Victorian botany Archives

Dawn with the Iris King: Remembering William Rickatson Dykes

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. November 4, 1877 Today we celebrate the birth of William Rickatson Dykes [RICK-et-sun DYKES], born in Bayswater, London. Though he began his career as a classics teacher at Charterhouse School, it was his…

30,000 Specimens and One Boiled Leg: Aven Nelson’s Yellowstone Legacy

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. July 26, 1899 On this day, dear garden friends, a tale of botanical ambition and scalding mishap unfolded in the steaming wilderness of Yellowstone, where two young men learned that Mother Nature’s garden…

The Vanishing Bouquet: Ettie Alexander’s Wildflower Legacy

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. May 15, 2024 On this day, dear gardening enthusiasts, we find ourselves transported back to the year 1898, when the San Francisco Call featured an article of utmost intrigue titled “The Prettiest Wild…