William Jackson Hooker Archives

A Look Back at the Massive Funeral for Charles Darwin

An engraving of Darwin's funeral from the cover of The Graphic

“Darwin was buried at the Abbey next to the eminent scientist Sir John Herschel and just a few feet away from Sir Isaac Newton.” April 26, 1882 On this day, thousands of people attended the funeral of Charles Darwin, which was held at noon sharp at Westminster Abbey. On his deathbed, at Down House,…

December 2, 2020 Rain Garden Design, Johann Julius Hecker, Nicholas Alexander Dalzell, James Edward Smith, James M. Barrie, Small Space Garden Ideas by Philippa Pearson, and Oliver Herford

Today we celebrate the German botanist who used gardens as classrooms. We’ll also learn about the botanist who was a passionate advocate of forests. We’ll recognize the efforts of a key founder of the Linnean Society. We’ll hear a quote about December from the creator of Peter Pan. We Grow That Garden Library™ with a…

November 11, 2020 Jean-Baptiste Van Mons, Elizabeth Coleman White, Lucy Maud Montgomery, Galileo, Foraged Flora by Louesa Roebuck and Sarah Lonsdale, and Nathaniel Wallich

Today we celebrate a botanist who gave us one of my favorite quotes about plant breeding. We’ll also remember the fantastically driven woman who dreamed of providing blueberries to the nation… and her dream came true. We review some words about November by Lucy Maud Montgomery, author of the Anne of Green Gables series, as well…

July 6, 2020 Gardens on Lockdown, Hollyhocks, Leonard Plukenet, William Jackson Hooker, Frank Smythe, Bee Poetry, The Humane Gardener by Nancy Lawson, and an Ode to Basil

We’ll also learn about the botanical illustrator and collector who established a worldwide reputation for his incredible herbarium. We celebrate the great Himalayan and Alpine mountain climbing and writer – he was also a botanist. We also honor bees with today’s poetry. We Grow That Garden Library™ with a book gardening in a humane way…