Gentle Julia: The Adventurous Life of Julia Wilmotte Henshaw

Julia Wilmotte Henshaw

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. November 19, 1937 On this day, Julia Wilmotte [will-MOT] Henshaw, Canadian botanist, geographer, writer, and political activist, died. Her remarkable life reads like an adventure novel – from mapping Vancouver Island’s interior to…

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Marianne North: The Victorian Artist Who Painted the World’s Flora

Marianne North at her home in Ceylon in customary attire for women of the time

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. October 24, 1830 And it was on this day, my dear friend, that one of the most extraordinary botanical artists ever to wield a brush drew her first breath in Hastings, England. I…

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From Moss to Malaria: Richard Spruce’s Amazonian Adventures

Richard Spruce

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. October 21, 2024 On this day in 1817, we celebrate the birth of Richard Spruce, a botanical adventurer whose passion for the diminutive wonders of the plant world would forever change our understanding…

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First Lady of Mount Kinabalu: The Remarkable Legacy of Lilian Gibbs

Lilian Gibbs, Plant Explorer

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. September 10, 1870 On this day in horticultural history, we find ourselves transported to an era when botanical discovery required more than merely consulting The Garden magazine or ordering from the latest nursery…

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