October 29, 2024 A Gardener’s Late October Checklist, Charles Wright, Thoreau the Botanist, A Home in Bloom by Christie Purifoy, and USDA Pioneer Effie Southworth

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 1811 Texas botanist Charles Wright is born on this day in Wethersfield, Connecticut. 1972 The Berkshire Eagle published a revealing article about Henry David…

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From Yangtze to Your Garden: The Extraordinary Life of Frank Nicholas Meyer

Frank N Meyer and the Meyer Lemon

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. May 28, 1918 On this day, the intrepid Dutch-American botanist and USDA Plant Explorer, Frank Nicholas Meyer, embarked upon his final journey. With a heavy heart and weary bones, Frank boarded a steamer…

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President Abraham Lincoln created the U.S. Department of Agriculture

Isaac Newton

The First Commissioner of the USDA President Abraham Lincoln created the U.S. Department of Agriculture today in 1862. When Lincoln signed the bill, he was bombarded with advice about who should be the first Commissioner of Agriculture. Perhaps he should choose the editor of a Farm magazine? Perhaps a scientist would be best? Maybe a…

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Agnes Chase: The Grass Ceiling Breaker

Agnes Chase with specimens

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. April 29, 1869 On this day, dear readers and fellow admirers of botanical trailblazers, we celebrate the birth of Agnes Chase, a petite powerhouse who would go on to become one of the…

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