers and the female botanist with a mountain named in her honor.…

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The Garden in Every Sense and Season by Tovah Martin

As Heard on The Daily Gardener Podcast: The Garden in Every Sense and Season by Tovah Martin This book came out in 2021, and the subtitle is A Year of Insights and Inspiration from My Garden. I am a huge Tovah Martin fan, and this book does not disappoint. First, I have to share what…

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November 4, 2019 Color for the Winter Garden, Favorite Ginkgo Varieties, Houseplant Trend, Thoreau on Autumn, Janaki Ammal, Arizona Palm, The Garden in Every Sense and Season by Tovah Martin, Spigots Off, and Benedict Roezl

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Today we celebrate fall through the eyes of a writer and naturalist from the year 1855 and the botanist honored with building on the University of Glasgow. We’ll learn about the Indian botanist who bred a new species of sugar cane and the Arizona Palm – yes, it does exist! We’ll hear some November Poems.…

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The New Terrarium by Tovah Martin

The New Terrarium- Creating Beautiful Displays for Plants and Nature

As Heard on The Daily Gardener Podcast: The New Terrarium by Tovah Martin This book came out in 2009, and the subtitle is Creating Beautiful Displays for Plants and Nature. Imagine a world where nature’s beauty is captured in a glass vessel, a miniature Eden at your fingertips. The New Terrarium by Tovah Martin is your…

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