The Daily Gardener

This past week, I started looking for perennials I want to divide. After the hail storm and siding installation we had earlier this month, I don't feel too bad about digging up the plants. The garden looks tough. Might as well dig up old plants. I always start with my hostas - in part, because they recover so quickly. Next spring, you'll never know that they were transplanted this fall. In addition, they, like the ferns, get used make great ground covers. Got a chronic creeping charlie, creeping buttercup, or creeping anything... plant a hosta. It can handle the creepers and even if they manage to survive under the dense canopy, they aren't as vigorous and you won't see them anyway. Brevities #OTD On this day in 1773, French explorer and botanist Aimé Bonpland was born. Bonpland had traveled with Alexander von Humboldt in Latin America for five years - from 1799-1804, collecting & classifying 6,000 new plants. He co-authored many books about his discoveries. One of his journal entries says this: "We just arrived at a town where the locals invited us to eat a dish called enchiladas. When I tried it, my tongue burned and I started to sweat. I was told that this feeling is due to a fruit called "chili." I have to analyze it ..." And here's a little trivia about Bonpland: When Napolean's wife Josephine died, Bonpland was present at her deathbed. #OTD Today in 1798, the first American vineyard was planted 25 miles from Lexington, Kentucky. It was started by a Swiss immigrant named John James Dufour. He established the first successful commercial vineyard and winery in America. He called it "The First Vineyard." Dufour had read newspaper accounts of the American Revolution as a young boy in Switzerland. What struck him most was something the French fighters had said. They were fighting alongside the colonists and they bemoaned the fact that they didn't have any wine to drink in America. It left an impression on DuFour. His grandfather and father were both vine dressers in Switzerland. Dufour wanted to bring their winemaking skills to America. In 1796, Dufour arrived in America. Initially, he made a point of visiting Thomas Jefferson's Monticello and other estates. DuFour noticed they were working with the wild grapes, which Dufour felt were inferior. After one year of success with "The First Vineyard", Dufour wrote to his father, brothers and sisters in Switzerland and invited them all to join him. Seventeen members of his family made the voyage. After his family arrived, Dufour petitioned congress for the privilege of getting land in Indiana. The area had a steep valley that reminded the family of Switzerland. Congress granted a special approval for Dufour. By 1806, the first wine was made from the vineyard in Indiana, known as "The Second Vineyard" and the area became known as New Switzerland. #OTD Today is the birthday of the man known as the King of Colorado Botany, Charles Christopher Parry, who was born on this day in 1823. Parry discovered both the Torrey pine and Engelmann spruce which gives you a clue about his impressive mentors. Although he rubbed shoulders with the best botanists of his time, Parry's focus was not academic. He was more interested in making sure the public and the common man benefitted from his work. In 1845 while he was at college, Parry's teacher was the great John Torrey. Parry was good friends with Asa Gray - who was also a student of John Torrey. In 1848, Parry learned about the botanical trade from the star of the Missouri Botanical Garden: George Engelmann. In the summer of 1862 he brought Elihu Hall and J. P. Harbour on an expedition to Colorado. The men gathered ten sets of over 700 species. According to William Weber, their effort remains "the largest [collection ever] made in Colorado in a single season". Parry spent 20 summers in Colorado - in a cabin nestled between Torrey Peak and Gray Peak - mountains he named after John Torrey and Asa Gray. Parry named another mountain Eva Peak in honor of his wife. He even named one Mount Flora. In 1870, during a visit to England, Parry met the master botanist of his age: Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker, Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. In fact, it was Hooker who referred to Parry as the "King of Colorado Botany". And it wasn't just Colorado that Parry explored. He traveled throughout the West, amassing over 30,000 specimens for his herbarium. When Parry was collecting in California, he continued his habit of recording his thoughts into notebooks. Occasionally, he waxed poetic about the landscape. In one example from his time in California, he wrote: "A newborn moon hangs her crescent over the western hills and by its full-orbed light we hope to see our way to winter quarters on the Pacific." #OTD Today is the birthday of Roger Tory Peterson of Peterson's Field Guide to Birds fame - he was born in 1908. Peterson not only wrote the guides, he also illustrated them. Peterson was the noted American naturalist who brought the natural w

Today is National Banana Lovers Day. Botanically speaking, the banana is a berry - a many seeded fruit. And, banana trees are not trees. The banana plant is a giant herb. Inside the guts of the banana tree trunk is a white tube. It may be cooked, and tastes like bamboo shoots. Under a black light (ultraviolet or UV), ripe bananas glow a beautiful bright blue. Scientists believe this is a signal to banana eating animals like insects and bats that can see UV light. In 1690, the first shipments of bananas reached Salem, Massachusetts. They tried boiling them with pork. Needless to say, it took another 200 years for bananas to catch on in North America. Today, average U.S. banana consumption is almost 30 pounds per year. Until the early 1800s in Hawaii, most banana varieties were 'kapu' - forbidden for women of Hawaii to eat, under penalty of death. Banana's are facing a huge threat in the form of a pathogenic fungus called Fusarium wilt tropical race 4 (TR4) or Panama Disease. TR4 was first discovered in Taiwan in the 1990s. It has slowly made its way around the world. Just this month, on August 8th, researchers confirmed that TR4 is infecting banana plants in Latin America - Columbia declared a national state of emergency. This may seem extreme or over-reactive to people who don't realize that the fungus, TR4, lives in the soil for decades, making the land unlivable for future banana crops. TR4 first attacks the roots before spreading through the rest of the plant. Unfortunately, fungicides do not work against the disease. Thanks to Sir Joseph Paxton, the English gardener, architect and politician, who cultivated the Cavendish banana - who named it after William Cavendish, the 6th Duke of Devonshire who fancied them. In November 1935, five years after receiving a specimen imported from Mauritius, Joseph Paxton's plant finally flowered and by the following May it was loaded with more than 100 bananas, one of which won a medal at that year's Horticultural Society show. Today, bananas still grow on the Devonshire estate and the Cavendish banana is the most-consumed banana in the western world - it accounts for 99.9% of bananas in the western world - it accounts or 99.9% of bananas traded globally. It replaced a tastier variety who was wiped out be a fungal disease in the 1950s. Today, work is underway to create a Cavendish banana replacement. Although, earlier this month, a scientist predicted, "Eventually, it will not be possible to produce the Cavendish banana variety for international trade." We eat the variety of banana known as the Cavendish banana. Brevities #OTD Today is the birthday of Maria van Oosterwijck who was born on this day in 1630. Oosterwijck was an incredible Dutch Golden Age painter, specializing in flower paintings and still life. Her art was rich, vividly detailed, and incredibly realistic. Her still lifes of flowers in ornate vases were often set against a dark background and featured flowers like sunflowers, roses, carnations, hyacinths, parrot tulips, berries and her most famous paintings included a red admiral butterfly. In her 40's, her studio was opposite another flower painter by the name of Willem van Aelst. He attempted to woo Maria, but her heart belonged really only to her art. When he kept asking her, she finally agreed to marry him if he could prove that he could match her work ethic - he needed to paint every day, for 10 hours a day, for a year... only then would she marry him. Well, he couldn't do it and Maria remained single throughout her life. Oosterwijck's paintings were purchased by Kings and Emperors after she smartly secured an agent to market her work. #OTD Today is the birthday of the botanist Edwin James who was born on this day in Vermont in 1797. As a young man, James compiled the very first Flora of Vermont plants. James went on one of the first expeditions of the American West from Pittsburgh to the Rocky Mountains. He discovered the mountain Columbine, Aquilegia caerulea which ultimately became known as the Colorado Blue Columbine and the State Flower of Colorado. An account of James' climb of Pikes Peak on July 13, 1820, states: "A little above the point where the timber disappears entirely, commences a region of astonishing beauty . . . covered with a carpet of low but brilliantly flowering alpine plants. . ." James' phrasing, "a region of astonishing beauty," became the title of a 2003 book on the botanical history of the Rocky Mountains by Roger Lawrence Williams. After the expedition, James married and settled in Burlington, Iowa. His home was a stop on the Underground Railroad. James died in 1861 after an accident. A monument to James was installed on Pike's Peak and the Des Moines County Medical Society planted Rocky Mountain Blue Columbine on his grave in the Rock Springs Cemetery. Newspaper accounts said the location was in the most picturesque part of southeastern Iowa. #OTD Today is the anniversary of the death of the botanist Emil Christian Hansen,

If your garden looks a little sad right now, it could probably benefit from the addition of some no-fail fantastic fall perennials. Here are some of my favorites: If you have a sunny, wet area, Joe-Pye weed is a perfect choice. The blooms are super tall and a favorite with pollinators. The latin name is Eutrochium purpureum. Sedum 'Autumn Joy' (Hylotelephium telephium) is fantastic this time of year. It's super easy to propagate as well - in the spring when it starts to grow, I'll give it a hair cut and then simply place the clippings together in well-drained area in the garden and viola! A new Sedum 'Autumn Joy' is born. It's just that easy to propagate them. Up at the cabin, I have three new autumn joys thanks to the haircuts I gave the parent plants in mid June. Asters are glorious right now. You can grow them from seed or from transplants. If your asters are tall and leggy, make a note to give them a few haircuts during the month of June. I'll keep mine cut back to about a foot tall until the 4th of July and then I'll let them be. As with Joe-Pye and Autumn Joy, the Chelsea Chops keep my asters more compact - the way I prefer them this time of year. The latin name for New England asters is Symphyotrichum novae angliae (They were moved into their own genus.) Finally, sweet autumn clematis is in it's glory in the garden right now. Throughout the spring and the summer, I'm not very nice to the young vines. They can act a bit thuggish and I rip out everything I find during the months of May and June. The vines that make it to fall are the lucky ones - benefitting from my absences in the garden during the summer; weeks when I was too busy or away for travel. While I was gone, the remaining vines made big enough strides to earn the right to stay through to fall. The beautiful blooms give me pause for the way I treated them in the spring, yet I know my garden would be overrun if I didn't at least attempt to thwart it in the spring. Brevities #OTD Today is the birthday of Stephen McCormick who was born on this day in 1784. McCormick was from Auburn, Virginia and he patented a cast iron plow with replaceable parts. Inventing equipment for agriculture was something of a family activity; his cousin of was Cyrus McCormick, inventor of the famous reaper. The concept of removable, replaceable parts created the need for factories to build them. Farmers liked the idea of only needing to buy the parts they needed; instead of buying an entirely new plow. In a little over a decade, McCormick had sold more than 10,00 plows. #OTD Today is the birthday of Edward Beard Budding who was born On this day in 1796. Budding had been working part time at carpet mill. During his shift, he watched a machine remove the nap from wool. It gave him an idea. Inspired by the machine from the carpet mill and working mostly at night, Budding adopted the machine into what became the world's first push lawn mower. Budding even tested his machine at night - to avoid the curiosity of his neighbors and also to make sure they wouldn't make fun of him. In South Downs in West Sussex, England, there is the Budding Museum of Gardening which features some of the very first lawn mowers preserved and researched by an ex-bank manager named Clive Gravett. In addition to the museum made up of Gravett's impressive collection of mowers spanning the past 150 years, Gravett created a charity dedicated to Budding. A year ago, Gravett wrote a book called, Two Men Went to Mow: The Obsession, Impact and History of Lawn Mowing. In it, Gravett tells the full story of this the lawn mower and it's impact on the world. A passionate gardener with a love of history, Gravett has helped to preserve Budding's legacy. There's just one piece of Budding's legacy that has remained illusive: one of his original lawn mowers. Gravett suspects they ended up being used as scrap during the first and second world wars. #OTD Today in 1959, the state flower of Alabama was changed to the camellia. The women of Butler County had decided the camellia was a better choice than the goldenrod which they considered a weed and which had been officially adapted back in 1927. Twenty years ago, Alabama decided to get more specific, naming the Camellia japonica L. the official state flower - to avoid confusion with the many other types of camellia. The Camellia japonica is sometimes called "the rose of winter". #OTD Today is the anniversary of the death of Dame Helen Gwynne-Vaughan - a prominent English botanist and mycologist. She died in 1967. Early on, Gwynn-Vaughan researched rust fungi. But she also helped form the University of London's Suffrage Society - where she was the first female professor. During #WW1 she also helped form the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps. Due to her extraordinary wartime leadership, Gwynne-Vaughan was one of the first women to receive a Military Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire award. The University of London recently released a lovely article a

Sometimes I think cutting your bangs are a great analogy for pruning in the garden. You know how when your bangs are growing out - maybe a little past your eyebrows - and you think, "I am gonna grow these bangs out. I'm gonna have amazing hair." Then, they start to go past your nose and you realize that this was a complete mistake. Then, you don't have the stamina to make it all the way to having no bangs, and it's time to get this crazy idea back in check. Sometimes, the thing same thing happens with the flowers that are spilling into your paths and walkways. Today, the student gardeners and I clipped back the cat mint that of been allowed to go wherever it wanted - in addition to the sumac and artemisia. Sometimes, even though it requires extra courage, it's necessary to prune things back. When it's done, your garden looks a little lighter, a little more put together, and everybody seems happier that work was done. The garden feels brand new and ready to show off it's new haircut to the world. Brevities #OTD Today is the day that Catholics celebrate the patron of gardeners and flowers - it's at Saint Rose of Lima day. Saint Rose worked to serve the poor. She was a Dominican. There was a malaria epidemic during the 1600s and Saint Rose worked to heal the sick and in some cases, she did. Saint Rose was the first saint born in the Americas. When she was born, her parents named her Ysabelle but she became known as a Rose. One time, when she was sleeping in her cradle, her mother saw the figure of a rose on the side of her cheek and she started calling her Rose. She was also called Rose because of her beauty. Sadly, Rose died in 1617; she was just 31 years old. #OTD Today is the anniversary of the death of the Scottish ornithologist and poet Alexander Wilson. Wilson immigrated to the United States from Paisley Scotland. His family called him Sandy. He quickly became one of the foremost naturalists of his time. Before John James Audubon, there was Alexander Wilson - who was born the 20 years before Audubon. Wilson is known as the father of American ornithology. Wilson wrote the very first ornithology of American birds. When Wilson completed his publication, which he had prepared in nine volumes, it was sold for an exorbitant price: $120. Even John James Audubon passed on owning a copy for that sky-high price. Wilson ended up living at Gray's Ferry, where he took charge of a school founded by John Bartram. Right down the street, lived William Bartram, of all people. Bartram operated his own nursery called Bartram Botanical Gardens and he became a mentor for Wilson. Bartrum was the best kind of mentor; encouraging and honoring of Wilson's unique talents and interests. In fact, it was actually William Bartram who helped Wilson learn to draw birds. #OTD Today is the anniversary of the death of Eliza Sullivant. She had been taught by her husband about botany and other subjects. When she died in 1850, her husband William Starling Sullivant praised her drawings of mosses. Eliza was his second wife. His first wife died following the birth of their child. Sullivant fell in love with Eliza about the same time he fell in love with botany. The Sullivants lived in a gorgeous Italianate home that they called Sullivant Hill. There was a large pasture there and Sullivant would get up early in the morning and walk through it; identifying the flowering plants, grasses, and sedges. He got curiouser and curiouser about botany. Before you know it, he was corresponding with Dr. Asa Gray from Harvard and Dr. John Torrey from Princeton. Once when Sullivan was botanizing in Highland county, Ohio. He ran across a little plant with tiny delicate white flowers and ornate leaves. He sent it to Gray and Torrey. They, in turn, named it Sullivantii ohioensis. Sullivant's herbarium, which had nearly 10,000 specimens, was donated to Harvard through Dr. Asa Gray. #OTD Today is the birthday of Hazel Marguerite Schmoll who was born in McAlester, Kansas on this day in 1890. Schmoll was born in a sod cabin. Her family settled in Colorado when she was just two years old. Schmoll was the first woman to earn a doctorate in botany from the University of Chicago. Schmoll had the opportunity, early on in her career, to work with Alice Eastwood. She mostly mounted and catalog specimens. It was Hazel Schmoll who said, "I hope we can keep some wilderness areas. People need some places where they can get away from the crowds and be refreshed by nature." Unearthed Words "In the garden, Autumn is, indeed the crowning glory of the year, bringing us the fruition of months of thought and care and toil. And at no season, safe perhaps in Daffodil time, do we get such superb color effects as from August to November." - Rose G. Kingsley, The Autumn Garden, 1905 Today's book recommendation: The Prickly Pear Cookbook by Carolyn Niethammer I remember the first time I grew Prickly Pear Cactus in my garden and I fell immediately in love with it. This charming cookbook cele

At the cabin, a Mullein has seeded itself in one of my beds and I'm letting it grow. (I was touring gardens in Washington DC a few years ago and the garden had a section for Mulleins. It was so pretty.) On more than one occasion, I have had to rescue it - to make sure that no one in the family pulled it or weed-whacked it. Now, there it stands; 6 feet tall, big leaves, soft as lamb's ears, and the yellow florets are just starting to pop out from the flower spike. If you look closely at Mulleins, they have these little fine hairs on the very soft leaves. The purpose of those little fine hairs is to trap moisture from the air; to help the plant survive - even when there's no water around. Inside the leaf and the flower of Mullein, is a compound called mucilage. It's a soothing property - a soothing slime - that protects tissue when it comes into contact with it. Herbalists use that mucilage to treat dry coughs; the mucilage reduces the acidity level in the esophagus which helps stop the cough reflex. Whenever I look at Mullein, I always think of Whitman's charming thoughts on it. Whitman wrote: "The farmers, I find, think the Mullein a mean unworthy weed. But, I have grown to a fondness for it. Every object has its lesson, enclosing the suggestion of everything else —and lately I sometimes think all is consecrated for me in these hardy, yellow flower'd weeds. As I come down the lane early in the morning, I pause before their soft wool-like fleece and stem and broad leaves, glittering with countless diamonds. Annually for three summers now, they and I have silently returned together; at such long intervals I stand or sit among them, musing [...] of my sane or sick spirit, here as near at peace as it can be." Brevities #OTD On this day in 1745, Prince Charles Stuart plucked a white rose and placed it in his hat. Charles got the nickname "Bonnie Prince Charlie." Some have speculated, that the event sparked the significance of the Burnett rose - a white rose - because it became a celebrated symbol of Scotland. Here's a little poem about the white rose from Hugh MacDiarmid: The rose of all the world is not for me. I want for my part Only the little white rose of Scotland. That smells sharp and sweet - and breaks the heart. #OTD Today in 1830, the first lawn Moore was invented by Edward Beard Budding. Budding had adopted a machine that was used to remove the nap from wool. Budding had been working part time at carpet mill and he got the idea when he was working there; watching that machine with the wool. Budding apparently tested his machine at night, so that his neighbors wouldn't be curious or make fun of him. And, if you ever get the chance to go and see the Budding Museum of Gardening, it looks like a fun place to go. It shows mowers from all over the world. There's also a pruning exhibit. The museum is in England. Cute little museum. #OTD Today is the birthday of the botanist Jacob Weidenmann, who was born on this day in 1829 in Zürich Switzerland. Weidenmann was a landscape architect. He came to the United States in 1856. By 1861, he was named the first superintendent of parks for Hartford, Connecticut. When he was there, he designed the Bushnell Park in Cedar Hill cemetery. By the 1870's, he was collaborating with Frederick Law Olmsted. In 1871, Weidenmann published his very first book it was called Beautifying Country Homes.His work on the Cedar Hill Cemetery led him to write a book called Modern Cemeteries - where he actually talked about how to landscape memorial grounds. After Weidenmann had finished designing in Hartford, he was asked to design the capital grounds in Des Moines. When Weidenmann died, he was buried in a quiet corner of the cemetery he had designed in Connecticut. Today, Harvard awards the Weidenmann prize to the student who shows outstanding ability in landscape design. #OTD Today is National Eat a Peach Day. Peaches are native to northwest China. August is one of the months that peaches are harvested. Thomas Jefferson had peaches growing at Monticello. The scientific name for peaches is Persica. The name Persica derives from the belief that peaches were from Persia - but they were actually from China. Unearthed Words "In June we picked the clover, And sea-shells in July: There was no silence at the door, No word from the sky. A hand came out of August And flicked his life away: We had not time to bargain, mope, Moralize, or pray." ― Cecil Day-Lewis, Overtures to Death and Other Poems Today's book recommendation: Herbal Healing for Women by Rosemary Gladstar This book is a favorite among women and female gardeners looking to utilize herbs for women's health. Specifically, there are tons of great recipes in here and lots of useful information. The book covers common disorders and the herbs that are effective for treating them. Gladstar shares how to select in-store herbs and then how to pair hundreds of herbal remedies. I think what is especially helpful about this book is Rosemary's excl

How do you start adding living mulch to your garden? One of the simplest ways, is just to look for the spots in your garden that are bare. Look for the open areas and start there. Look under your shrubs. Look along the edges of your beds. Instead of adding another layer of mulch, add plants. Think about planting these living mulches in terms of planting families. In other words, planting en masse. This is what the naturalists and ecologists do naturally; They think about plants in terms of population. New gardeners tend to think of A PLANT and not A PLANTING; so think bigger. Think community. Think about the way you see plants occurring naturally. Even the weeds tend to show up with their brothers and sisters. If one finds purchase, they send out an Evite. The next thing you know, there's a family reunion of Canadian Thistle or Creeping Charlie and you get to be the host. With this in mind, it's right about this time of year, that I remind myself how much I like the giant allium. And, how I fervently wish I would've planted that allium as a member of a very, very, very large extended family; the Everybody Loves Raymond kind of family, because one can never have enough allium. Brevities #OTD Today is St. Bernard Tolomeo's Day, the Patron Saint of Olive Growers. Saint Bernard was from Tuscany and he was born there in 1272. He was going to be a lawyer, but then he pursued the church after he recovered his eyesight after an illness. He'd made a deal with God. He chose the name Bernard after the habit of Clairvaux - we mentioned him yesterday - he is the patron saint of bees and beekeepers. Bernard became the patron Saint of Olives because t he Abbey where Tolomeo lived, St Mary of Olivet, was the site of an olive plantation. The location became known as Mount Olivet. Here are some here are a few quick fun facts about Olives: Olives are a fruit and not a vegetable. The first olive harvest occurs after 15 years of growing. The next time you're feeling impatient, remember the olive. Olive trees are some of the oldest live plants on earth. They're considered evergreens. One of the oldest all of trees is on the island of Crete is an Olive and it's estimated to be about 4,000 years old and it is still producing fruit. Finally, the color of the fruit is completely dependent on the maturity – unripe fruit is green and the ripe is dark purple to black (like tomatoes and peppers). #OTD It was on this day that the botanist George Taylor died in 1891. Taylor had immigrated from Scotland at the age of 53. He brought his family to the United States and they settled in Kalamazoo Michigan in 1855. Taylor's brothers were already there, so it was an easy decision. Once he got settled, George became known as "Celery" after he started growing celery commercially. Kalamazoo had what was called "muckland" which was "valueless for anything other than growing to celery." Once, when a botanist visited the area, he said that the land was black muckland of a peaty nature which is best for celery. In Kalamazoo, there is a little plaque dedicated to George Celery Taylor. Thanks to Taylor, Kalamazoo became known as the Celery City or Celeryville In 1880, the Detroit Free Press shared an article that talked about the celery beds that were growing. It said this: "Driving north from Kalamazoo, through the country, one passes great 100-acre farms devoted to the sweet-scented celery, reminding one of that Methodist hymn: 'Sweet fields beyond stand dressed in living green.' One would never forget a drive through the celery gardens in any direction from Kalamazoo; the long rows keeping their bright green till November, as crop follows crop; and the fields being unmarred by fences or anything except the cozy cottages of the thrifty Hollanders." And there was a fun little article that was posted in The Herald Press out of St Joseph Michigan in 1956. It talked about the early days of celery growing and it had an adorable story about George Celery Taylor: "In the fall of 1856, there was a big party that was going to be held at the Burdock House Hotel on December 19. It was going to be a big gathering with lots of people from all over and Mr. Taylor thought it would be a good opportunity to advertise celery. As the unknown vegetable, [Taylor] persuaded the owner of the hotel to put celery on his menu and the people were curious about it. They asked, "how do you eat this?" "Is it grown from seed?" It just grew in popularity from there." In the 1870s, the celery growers would have children sell it on the street which created a demand for celery. They also met all of the trains that that came into town. They would give it to the conductors on the New York trains and asked them to take a bunch. The next thing you know, the market for celery was off to the races. #OTD It was on this day that the botanist and German poet Adelbert van Chamiso died. When he was 30, Chamiso ended up in Switzerland where he decided to devote himself to botanical research. In 181

"You don't have a garden just for yourself. You have it to share." - Augusta Carter, Master Gardener, Pound Ridge, Georgia Pass-along plants have the best stories, don't they? They have history. They have personal history. One of my student gardeners had a grandmother who recently passed away from breast cancer. Her mom was no green thumb. But, when her daughter started working in my garden, she let me know that her mom had some plants and her dad was looking for a place for them. Would I be willing to take one? Sure. Absolutely, I said. Next thing I knew, a few weeks later, Mom is walking up my driveway caring one of the largest Jade plants I've ever seen. The plant was in a container the size of a 5 gallon paint bucket and the plant was just as tall. I took the plant from her with a promise to take good care of it. When she turned to leave, I asked her mom's name. I like to name my pass-along plants after the people I get them from; and, that's when the tears started. When she left, I brought it over to the potting bench and let it sit for a few days. Then, my student gardeners and I set about dividing it and taking care of it. It was a good thing we did it - because the minute we started to take it out of the pot it became very apparent that this plant was severely waterlogged. It wouldn't of made it have a knot rescued it from the pot. We removed as much potting soil as we could. We split the plant in half and put them into separate clay pots which were very heavily perlited; which was just what the doctor ordered. It's the perfect environment and now it's doing fantastic. But, I'd be lying if I didn't say that it had a little more special meaning to me than just your typical jade plant -because of the look on this woman's face when she gave me this plant; passing on this little, living thing that her mom had nurtured. Brevities #OTD Today is Saint Bernard of Clairvaux's day; he was the patron saint of beekeepers. He's also the patron saint of bees and candlemakers. St. Bernard was a doctor of the church and a French Abbot. He was apparently a fabulous preacher, with excellent speaking skills. He became known as the "honey sweet" doctor for his honey sweet language; he would draw people in. When he decided to become a part of the monastery, he had to give up and get up and give a testimony. History tells us that his testimony was so compelling that thirty members of his family and his friends decided to join the monastery. That's how he became associated with bees; all that sweet talk. And it was Saint Bernard who said, "Believe me, for I know, you will find something far greater in the woods than in books. Stones and trees will teach you that which you cannot learn from the masters." #OTD Today is the birthday of Edward Lee Green; who was born on this day in 1843. Green performed yeoman's work when it came to the plants of the American West; naming or describing or even re-describing over 4,400 species. Before Green made his way west, he reached out to Asa Gray of Cambridge and George Englemann of St. Louis at the Missouri Botanic Garden. They gave him good counsel and in 1870, he started traveling to Colorado, California, Mexico, New Mexico, and Arizona. He eventually settled in Berkeley as a church rector. In the early 1880s, an interesting thing happened: he left the episcopal church and he became a Catholic. While he was becoming Catholic, Green began lecturing at the University of California, where he became the curator of the herbarium. When he and the University's President didn't agree on nomenclature for the plants, he ended up accepting a job at Catholic University in Washington DC, where he worked until 1904. At that point, he ended up going to the Smithsonian. When he was there, he transferred his herbarium and published his masterpiece called Landmarks of Botanical History Part One. Part Two was never completed. #OTD It was on this day in 1863 that a botanist preserved a specimen of milkweed about 15 days after the battle of Gettysburg. Drexel University shared this story back in 2018. A curatorial assistant at the botany department named Elana Benamy was digitizing plant images. She came across an image of milkweed - which is pretty common - but what made her take a double take was the date and location of the plant specimen. The plant was labeled "Battlefield of Gettysburg, August 20, 1863." The battle in Gettysburg had occurred during the first three days of July. So this specimen had been gathered about seven weeks after the battle, and about five weeks after Frederick Law Olmsted had walked the field. Elana asked, "Can you imagine why on earth would someone be out plant collecting [there]?" As it turns out, the reason made perfect sense. The collector was a man named Thomas Meehan. Meehan had worked for Andrew Eastwick who was the owner of Bartrum's garden in Philadelphia. Afterward, Meehan opened up his own nursery in Germantown. In 1853, his younger brother, Joseph, had come to the

Today is National Potato Day. Here are some fun potato facts: The average American eats approximately 126 pounds of spuds each year. And, up until the 18th century, the French believed potatoes called leprosy. To combat the belief, the agronomist Antoine Auguste Parmentier became a one-man PR person for the potato. How did Parmentier get the French people to believe that the potato is safe to eat? Good question. Parmentier cleverly posted guards around his potato fields during the day and put the word out that he didn't want people stealing them. Then, he purposefully left them unguarded at night. As he suspected, people did what he thought they would do; steal the potatoes by the sackful by the light of the moon and they started eating them. Later, Marie Antoinette wore potato blossoms in her hair. The Idaho Potato, or the Russet Burbank, was developed by none other than Luther Burbank in 1871. Brevities #OTD Today is the birth of Jane Webb who married the prolific writer of all things gardening: John Claudius Loudon. Jane was special. She was an amazing writer in her own right but she also possessed an inner determination; she was a survivor. When her father lost the family fortune and died penniless when Jane was only seventeen, it was the beginning of her career writing Science Fiction. For her times, Jane wrote Science Fiction in a unique way. She incorporated predictable changes in technology and society. For instance, the women in her books wear pants. In any case, her book The Mummy was published anonymously, in 1827, in three parts. In her book, Jane featured something she imagined would come to pass: a steam plow. That's what attracted the attention of John Claudius Loudon - her future husband. Loudon wrote a favorable review of her book but he also wanted to meet the author. Loudon didn't realize Jane had written the book using a nom de plume of Henry Colburn. Much to Loudon's delight, Henry was Jane; they fell in love and married a year later. The Loudons were considered high society and their friends included Charles Dickens. John's arms stopped working as he grew older, after an attack of rheumatic fever. As a result, Jane became his arms; handling most of his writing. When his arms got so bad that surgeons needed to amputate his right arm, they found him in his garden which he said he intended to return to immediately after the operation. Two weeks before Christmas 1843, John was dictating his last book called, A Self Instruction to Young Gardeners. Around midnight, he suddenly collapsed into Jane's arms and died. Jane completed the book on her own. #OTD It was on this day in 1843, that the Massachusetts Horticultural Society held their exhibition of flowers. They kicked things off by writing about their phlox. Here's what they said: "The Phloxes were very splendid, and it gives us great pleasure to see that our friends are engaged in raising seedlings of this beautiful class of plants. Instead of importing Phloxes from England, as we have heretofore done, we hazard but little when we state that it will not be many years (if our friends persevere in raising seedlings) before we shall be able to send our English friends varieties, that will surprise them for their beautiful form and richness of color." #OTD Today is the birthday of Ellen Ann Willmott who was an English horticulturalist who was born in 1858. Ellen was the oldest in her family of three daughters. In 1875, her parents moved to Warley Place, which was set on 33 acres of land in Essex. Ellen lived there for the rest of her life. All of the Willmott's were gardeners and they often gardened as a family. They created an alpine garden complete with a gorge and rockery. This was something that Ellen's father allowed her to do to commemorate her 21st birthday. When her godmother died she received some pretty significant money. When her father died, Warley Place went to her. Ellen planted to her hearts content; and given the size of the property, it's no wonder that she hired over 100 gardeners to help her tend it. Ellen was no shrinking violet. She had a reputation for firing any gardener who allowed a weed to grow in her beds. And, she only hired men. There's a famous quote from her that is often cited, "Women would be a disaster in the border." It was a good thing that Ellen had so much money, because she sure liked to spend it. She had three homes: one in France, Warley Place, and another in Italy. Ellen also paid for plant hunting expeditions. Since she paid for them, the plants that were discovered on those expeditions were often named in her honor. And, Ellen hired some pretty impressive people to do her plant collecting. For example, Ellen even sponsored Ernest Henry Wilson. When Ellen receive the Victoria Medal of Honor in 1897, she was honored alongside Gertrude Jekyll. In the end, Ellen died penniless and heartbroken. Warley Place became a nature preserve. #OTD Today is the birthday of The Botany Man - Willis Linn Jepson - who

Are you swimming in zucchini yet? Emily Seftel, of The Tennessean, wrote an article in 2006 that was titled Gad zuks!- which I think is hilarious; we don't use that term enough, do we? Anyway, the article started out this way: "Zucchini, the summer squash, is the Rodney Dangerfield of the produce world it gets no respect." Then, the article goes on to share some recipes, which were offered by Chef Laura Slama who said, "When you're cooking with zucchini, all you need to do is add a little olive oil and kosher salt to bring out it's flavor." The three recipes she shared, were for Mexican Zucchini Corn and Black Tostadas - that looked amazing. Then, Sautéed Zucchini Strings; which is basically zucchini that's been turned into spaghetti. And, finally, she shared an Orzo Pasta with Roasted Zucchini. One of my favorite recipes for zucchini is from The New Zucchini Cookbookand Other Squashby Nancy Ralston and Mary Jordan. It's for a zucchini basil tart: You drain salted zucchini and tomato slices on paper towels. You purée basil in a food processor with ricotta and eggs and you add mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Then you line a 9 inch pie shell with zucchini slices. Spoon the basil mixture over the top and then put tomato slices on the top. Then brush the whole top of it with olive oil and bake it for 40 to 50 minutes. Yum. I'll put the link to the recipes in today show notes as well as a link to the cookbook. Brevities #OTDToday is the birthday of Magness Holman who was born in 1745. Holman was the painter who completed a portrait of Carla Ness that most people recognize. The portrait was painted around 1780. #OTD Today is the birthday of François-Andre Michaux. He was the son of the botanist Andrea Michaux. His father named an oak in his honor. Michaux's mother died a few weeks after he was born. His father was so despondent, he turned to botany to deal with his grief. His mentors just happened to be some of the top gardeners in the Royal Gardens. When François-Andre was 15 years old, he accompanied his dad to North America. His father established a botanical garden in 1786 on property that's now occupied by the Charleston Area National Airport. As you leave the airport, you'll notice a stunning mural that pays tribute the Michaux's - from the rice fields along the Ashley River to the Charleston Harbor where he introduced one of the first camellia plants. Andre-François and his father are depicted in the potager or kitchen garden. The mural was installed in 2016. François-Andre stayed in America where he established a nursery in Hackensack, New Jersey and also in Charleston, South Carolina. France was still eager to obtain trees from North America to replenish their forests and François-Andre grew them in his nursery. He returned to France briefly in 1790 and participated in the French revolution. By 1801, he returned to the United States because the French government wanted him to get rid of the nurseries in Hackensack and Charleston. François-Andre did as instructed and also explored the United States as far north as Maine, as far south as Georgia, and as far west as the Great Lakes. After his explorations, he returned to France, he had enough material and experience to prepare his masterpiece, North American Silva or North American Forests. #OTD Today in 1805, the Lewis and Clark expedition was near the Narrows of the Columbia river when the serviceberry was discovered. Serviceberry are available in a number of different species. There's a wonderful graphic showing the different types of serviceberry featured on the spruce.com. I'll share a link to that in today's show notes. Serviceberries are a member of the Rose family. Now that you know that, you'll be able to recognize the family resemblance the next time you see one. Serviceberry are primarily prized for their four-season interest: you get beautiful blossoms in the spring, fruits in the summer, fantastic autumn color, and wonderful bark coloration in the winter time. The Maryland Department of Resources says that the etymology of the name serviceberry comes from church services which resumed around Easter time. People used to say that when the serviceberries were in flower, the ground had thawed enough to dig a grave. #OTD Today is the birthday of the third son of Charles Darwin, Francis Darwin - known to his family as Frank. Francis published the results of his work with his dad in a book called The Movement of Plants. The book details their experiments which showed that young grass seedlings grow toward the light. OTD It's the anniversary of the death of Kenneth Woodbridge, who died on this day in 1988. Woodbridge was known for his work on the history of garden design in England and France. Woodbridge wrote a book called The Stourhead Landscape, a book about one of England's greatest gardens. Stourhead was the work of an English banker named Henry Hoare who lived during much of the 1700s. Woodbridge's last book was called Princely Gardens it was pub

Last week was one of turmoil in my garden. We decided to put new windows and siding on the house. Then we decided to enjoy the ravages of a hail storm which dumped ping pong ball sized hail on the garden for about five minutes - the entire storm lasted 30 minutes. I always remind new gardeners that we never garden alone. We're always gardening and partnership with Mother Nature and in this partnership, Mother Nature always has her way. Sometimes we may feel like we win, but I kind of think it's like the first time you play Go Fish or some other game with your child, they just THINK they won. In any case, I am using this as an opportunity to address some crowding in my garden beds. In some places everything is just gone and I suppose I could see it as an early start on fall cleanup. The one thing I'm grateful for is the replacement of this large 14 x 20' Arbor on the side of our house. I had started growing a number of lines on it over the years and then settled on golden hops when I was going through my hops phase. Over the past few years I've decided I'm not a fan of hops. The vines are aggressive and sticky and the sap can be irritating to the skin. And I wasn't a huge fan of the color. My student gardeners will help me cover the area with some landscape fabric to make sure it does not come back and then I'm thinking climbing hydrangea would be lovely. Brevities #OTD Today is the birthday of Karl Franz Anton Ritter von Schreibers. Schreibers was an Austrian naturalist and a botanist. In 1806, Schreibers became the director of the Vienna Natural History Museum. He was a good botanist and ecologist, but his heart belong to minerals and meteorites. Schreibers made Leopold Trattinick curator of the museum herbarium which was founded in 1807. The Austrian Empire had a thing for plants and horticulture. So expeditions were sent to collect new materials including minerals for the museum. Many famous botanists were involved with these expeditions including Carl Phillip Von Martinus. In 1848, during the revolution, the museum caught on fire. The protesters not only destroyed the library Schreibers had carefully built up, they destroyed Schreibers home - his living quarters or right inside the museum. It broke Schreibers heart. He retired and died four years later. #OTD Happy birthday to Elias Magnus Friesz who is born on this day in 1794 in Sweden. The area where Friesz grew up, was rich in fungi and his father was a self-taught botanist. Put the two together, and it's no wonder Friesz developed a lifelong interest in mycology. In fact, Friesz developed the first system that was used to classify fungi; so we remember him for that. There's a wonderful picture of Elias as an octogenarian. He looks like he could've been Dumbledore's best friend. He was a happy botanist and he worked tirelessly until the day he died in February 1878. #OTD Happy birthday to John Torrey who is born on this day in 1796. Torreywas the first American botanist to study the flora of New York State. The area Torrey botanized included what is now Greenwich Village, the area of the Elgin botanic garden which is now Rockefeller Center, and Bloomingdale which is now the upper side west side of Manhattan, as well as Hoboken New Jersey. Torrey's Calendarian was a phenological record where he documented the plants he observed - recording the species, location, and date of first bloom. Farmers often kept similar records to track planting seasons and growing cycles. Thomas Jefferson did the same thing in a book he called The Calendar. The New York botanic garden has digitized this manuscript so you can check it out when you get a chance. And, if you live in Colorado, it might interest you to know that Torrey's peak in Colorado is named for John Torrey. #OTD It's the birthday of the illustrator Walter Crane, born in Liverpool #OnThisDay in 1845. Gardeners appreciate Crane thanks to one of his most stunning works - a book called "A Floral Fantasy in an Old English Garden" which was published in 1899. Crane's book was intended to be a children's book - but for gardeners it is really something of a graphic novel telling the storyof the hidden life and society of flowers. The flowers are personified. For example, the Dandelion is portrayed as a bold knight - his shield is made of a large dandelion blossom. And, the Foxgloves are a happy group; comprised of cousins and brothers and sisters. The book continues to appeal thanks to Crane's beautiful artwork and the allure of the enchanted realm he created; complete with Fairies, the Four Seasons, Old Man Time, knights, and other creatures. There are 46 illustrations in this little book. Original copies of this rare book sell for over $1,000. You can view the entire book for FREE using this link in today's show notes. #OTD Today, we remember Geoff Hamilton who was born on this day in 1936. Hamilton was a presenter of the BBC's Gardener's Worldin the 1980s and 1990s he was also a gardener himself. Hamilton had a

Today, August 14, is Saint Werenfrid's Day. Werenfrid is the patron saint of vegetable gardens. He is often portrayed as a priest holding up a ship with a coffin in it or displayed as a priest laid to rest in his ship. Werenfrid is also invoked for gout and stiff joints; which, if you're a vegetable gardener, those three sometimes go together. Brevities #OTD Today, in 1765, a crowd gathered under a large elm tree in Boston. The group was there to protest the Stamp Act that was passed by British Parliament. The act imposed a tax on paper in the American colonies which meant that all the paper had to have a stamp on it. So, if you were publishing a newspaper, or needed a mortgage deed, or court papers, it all had to be printed on paper with a tax stamp on it. There was an elm tree that became a rallying point for resistance against the British and that tree became known as the Liberty Tree. The tree had been planted in 1646 - just sixteen years after Boston became a city. As the colonists began rejecting orders from Britain, the tree became a bulletin board of sorts. As it's symbolism grew, protesters would share calls to action on the trunk. When the stamp act was repealed, the tree was THE place people went to celebrate; hanging flags and streamers, as well as lanterns from its branches. After the war began, Thomas Paine wrote an ode to the Liberty Tree in the Pennsylvania Gazette. It said: "Unmindful of names or distinctions they came For freemen like brothers agree, With one spirit endued, they one friendship pursued, And their temple was Liberty Tree…" Four months later, in August, British troops and Loyalists descended on the tree. A man named Nathaniel Coffin Jr. cut it down. #OTD On this day in 1873, the magazine Forest and Stream debuted. Forest and Streamfeatured outdoor activities like hunting and fishing. It was dedicated to wildlife conservation and it helped launch the National Audubon Society. In 1930, the magazine merged with Field & Stream. #OTD Today in 1880 for the botanist Ada Hayden was born. Hayden was the curator of the Iowa State University herbarium. As a young girl, growing up in Ames, Iowa, she fell in love with the flora surrounding her family's home. Hayden was a talented photographer, artist, and a writer, and she put all of those skills to good use documenting Iowa's prairies. Hayden became the first woman to earn a PhD from Iowa State. She inherited her grandparents farm and she often brought her botany students there to walk through the Prairie and to take notes on their observations. Hayden's life work was to save the vanishing prairie ecosystem. Hayden loved the Prairie. She wrote, "Throughout the season, from April to October, the colorful flowers of the grassland flora present a rainbow-hued sequence of bloom. It is identified with the open sky. It is the unprotected battleground of wind and weather. When Dr. Hayden died, the University named a 240-acre-tract of virgin Prairie, Hayden Prairie, in her honor. #OTD On this day, in 1960, FTD had their 50th anniversary convention at Cobo Hall in Detroit. And there's a lovely video of the convention that's available to see on YouTube. I shared it in the The Daily Gardener Community Facebook Groupor you can see a link to it in today show notes. The video was prepared for those members who could not attend. It is utterly charming. You get to see 50's fashions. You get to see a revolving floral stage. It was a three-day long extravaganza in Detroit - it it just so fun to watch. #OTD Today is the anniversary of the death of the botanist Edgar Walter Denison, who was an expert on Missouri's wildflowers. Denison died in Missouri on this day in 1993. Tennyson had emigrated to the country from Stuttgart, Germany In 1927. He left behind much of his extended family; including a famously brilliant cousin named Albert Einstein. Denison's book, Missouri Wildflowershas sold nearly 100,000 copies since its first printing in 1962. Denison illustrated the book as well. One of the reasons the book was so popular is because the way the book is organized. It especially appeals to gardeners; It's organized by color and within colors by month of blossom. As a result, gardeners can find a species quickly and with ease. Denison had an amazing personal garden. He had over 1,000 varieties of plants which he grew from seed; he hated the thought of removing a plant from its native habitat. Denison had a special relationship with the Missouri Botanical Garden. The gardens director, Peter Raven, said, "An old-fashioned European gentleman in many ways, Edgar Denison exceeded most of our citizens in his deep love for the plants that enrich and beautify Missouri ." Denison's former next-door neighbor, horticulturist Patrick Brockmeyer, said Denison told him everything he knew about plants including pruning, fertilizing, weed control naturally; he was a naturalist. Brockmeyer felt Denison's presence when he visited the garden. He said, "He was there. I don't car

Boy, nasturtiums are such wonderful plants aren't they? August is a time when your nasturtiums look fabulous; even after a summer of blooming their hearts out. Right about now, you're nasturtiums will bloom better if you remove a few of the center leaves. Opening up the plant a little bit will promote airflow - and allow the sun to shine on the base of the plant. Nasturtiums are 100% edible. You can add the petals to any salad - just as you would watercress. In fact, you can make a beautiful sandwich with nasturtium flowers and a little salad dressing. Jane Eddington shared this idea in the Daily Newsout of New York, in 1928. She wrote, "If you have never tried a nasturtium leaf spread with a thin mayonnaise between two thin slices of bread and butter, you do not know how pleasant a little bite – in two senses – you can get from this "Indian cress" filling. And before I forget, I found this wonderful article on nasturtiums that was featured in the Hartford current out of Hartford Connecticut in August of 1914. It had all of these wonderful recipes for nasturtiums It not only gave some good advice about nasturtium capers and nasturtium sandwiches, but also, a nasturtium sauce for fish, meat, and vegetables, a nasturtium vinegar, and a nasturtium potato salad. I'll have all of that in today show notes -if you're geeking out on nasturtiums. And, here is a little insight on how nasturtiums like to coexist with us: the more we cut nasturtiums - to bring in as cut flowers, or to eat them raw, or as capers - the more they are they will bloom. Regular cuttings seem to encourage more lateral development and therefore you get more flowers. Win win. If you protect your plants with burlap or sheets on cold fall evenings, your nasturtiums just might surprise you and bloom well into November. Brevities #OTD Today, in 1750, the botanist Peter Kalm visited Niagara Falls. Niagara was a natural attraction for Bartness like Kalm who studied under Karla Nas Niagara was a natural attraction for botanist like Kalm who studied under Carl Linnaeus. (It was actually Linnaeus who came up with the idea to send trained botanists to Niagara.) There are no records of the plants that Kalm collected that day. However, botanists suspect that Kalm's Labelia and Kalm's Saint John's Wort were collected there; both would have been named for him by Carl Linnaeus. #OTD Today, in 1805, Meriwether Lewis discovered the Snowberry or Symphoricarpos albus. I love the story of how Lewis came across the Snowberry. He was really looking for the Shoshone Indians; but he found the Snowberry instead. Lewis wrote in his journal that he discovered something like a small honeysuckle; except that it was bearing a berry as, "large as a garden pea and as white as wax." The plant was a true new discovery to the scientific community. And, Lewis showed his botany chops when he said he thought it resembled the honeysuckle because it actually IS a member of the honeysuckle family. The Latin name is from the Greek meaning "fruits joined together", because the berries are clustered in pairs. The berries aren't good for eating; they're pretty tasteless. But, the birds, and especially grouse, love it. Lewis probably took a specimen of the Snowberry because some of the seeds made their way to Philadelphia. They were given to Thomas Jefferson's favorite nurseryman: Bernard McMahan. Then, McMahan did what he always did; he grew them and sent cuttings to Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson wrote him in October of 1812 saying that the Snowberries were thriving in his garden. He gushed that they were, "some of the most beautiful berries I have ever seen." #OTD Today is the birthday of the Russian botanist Edward August Von Regal who was born on this day in 1815. Regal was born in Switzerland - but he lived most of his life in Russia. Regal worked in a number of botanical gardens, including gardens in Germany and Switzerland. In 1852, he founded the magazine Garten Florawhere he described all the new species he had encountered. By 1855, Regal made his final move to Saint Petersburg where he made his home. He oversaw the imperial botanical garden and he even started a Russian gardening society, as well as a number of journals. Regal was a very hands-on botanist. When he went to St. Petersburg he immediately addressed the setup and the level of excellence. He changed how all the plants were arranged and rebuilt the green houses (most of which were heated by hot water). Regal loved to arrange plants in groups based on geography. For instance, he would have an area for plants of St. Petersburg, and an area for the plants of Siberia, and an area for the plants of North America, and so on. And if you're a fan of Curtis's botanical magazine which was started by William Curtis (who was employed at Kew), you'll appreciate knowing that volume 111 is dedicated to Edward August van Regal. #OTD Today is the birthday of Benedict Roezl who was born on this day in 1823 in Czechoslovakia. Roezl was prob

If you're looking to grow an onion that won't make you cry and give you that bad breath, Sweet Onions are your thing. If you buy them in the store, they're usually more expensive than the regular onions. Sweet Onions are sweet because the sugar and water content are higher. That's the upside. The downside to the higher sugar and water content, is that they won't store as long as regular onions. Sweet Onions have a lower level of sulfur compounds which means they're also easier to digest - and it also means they won't cause your eyes to tear up during prep work. Vidalia onions were the first sweet onions to be sold across the United States. They were growing primarily in Georgia - Vidalia, Georgia to be exact. Today, we have other options including Walla Walla Sweet Onions from Washington, Maui Sweet Onions from Hawaii and Spring Sweets from Texas. Sweet Onions can be traced back to seeds brought over from the Canary Islands in 1898. Brevities #OTD It's the birthday of Thomas Andrew Knight who was born in England on this day in 1759. Knight served as the second president of the Royal Horticultural Society. He assumed the position at the urging of his friend Joseph A Banks. Knight's inclination was always to turn inward. Banks helped him overcome that. He also encouraged Knight to begin reading scientific papers published by authors. Otherwise, Knight was purposefully shutting himself off from outside influences. During his life, Knight had inherited 10,000 acres of land and he used the land to conduct all kinds of experiments on plants like strawberries, cabbages, and peas. Knight was a born pragmatist. His breeding efforts were always designed to help make better plants in order to feed the masses. #OTD It's the anniversary of the death of Sir William Jackson Hooker who died on this day in 1865 Hooker was both a botanist and a botanical illustrator. Like Thomas Andrew Knight, Hooker enjoyed the friendship of Joseph Banks. Hooker was wealthy; he didn't need a patron to fund his expeditions. His first expedition was to Iceland in the summer of 1809. This was another one of Bank's ideas - and Hooker went to there to collect, as well as to make trials of everything he discovered. Unfortunately, on his way home, there was a terrible fire. Most people don't realize it, but Hooker nearly died. All of his work was destroyed in the fire. Yet, Hooker was able to reconstruct his discoveries and publish an account called Tour in Iceland. Turns out, his mind was a steel trap. Hooker was known worldwide for an unsurpassed herbarium. By 1841, he was appointed the director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Hooker brought Kew to greatness; expanding the gardens from 10 to 75 acres, adding a 270 acre Arboretum, and establishing a museum for botany. In 1865, there was a throat infection going around at Kew. Hooker contracted it and died. His son Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker, and outstanding botanist in his own right, succeeded him at Kew. #OTD Today in 1930, a United States patent was issued to Clarence Birdseye for his method of packaging frozen foods. One of Birdseye's first jobs, was as a field naturalist for the USDA. The job lead him to Labrador in Canada on a for trading expedition. During his time there, Birdseye observed that the Eskimos froze their food; finding fresh food during the winter was next to impossible. Birdseye became fascinated by their quick freezing process which cleverly used the elements of wind, ice, and super cold temperatures. Birdseye noticed when the fish was frozen quickly, it tasted amazing when it was thawed. Birdseye's immediately wondered if the same process could be used with fresh vegetables and other foods. Five years later, when he returned to the United States, he invented the quick freeze machine and he started his own frozen food company. Five years after that, he sold his business to Frosted Foods for $22 million. The year was 1929. Unearthed Words "One day you discover you are alive. Explosion! Concussion! Illumination! Delight! You laugh, you dance around, you shout. But, not long after, the sun goes out. Snow falls, but no one sees it, on an August noon." ― Ray Bradbury, Dandelion Wine Today's book recommendation: The New Healing Herbs by Michael Castleman This book features 135 of the most widely used medicinal herbs. There is a very helpful cure finder chart that shares treatments for more than 100 common conditions; for example: cinnamon to treat cuts and scrapes, Saint Johns Wort to speed healing, etc. For each Herb, there are drawings, the history of the herb, plus instructions for growing it in your herb garden. Today's Garden Chore Start seeds for fall crops. Your fall crops can include another round of quick-maturing edibles for the fall harvest. Try to get your seeds in before the 15th. Then, if you're wondering what to plant think about leafy greens. Plants like spinach, lettuce, or beets are great and they can also be grown for their green leaves. Plants like lettuce and

Every now and then, plants can surprise you. In this case I'm talking about more than just a beautiful bloom or general survival. I'm talking about variations that could lead to exciting new varieties. This topic was covered in the newspaper out of Richmond Indiana on this day in 1938. Here's what it said: "Black Hull Wheat - the wheat that increased production by millions of bushels in the Southwest - came from just one plant discovered in his wheat field by Earl Clark in Sedgwick county, Kans. The Wayzata ever-bearing strawberry came from just one plant discovered in a patch of June-bearing strawberries in Hennepin county, Minn. And, John Brown discovered an entirely new kind of watermelon - and a dandy - in his melon patch in White county, Illinois. Keep your eyes open." Brevities #OTD It was on this day that the German botanist and internationally-regarded landscape architect Ludwig Winter was born. Winter taught Karl Forrester - of Karl Forrester grass fame - when he came to visit him in Italy. Early on, Winter was drawn to exotic plants. When he began gardening in Italy he experimented with them. Instead of letting them go crazy or turn into a jungle, Winter's tropical gardens were very controlled and created a scene. Winter's reputation is inextricably bound to palm trees and Palm Gardens became symbolic of the seaside resorts along the Italian Riviera. Ultimately, Winter's contribution was making exotic plants accessible to all gardeners, not just to the wealthy. Winter also created new concepts in the marketing of nurseries. Winter came up with the idea of using nurseries to permanently exhibit plants. This would help his clients imagine the end result of garden designs and to promote various schemes that could be replicated in the clients garden. Winter's best gardens were created along the Italian Riviera - some exist still today. When Monet saw the area, he wrote: "Water, flowers, and poetry merge into a musical harmony of colors that my eyes have never met…. In addition, to paint certain landscapes you should have a palette of gems and diamonds. It is wonderful." #OTD It was on this day in 1854 that two years of simple living near Walden Pond in Massachusetts was shared with the world in the form of a book; Henry David Thoreau's Walden was published. It was Henry David Thoreau who said: "The question is not what you look at, but what you see." "Gardening is civil and social, but it wants the vigor and freedom of the forest and the outlaw." #OTD Today, in 1869, the explorer John Wesley Powell named an area of the Grand Canyon after his botanist George Vasey. Known as Vasey's Paradise,water spills out from the north rim of the Grand Canyon into the Colorado river. It's a spectacularly beautiful waterfall. A year earlier, in 1868, during Powell's preliminary expedition, Vasey had accompanied him and collected a large number of plants. Vasey returned to Illinois where he became the curator of the Illinois State University Natural History Museum and ultimately the chief botanist of the USDA. Here's what Powell wrote in his about Vasey's Paradise, on August 9, 1869: "The river turns sharply to the east, and seems enclosed by a wall, set; with a million brilliant gems. What can it mean? Every eye is engaged, everyone wonders. On coming nearer, we find fountains bursting from the rock, high overhead, and the spray in the sunshine forms the gems which bedeck the wall. The rocks below the fountain are covered with mosses, and ferns, and many beautiful flowering plants. We name it Vasey's Paradise, in honor of the botanist who traveled with us last year." #OTD Today is the birthday of the Belgium botanical illustrator, Helen Durand, who was born on this day in 1883. After taking classes in art and botany, Durand worked full-time in the garden of the royal Belgian Institute. Durand was meticulous and her work as an artist. Once she spent more than 105 hours drawing the cone of the Abies nobilis - commonly called the red fir, noble fir or Christmas Tree. #OTD Today is the birthday of Rachel Lowe Lambert Lloyd Mellon also known as Bunny Mellon. She got her nickname from a family nurse. Bunny's earliest memory was shared in the preface in one of her books. Bunny wrote that she remembered, "... being very small near a bed of tall, white, phlox in my godmothers garden. This towering forest of scent and white flowers was the beginning of ceaseless and trust, passion, and pleasure in gardens and books." Bunny's greatest passion was garden design. She became well known after designing the White House Rose garden. Bunny was a close friend of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. One of Bunny's first gardens was designed for Hattie Carnegie, who was a clothing designer. At the age of 23, Bunny designed her garden and even planted it. In exchange, Carnegie gave her a coat and a dress from her salon. A woman after my own heart, Bunny loved books and she had a wonderful collection of rear garden books, manuscripts and botanical

John Tabb wrote: "A flash of harmless lightning, A mist of rainbow dyes, The burnished sunbeams brightening From flower to flower he flies." He's talking of course about the hummingbird. Gardeners are enthralled by hummingbirds and will do next to anything to attract them to their garden. One of my happiest memories is being in my garden, working away, when I suddenly felt a little displacement of air on my cheek and I turned and found myself staring right at a hummingbird. Pure magic. Hummingbirds find food entirely by sight. If they see red, they zoom in for a closer look. This is why all the hummingbird feeder's have that "McDonald's cherry red" as a prominent feature of the feeder. On the other hand, the liquid it does not need to be red. Remember that. You can make your own simple nectar by combining one part sugar to four parts water in a sauce pan and then make a simple syrup by boiling it for two minutes. Allow the mixture to cool before before you fill your feeders and replace it every couple of days. And whatever you do, don't add anything else to your syrup. Do not add red dye and do not add honey; both are harmful two hummingbirds. And yes, you may not see them. Hummingbirds are notoriously sneaky. They can feed every 15 minutes without you even knowing, unless you're sitting right there or you happen to have your nest cam trained on your feeder. Finally, hummingbirds love some plants more than others. They are especially fond of honeysuckle. Their favorite flowers have to meet to their color criteria – red, red orange or pink blossoms. John Audubon called them "glittering fragments of the rainbow". Brevities #OTD Today is the day that the botanist Carl Peter Thunberg died in 1828. Thunberg has been called by many names – the father of South African botany Thunberg had actually been taught by Carl Linnaeus and Linnaeus encouraged him to continue his work in Paris and Amsterdam. In Amsterdam, Thunberg met the Burmans, a father and a son, and both botanical experts. From there, Thunberg joined the Dutch East India Company and he botanized in South Africa for three years. After South Africa, he traveled to Japan where he stayed for a little over a year. Before he went to Japan, Thunberg needed to learn Dutch. The Japanese were not about to convert to Christianity and so they had closed the country off to all European nations except for Holland in order to learn more about medicinal plants. When Thunberg went to Japan he was posing as a Dutchman instead of a Swede. In fact, during the 18th century, Thunberg was Japan's only European visitor and his Flora japonica published in 1784 was a revelation to botanists around the world. During his time in Japan, Thunberg discovered the Easter Lily growing near the city of Nagasaki. He also discovered Forsythia in Japan and he named it to honor William Forsyth. #OTD Today is the birthday of the Canadian botanist Julia Wilmotte Henshaw who was born on this day in 1869. Remembered as one of British Columbia's leading botanists, Henshaw studied for a bit with the botanist Charles Schaefer and his wife Mary Schaefer Warren. The two were surprised when Henshaw published Mountain Flowers of America in 1906. Rumor had it that the Schaefers may have felt Henshaw had co-opted their work, but another perspective would be that Henshaw was simply more driven and she was definitely an experienced author. In either case, the work needed to be published and by that time Henshaw had already written a few books so she was not slow to publish. In any case, she went on to publish two additional volumes on Canadian wildflowers. Henshaw was a founding member of the Canadian Alpine Club. Henshaw had a regular column called The Note Book that was featured in the Vancouver Sun newspaper where she was known as gentle Julia by her fellow journalists. Her weekly column is a delight to read even today. In April of 1937, she wrote: "If one were to tabulate all the proposals put forward as to what is to be done with that monstrosity called a fountain, in the centre of Lost Lagoon, I think it would occupy a whole column in the newspaper! Some want it to continue to work as a fountain, illuminated or not; others propose to turn it into a rockery." The last one she wrote talked about was a continuation of the previous weeks discussion of the destruction of forest areas. Henshaw always wrote with conviction and in that last column she aimed to rouse awareness: "I refer to the practice which has increased with each passing year of shipping enormous quantities of young Douglas firs by the carload to the United States for use as Christmas Trees. Surely this is a matter which should be promptly and peremptorily stopped." And here's a lovely excerpt from her post for this day August 8, 1935 "When one stops for an instant in the whirligig of daily life to think of "All things bright and beautiful," three words spring into prominence, namely music, children and gardens, each bringing a separate form

There's that lovely saying that goes something like, "One man's weed is another man's wildflower". This is especially true in the case of Queen Anne's Lace. In the Facebook group for the show, listener Danny Perkins shared how much he enjoyed allowing Queen Anne's Lace to reign all over in his garden. I feel the same way. But, others do not.... and, I respect that. I think one of the reasons I personally enjoy Queen Anne's Lace is because it reminds me of Baby's Breath - which does not like to return as a perennial in my garden. On the other hand, this year, I started growing Valerian and I would say that it is another alternative to Baby's Breath and it is similar to Queen Anne's Lace. Another charming characteristic of Queen Anne's Lace is that it's a member of the carrot family. If you crush the leaves and stem, you'll notice a carrot odor. It's no wonder the scientific name for Queen Anne's Lace is Daucus carota and the common name is wild carrot. Here's a fun fact: the Romans ate Queen Anne's Lace as a vegetable. And here's an herbal application: the root juice of Queen Anne's Lace is wonderful for treating itchy skin. Brevities #OTD It's the anniversary of the death of Andreas Marggraff who died on this day in 1782. Marggraff was a German chemist. In 1747, he figured out a way to isolate glucose from raisins. That same year, he announced his discovery of finding sugar in beets and he came up with a way to use alcohol to extract it. Marggraff's discovery was not used commercially while he was alive. It wasn't until 1802, that the first beat sugar refinery opened its doors... and the modern sugar industry was born. #OTD Today in 1840 the world lost a wonderful physician and botanist by the name of Henry Perrine. As a botanist, Perrine was first recognized for his work with quinine as a cure for malaria. Perrine also served as a US Ambassador to the Yucatán. As a result of his position, Perrine was able to bring many tropical plants from Mexico and Caribbean to the United States. In 1838, the United States Congress gave Perrine a land grant which he used to establish a place to grow plants in the Florida Keys. At the time Florida was a territory. Perrine believed that the Florida Keys and South Florida offered the perfect climate for creating what he hoped would be one of the great botanical gardens of the world. Perrine's vision was to turn the wasteland into a tropical paradise Perrine shared his hopes when he wrote to Congress, saying: "This land will grow every tropic a growth in abundance… With settlers on 5 acre parcels, growing such plants - this South Florida area [can] support more population than any... area in the entire south end [as well as] the happiest living conditions…" On Christmas day and 1838, Dr. Perrine and his wife and their children moved to Indian key Perrine was in love with his new surroundings. Unlike many South Florida settlers, Perrine believed that he could live in peace; side-by-side with the local American Indians. Perrine's work was showing promise until this day in 1840. Perrine 's neighbor was a radical named Jacob Hausman. Hausman had gathered a small militia and had offered Congress a deal; he would kill every American Indian in South Florida and they would pay him $200 per body. Congress never got Hausman's letter, but the Seminole Indians in Florida had learned of Hausman's plan. It's no wonder, then, that on this day in 1840, they attacked Indian key. But, their chief target, Hausman, had escaped the attack by slipping away in a boat. Dr. Perrine could hear the attack happening outside his house. He quickly tucked his wife and children into a turtle crawl beneath their house and he slid a chest of his Mexican seeds over the trap door in order to conceal it. When the opportunity presented itself, Dr. Perrine spoke to the Indians in Spanish identifying himself as a friend and a doctor. The Indians left... but they returned that evening. They chased Perrine to the cupola of his house where they killed him. Then they set the house on fire. Perrine's wife and children survived the entire ordeal in the turtle crawl, making their way through a narrow tunnel to the sea along side the turtles. The following day a naval vessel rescued Hester Perrine and her children. Today, Perrine and his legacy lives on in the botanicals he brought to Florida: the avocado, the key lime, the mango, and numerous agave. #OTD Today is the birthday of the Indian geneticist MS Swaminathan. Swaminathan is the father of India's Green Revolution; a movement which distributed high-yield wheat and rice varieties to poor farmers When Swaminathan had graduated from college, he recognized that the number one issue facing his country was food scarcity. While others were concerned with independence, Swaminathan felt that agriculture was the country's highest priority. Instead of pursuing medicine, which was his natural inclination, he decided to pursue degrees in agriculture. And, he continued to get a v

Well, the time we've waited for all year is here; it's time to harvest tomatoes. I want to give you just a quick word of caution when it comes to harvesting your tomatoes. As gardeners, sometimes we wait too long to harvest them. Sometimes that can be unintentional, and other times, we think that letting them stay on the vine is best. However, if you wait too long, the tomatoes split. This is especially true with heirloom tomatoes. If you're growing heirlooms it's best to let them ripen in a cool, dark, place. Don't be tempted to put them on a sunny window or countertop. They won't appreciate the view or the attention. Remember, heirloom tomatoes, are very fragile. The price for their fantastic flavor? Lots of TLC. Brevities #OTD Today is the birthday of horticulturalist Frank Cabot who was born on this day in 1925. It's hard to believe that we lost Frank just eight years ago. He was a tremendous gardener and we owe him a debt of gratitude for his work in founding the nonprofit The Garden Conservancy. Cabot lived until the age of 86 and he spent his life perfecting his 20-acre English-style garden and estate. His masterpiece garden is known as Les Quatre Vents, or the Four Winds, and it's been in his family for over 100 years. There's a wonderful video of an interview that Martha Stewart did with Frank. He tells about the moon bridge being a copy of a moon bridge from Seven Star Park in China. "I'm a great believer in plagiarizing. I think all gardeners are. There's no reason why one shouldn't plagiarize. Why not take someone else's good idea and adapted to one's site. This garden really represents that; it's just Ideas that were gleaned from other sources." #OTD Today is the birthday of Andy Warhol who was born on this day in 1928 Warhol painted a series called Flowers that debuted in 1964. This series of paintings was unique. Warhol found the original photo for it in a magazine called Modern Photography. All the canvas Warhol used for the Flowers series was square. He only painted on 24 and 48 inch canvases. In these paintings, Warhol applied his masterful use of color; making the flowers much more vibrant against their background. Although Warhol's Flowers have been compared to Van Gogh's bouquets and Matisse's Cutouts, it seemed no one could agree what kind of blooms were featured in the Flowers. The New York Herald Tribune identified the blossoms as anemones. The Village Voice said they were nasturtiums. Other publications said they were pansies. There was no way to really tell. The series of prints showed the same flowers over and over again in different color combinations and backgrounds. Warhol once said, "My fascination with letting images repeat and repeat - manifests my belief that we spend much of our lives seeing without observing." Warhol's Flower series is considered a likely source for the phrase "flower power" which became an anthem for the non-violence movement. Whether or not that's true, Warhol's psychedelic flowers were totally in sync with the movement. Warhols assistant once recalled, "When Warhol... made flowers, it reflected the urban, dark, death side of that whole flower power movement... there is a lot of depth in there." Warhol's inclinations aligned with the 1960's flower children. He once wished aloud: "I think everybody should like everybody." My favorite Andy Warhol quote is one that gardeners will identify with. He said, "I always notice flowers." #OTD On this day in 1954 that the botanist David Fairchild passed away. He was 85 years old. In terms of accomplishments, Fairchild hit it out of the botanical park. He was single-handedly responsible for the introduction of more than 200,000 plants to the United States; including pistachios, mangoes, dates, nectarines, soybeans, and flowering cherries. In conducting his work, Fairchild traveled around the globe numerous times. Without David Fairchild; the Washington Mall would not have the beautiful Japanese flowering cherries. When that first shipment of cherry trees arrived in the United States, it was infested with insects and diseases. It was a blessing in disguise. Japan was so embarrassed by the shipment, that they immediately shipped new specimens. And, Japan sent experts to the States to make sure that the trees were taken care of properly. And, plants like kale seem to be a relatively new phenomenon in gardens across the country. But, it was actually David Fairchild, and not Trader Joe's, who brought kale to the United States. And, David Fairchild brought the avocado here as well. Looking back over Fairchild's life, it's clear he had a few lucky breaks that helped change the trajectory of his life. For instance, on his first collecting expedition, he met a world traveler and wealthy benefactor named Barbara Latham who funded Many of his adventures. And, in 1905 he married Mary Ann Bell; his father-in-law was none other than Alexander Graham Bell. Finally, the next time you're in Florida, stop by the Fairchild Tropical Bo

One of the things I love to do at the end of spending time in my garden is to make some tussie mussies. Tussie mussies are also called nosegays or posies; they are small flower bouquets typically given as a gift. Mine are pretty small - with cuttings no longer than 6 inches. I like the charm of these little tussie mussies. They are super fun to drop off by someone's mailbox or simply to set down near the register of your favorite barista. They look perfect when placed on top of a book or added to the top of a gift-wrapped package. Irene Deitsch wrote a book called Tussie Mussies a few years ago and she explained the etymology of the word tussie mussie - which I found quite helpful. "A 'tussie' is a nosegay, which is a Middle English word for a small group of flowers held together in a little bouquet. 'Mussie' refers to the moss that was moistened and put around the stems of the flowers to keep them from wilting. That's why they're called tussie-mussies." Brevities #OTD Today is the anniversary of the death of Jeanne Baret who died on this day in 1807. Baret was the first woman to have circumnavigated the world as part of the expedition which was led by Louis Antoine de Bougainville. Beret was able to join the expedition after posing as a valet to the expedition's naturalist: Philibert Commerçon. Before the expedition, Baret had been employed as Commerçon's housekeeper. A few years later his wife died and Baret took over the management of the household in addition to having a personal relationship with Commerçon. Commerçon had poor health and it was likely that he needed Baret to join him on the expedition because he needed her assistance. Baret herself was actually a botanist herself and her own right. When the ship stopped in Rio de Janeiro, an old leg injury prevented Commerçon from collecting specimens. Thus , it was Baret who ventured out into the tropics and returned with the lovely tropical vine that would be named to honor the expedition's commander: Bougainvillea. #OTD It's the birthday of Frederick William Calcut Paxford who was born on this day in 1898. Paxford was CS Lewis's gardener from 1930 until Lewis' death in 1963. Paxford was the inspiration for Puddleglum; the marsh Weigle and the silver chair in the chronicles of Narnia where Puddleglum was described as, "an inwardly optimistic, outwardly pessimistic, dear, frustrating, shrewd countryman of immense integrity." Paxford and Lewis were the same age. However, Paxford had served during World War I, and he had been gassed as a soldier. Nearly a decade after the war, Lewis bought his property in Oxfordshire called the Kilns. When Paxford was hired, he spent many years preparing the grounds. He leveled the lawn in front of the house. He set out flowers and a Rose arbor. He established both an orchard and a vegetable garden. and he helped raise rabbits and chickens. Lewis called Paxford, "our indispensable factotum" (A factotem is an employee who does all kinds of tasks.) Meanwhile, Paxford always referred to Sinclair Lewis as "Mr. Jack". Here are a few of Paxford's memories about Lewis: "Mr. Jack loved the trees and would not have a tree cut down or lopped. When we had to take some [branches] to make a rose trellis, we had to get them when he was away for a few days and cover up the cuts with mud so that they would not be seen." Paxford lived in a little private Bungalow in the garden and he stayed there for 33 years. When Lewis died, Paxford was only bequeathed 100 pounds. To which he replied, "Well, it won't take me far, will it?" #OTD Today is the anniversary of the death of Candice Wheeler who died on this day in 1923. Candice Wheeler is often called "the mother of interior design". In addition to design, Wheeler loved gardening and she helped create the artist community of Onteora. Onteora was known for its unique homes and gardens. In its prime, it was a summer colony teaming with artists set in New York's Catskill Mountains. Wheeler's garden was known as Wildmuir. Wildmuir had wonderful lawn, specimen rhododendrons, laurels, and evergreen trees. In the 1920s, Wildmuir was updated by Harold Caparn, who designed the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens. Like Martha Stewart, Candice Wheeler was multitalented. Her publishing credits include a variety of books; from How to Make Rugsto Content in a Garden. Content in a Gardenis partly an essay and partly a guide as to what can be grown in a small space. Wheeler wrote from her own experiences. In a 1923 newspaper advertisement for the book, the reviewer wrote that Candice Wheeler and her daughter, Dora Wheeler Keith, "are thoroughly in sympathy with nature, of which the former writes as charmingly as the latter illustrates it." And it was Candace Wheeler who said, "One of the most perfect and unfailing joys of life is planting. It is the creative joy felt by God." Unearthed Words Today, we honor the poetry of Wendell Erdman Barry, an American author whose extraordinary nature poetry grew out of his experien

Right about now you might be thinking about doing a little garden cleanup and preparation for fall. One of the questions I get from gardeners this time of year has to do with whether or not to let some of your plants go to seed. After spending most of the summer deadheading and illuminating all of the brown stuff on our foliage, it can be tough for some gardeners to let things go to seed. But there are many benefits to letting some of the plants in your garden bolt in all their glory. First of all, there is tremendous ornamental value that extends into winter if you allow your perennials to keep their seed heads. (Think of the seeds heads offered by cilantro, kale, arugula, basil and so forth). Second, seeds offer food and habitat to native bees and other creatures. Thirdly, saving seeds from the garden saves you money because it eliminates the need to buy seed for next year. (Think of your tomatoes and other edibles). This practice also allows you to keep heritage plants alive for future generations. That's exactly how the heirlooms we know and love have been passed down through the generations. The main thing, is to allow nature to do most of the drying for you. Your seeds will have a much higher success rate if you let them dry as much as possible before you collect them. And finally, allowing plants to go to seed means that you will have less to plant and subsequent seasons thanks to volunteer plants. Each year my garden is blessed with Queen Anne's lace, Indian Paintbrush, Columbine, Forget-Me-Nots, Lettuce, Dill, Foxglove, Valerian, Lovage and Beets. All planted by God; all perfectly placed and happy as a result. My volunteers find a way to utilize the tiniest nooks and crevices in my garden. Brevities #OTD It's the anniversary of the death of the landscape and portrait painter Thomas Gainsborough who died on this day in 1788. Gainsborough is known for his painting of the Blue Boy today. You can visit Gainsborough's house in Suffolk. There is a garden there with a spectacular mulberry tree dating to the early 1600s during the reign of James I who encouraged the planting of mulberry trees in order to establish a silk industry. The king and his advisers lacked the knowledge about Mulberry trees of which there are two kinds. The white mulberry feeds silk worms and the black supplies the fruit. Gainsborough's Mulberry (as well as every other Mulberry cultivated in England) was the black Mulberry. Although England never successfully became known for silk worms, the craft of silk weaving became firmly rooted. In addition to the large Mulberry, the Gainsborough garden includes two Beds for Herbs and another that is strictly devoted to plants used for dying fabric. The rest of the garden is made up of plants that were available during Gainsborough's lifetime. #OTD Today in 1820 the first potatoes were planted in Hawaii. Turns out the, the American brig, the Thaddeus, brought more than the first missionaries to the island brought. #OTD On this day In 1938, the Belvedere Daily Republican, out of Belvedere Illinois, published a small article about a tree named for Benjamin Franklin. Here's what it said: "About 200 years ago, John Bartram, an eminent botanist, discovered a strange flowering tree in a Georgia forest and named it "Franklinia" in honor of his fellow Philadelphian, Benjamin Franklin." #OTD It's the anniversary of the death of the poet Wallace Stevens who died on this day in 1955. Stevens said, "Death is the mother of beauty. Only the perishable can be beautiful; which is why we are unmoved by artificial flowers." Stevens was one of the most skilled poets of the 20th Century he lived his entire adult life near Elizabeth Park in Hartford Connecticut. By day, Stevens worked at Hartford insurance company where he became a Vice President and by night he was a poet; it was in an unusual combination. Stevens lived 2 miles from his work and he walked to work every day; undoubtedly using the time to find inspiration and to write poems. The park across from his house was one of his favorite places. Elizabeth Park is huge; covering over 100 acres with formal gardens, meadows, lawns, green houses, and a pond. Stevens wrote the following poems About Elizabeth Park: Vacancy in the Park The Plain Sense of Things Nuns Painting Water Lilies By 1950, Stevens was awarded the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award for his poetry. And, here's a little known fact about Wallace Stevens: He once started a fist-fight with Ernest Hemingway in Key West. Unearthed Words Today is the birthday of the victorian poet William Watson who is born on this day in 1858. Watson was overlooked two times for the role of poet laureate because he had included his political views about the government's policy regarding South Africa and Ireland into some of his poetry. Late in his life, he was invited to write a poem to commemorate the Liverpool cathedral in 1924 to help raise money. He did the job, but the church wasn't thrilled that Watso

Are you growing Gladiola? The plants are also sometimes called the Sword Lily. Gladiola is Latin for a small sword. In Victorian times, the Gladiola meant, "You pierce my heart." And the next time you see a Gladiola, take a closer look: Members of this family produce parts in multiples of three. There are three sepals, colored to look like petals, and three true petals, and three stamens. Brevities #OTD It was on this day in 1923 that the botanist Edwin Way Teale married Nelly Imogene Donovan. The two had met while Teale was at College. After they married, they moved to New York so that Teale could continue his education at Columbia University. Teale's first job was writing for the magazine Popular Science. On the side, he began taking pictures and specializing in nature photography. When Teale was 42, he left Popular Science to become a freelancer. By 1943, his book By-ways to Adventure: A Guide to Nature Hobbies won the John Burroughs Medal for distinguished natural history writing. During World War II, Teale's son, David, was killed in Germany. The couple began traveling across the country by automobile. The trips help them cope with their grief. The trips became not only a catharsis but also an integral part of Teale's writing. Their 1947 journey, covering 17,000 miles in a black Buick, following the advance of spring, led to Teale's book north with the spring. Additional road trips lead to more books: Journey Into Summer, Autumn Across America, and Wandering Through Winter. Wandering Through Winter won the Pulitzer Prize in 1966. And, it was Edward Way Teale who said: For man, autumn is a time of harvest, of gathering together. For nature, it is a time of sowing, of scattering abroad. Any fine morning, a power saw can fell a tree that took a thousand years to grow. "Nature is shy and noncommittal in a crowd. To learn her secrets, visit her alone or with a single friend, at most. Everything evades you, everything hides, even your thoughts escape you when you walk in a crowd." "Our minds, as well as our bodies, have need of the out-of-doors. Our spirits, too, need simple things, elemental things, the sun and the wind and the rain, moonlight, and starlight, sunrise and mist and mossy forest trails, the perfumes of dawn, and the smell of fresh-turned earth and the ancient music of wind among the trees." #OTD And today is the birthday of the botanist Franklin Hewitt Perrin who is born in London on this day in 1927. In 1962, Perrin, along with Max Walters, wrote The Atlas of the British Flora, which some called the most important natural history book of the 20th century. It was Franklin Perrin who devised the Dot Map. He was an outstanding field botanist with a phenomenal memory for plants. Perrin was the best kind of botanist, possessing the eagerness of an amateur and the training of a true professional. Perrin had obtained his Ph.D. in Cambridge. When Max Walters, the director of the University herbarium, invited him to map the distribution of all the wildflowers trees and ferns of England and Ireland, Perrin said, "yes." Planning and leading groups of experts on remote field trips by bicycle, train, or on foot, was Perrin's favorite thing to do. Walters and Perrin successfully mapped all of Britain's plants in under five years. Unearthed Words "The English winter, ending in July To recommence in August." - Lord Byron Today's book recommendation: The Garden Chef: Recipes and Stories from Plant to Plate For many people, gardens are just extensions of the kitchen. Today restaurants are utilizing rooftop gardens for growing herbs and spices, and larger plots allow for cultivating vegetables along with fruit trees. The garden chef offers more than 100 gardens focused recipes, and it shares how 40 of the world's top chefs grow and cook with produce directly from their garden. The book offers stories along with the recipes for folks to enjoy reading cookbooks. It also gives tips for gardeners showing how the smallest space can grow Something delicious to eat. Today's Garden Chore Try using a strawberry jar to plant herbs. One of the best things about strawberry jars is that they can be brought into the house for winter, and the leaves of your herbs can be snipped off whenever you need them. And it has a minimal footprint. If you're going to plant in a strawberry jar successfully, make sure you fill it with a mixture of potting soil and plenty of perlite. Then, you can add the herbs that you like: basil, parsley, apple mint, and lemon time, for instance. Something Sweet Reviving the little botanic spark in your heart And it was on this day in 1950 that The Ithaca Journal out of Ithaca New York published a question from a reader. The reader wanted an answer to this question: Please list a few plants that are named for people. Here is the answer: The poinsettia was named 'for Joel R. Poinsett, a famous statesman. Wisteria is named in .honor of Caspar Wistar, a distinguished physician and scientist of Philadelphia.

Did you know that poppies were Christopher Lloyd's his favorite flower? In his short essay about poppies, he introduces 'Goliath' poppies which grow to 4 feet tall and offer the largest blooms of any poppy. Lloyd wrote about the blooms saying, "They are rich crimson, which is as exciting as scarlet. In choosing plant neighbors to vie with it, I have been best pleased with an equally bright and pure yellow giant buttercup. Ranunculus acris 'Stevenii.' It is, however, shocking to discover that there are some gardeners (and non -gardeners) of congenitally weak and palsied constitution who do not like strong colors and who even pride themselves, as a class apart, on their good taste. The good-taste brigade can only think comfortably in terms of color harmonies and of soft and soothing pastel shades." Oh, how it pains the heart to be called out by Christopher Lloyd, doesn't it? Well, even though he thinks we're too meek when it comes to color in the garden, we are in violent agreement when it comes to procurement. You'll love this little snippet about how he came to own the poppy "Beauty Queen": "I took a fancy to 'Beauty Queen' in a friend's garden in Scotland in June, when it was flowering, and received permission to take a piece. When you see a plant that you must have, the answer to the question "Would you like some at the right time? should be "I'd rather have it now," right time or not. Otherwise, the right time will surely slip by, the transference of the coveted piece from central Scotland to the south of England (or from California to Maine) will be in convenient, and all you'll have is a gnawing gap in the pit of your wish-world." Brevities #OTD It was on this day in 1703 that Daniel Defoe was made to stand in the pillory in front of the temple bar. The pillory was basically a stockade; the hands and head would be caught between two large beams of wood. It was a horrible punishment. It was usually reserved for the most hideous crimes. When Dafoe was convicted of sedition, the crowds did their best to show their support; they threw flowers at his feet instead of mud. The image of Defoe standing with his head and hands in the stocks surrounded by an adoring audience was memorialized in an 1862 painting. In 1830, a biography of Defoe said that the stocks were adorned with garlands and that drinks were provided to celebrate Dafoe's release. #OTD It's the birthday of Mary Vaux Walcott born in Philadelphia today in 1860. Gardeners know Walcott for her work as a botanical illustrator; she created meticulously accurate watercolors of plants and flowers. She is known as the "Audobon of botany". Walcott became an illustrator one summer after being challenged to paint a rare blooming Arnica. Although her effort was only a modest success, it encouraged her to pursue the art. In that pursuit, she met Charles Doolittle Walcott. They were both doing fieldwork in the Canadian Rockies and they found they were equally yoked. They married the following year. At the time, Charles was the secretary of the Smithsonian; that's how Walcott came to develop the Smithsonian process printing technique. Walcott created hundreds of illustrations of the native plants of North America. Her five volume set entitled North American Wildflowersshowcases the stunning beauty of everyday wildflowers, many of which are at peak bloom right now. In addition to her work as a botanist, Mary was a successful glacial geologist and photographer. She was the first woman to summit a peak over 10,000 feet in Canada when she tackled Mount Stephen. Today Walcott even has a mountain named after her in Jasper - Mount Mary Vaux. #OTD Today's the anniversary of the death of Richard Morris Hunt who was an American architect during the gilded age. Gardeners know Hunt for his collaborations with the Frederick Law Olmsted. They worked together on the Vanderbilt mausoleum and the Chicago world's fair. Their ultimate collaboration occurred in Asheville, North Carolina, where they worked together to design the gardens, house, and manor village for the Biltmore estate. Hunt is often recognized as theDean of American Architecture. He was the first American trained at the prestigious Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris. Although Hunt and Olmsted had history, they clashed over Hunt's design for the southern entrance to Central Park. Hunt had won the competition to design it, but Olmsted and Vaux balked when they saw Hunt's glorious plan. For the main entrance at Fifth Avenue, Hunt had designed what he called the Gate of Peace. It included a circular fountain within a square parterre. The most magnificent part of his plan, was a semi circular terrace with a 50 foot column featuring a sailor and a Native American holding up the cities arms. At the base of the column was to be a monument to Henry Hudson. It involved a pool of water featuring Neptune in his chariot and Henry Hudson standing on the prowl of a ship. On the back side, there was a memorial to Christopher Columbus.

Have you tried growing Castor Bean? It's one of Michael Pollen's favorite plants. Check out the way he starts his article on the plant called, "Consider the Castor Bean" : "Pretty they are not, but a garden can labor under a surfeit "sur·fuht" of prettiness, be too sweet or cheerful for its own good. Sometimes what's needed in the garden is a hint of vegetal menace, of nature run tropically, luxuriantly amuck. For this I recommend the castor bean." While most of us have heard of castor oil (extracted by crushing and processing the seeds), growing the castor bean plant can be a new adventure for gardeners. The castor bean plant is the only member of the genus Ricinus communis and belongs to the spurge family. Unlike other members of the euphorbia family, castor bean does not have that milky latex sap, the sap of castor bean is watery. The giant, tropical leaves and peculiar seed pods make the plant an exotic addition to your garden. A native plant from Ethiopia, castor bean can grow to 40 feet tall when it can grow year round. For most gardeners who grow castor bean as an annual in a single season, castor bean will grow quickly and vigorously but it will only reach about 8-10 feet. If you grow castor bean, you need to be aware that the seeds are extremely poisonous. If you have kids around, keep plants out of reach and eliminate seeds altogether by cutting off the flowering spike. As you probably suspected from the latin name, the toxin in castor seeds is ricin (RYE-sin), one of the world's deadliest natural poisons. During the Cold War, the Bulgarian journalist, Georgi Markov, was killed when an umbrella rigged as a pellet rifle, shot a small BB into his leg as Markov stood in line at a bus stop. After he died in 1978, Scotland Yard investigated and found the BB; it was the size of a pinhead and it had been drilled with two holes producing an X-shaped cavity and the holes had been packed with ricin. The holes had been coated with a sugary substance which trapped the ricin inside the BB. The coating was designed to melt at body temperature, at which time the ricin was free to be absorbed into the bloodstream and kill him. Despite their unnerving history, castor beans are still good garden plants. They look beautiful with cannas, bananas and elephant ears for a tropical garden. They make a wonderful backdrop for grasses. And, they shine at the back of the flower border where they create a magnificent screen in no time. Castor Beans do best in full sun and they don't like wet feet - so plant them high and dry or in well drained locations. Brevities #OTD It's the birthday of Emily Brontë who was born on this day in 1818. Brontë wrote: Reason, indeed, may oft complain For Nature's sad reality, And tell the suffering heart, how vain Its cherished dreams must always be; And Truth may rudely trample down The flowers of Fancy, newly-blown. #OTD It's the birthday of Ellis Rowan, who was a well-known Australian artist and botanical illustrator, born on this day in 1848. In a 1994 newspaper article, Sarah Guest described Rowan this way: "She was an explorer. She set off alone at 68, for Papua New Guinea - who died in 1922. She dyed her hair red; had a face-lift; left her husband (the suggestion is that she was bored); was a member of one of Victoria's great pastoralist families; was a much-admired, prolific, technically proficient and joyous painter of plants and birds; and a conservationist she campaigned to stop the slaughter of birds for the decoration of ladies' hats... in her day she was known as "Australia's brilliant daughter" which, indeed, she was." Rowan discovered painting after her botanist husband. Frederick. encouraged her to develop a talent. Rowan developed her passion into her profession and it led her into unknown parts of Australia. During the first World war Rowan was living in New Guinea. At one point, she painted 45 of the 62 known species of birds of paradise. As a woman living during the mid-1800s, Rowan minded the dress code of her era. Wherever she went, whether on an exploration or back at home, she was always impeccably dressed; wearing heavy ankle length dresses, high collars with full sleeves - complete with crinolines, corsets, whalebone stays, and a hat. Just before Rowan died, the federal parliament in Australia debated whether to buy 1,000 of her paintings despite the Australian artist and novelist, Norman Lindsay, who called her work vulgar art. Lindsey didn't think wildflowers were worthy of subjects of real art. Ultimately, the paintings were purchased for $5000 . They are now part of Australia's national library. #OTD And it was on this day in 1901 that the General assembly of Arkansas selected the apple blossom as the floral emblem. This selection was not without controversy. The Floral Emblem Society, led by Mrs. Ed Barton, had supported the apple blossom. The Arkansas Federation of women's clubs wanted the passion flower. The disagreement between the two groups became known as t

Do you have children or grandchildren? A Peter Rabbit Garden is a lovely idea for you to consider. Of course, Peter Rabbit is the creation of Beatrix Potter, who was a noted botanist and mycologist. (A mycologist studies fungi). Potter's garden was located at Hill Top Farm. In making your Peter Rabbit garden, you could add a little wooden fence or a little stone wall around the perimeter. Inside, use the herbs and perennials featured in the books: Herbs include: Mint, Chamomile, Lavender, Parsley, Sage, Thyme, Rosemary, Lemon Balm, and Tansy. Edibles include Lettuce, Beets, Radish, Rhubarb, Onions, and Strawberry Then add Pansies, Roses, and Pinks. Brevities #OTD On this day in 1810, Thomas Nuttal, just 24 years old, jumped in a birch bark canoe with Aaron Greely, the deputy surveyor of the territory of Michigan, and they paddled to Mackinac Island arriving two weeks later on August 12. Nuttal spent several days on Mackinac. He was the first true botanist to explore the flora of Michigan, and certainly of Mackinac Island. Nuttal immediately set about collecting and writing detailed accounts of the flora he discovered. He documented about sixty species - about twenty were previously unknown. One the new Mackinac discoveries was the dwarf lake iris (Iris lucustris), which became the state wildflower of Michigan. #OTD It's the birthday of Edith Coleman, an Australian naturalist and a prolific writer, who was born on this day in 1874. Until recently little was known about Coleman. The author, Danielle Claude wrote a book about Coleman called The Wasp and the Orchidwhich explored how Coleman went from being a housewife until the age of 48 and then transformed into one of Australia's leading naturalists. Coleman had a special appreciation for orchids. Beginning in January 1927 one of her daughters told her that she had seen a wasp entering the flower of the small tongue orchid backwards. The odd behavior was something both Coleman and her daughter would see repeatedly over the next few seasons. The behavior was is perplexing; especially after Coleman dissected the plants and discovered that they were male. Coleman continued to study their behavior and she finally discovered that the wasp was fertilizing the orchid. The orchid uses this stealth pollination strategy Called pseudo-copulation to trick the mail wasps into thinking they are meeting with a female wasp. By getting the males to enter the plant, the plant is able to be pollinated. Coleman became the first woman to be awarded the Australian natural history medallion. Coleman will forever be remembered for her groundbreaking discovery about orchid pollination #OTD And it's the anniversary of the death of Ryan Gainey the landscape designer extraordinaire who died on this day in 2016. Gaineydied trying to save his beloved Jack Russell terrier's jellybean Leo and baby Ruth from a fire at his home. Neither he nor his dogs survived. When I came to landscape design, Gainey was completely self-taught. In the wonderful documentary about his life called "The Well-Placed Weed: The Bountiful Life of Ryan Gainey." (btw I shared it in the FB group so check it out) In the documentary Gaineyasked the filmmaker, "I've had a wild life. Do you know why?" His reply was simple and 100% Gainey: "I created it." Gaineypurchased a home in Decatur Georgia that used to be the site of Holcomb Nursery. He removed many of the green houses behind his home but kept the low brick walls that had served as the foundation for the greenhouses. The result was that Gaineyinstantly had a series of garden rooms that he could decorate and design to his hearts content. Over the course of his career, Gaineybecame friends with other notable designers and gardeners like Rosemary Verey and Penelope Hobhouse. Gainey loved Verey; they had a special bond. He loved the Camellia japonica. Gaineys gardens looked effortless with things spilling over and nestled in a way that made them look like they had been in the garden for decades. It was Gainey who said, "Where lies the genius of man? It is the ability to control nature... but for one purpose only; and that is to create beauty." 148 days before Gaineypassed away, an enormous white oak fell over and crushed his house. Gainey considered the tree to be the soul of his life. #OTD It was on this day in 1931 that newspapers were reporting that Louis Schubert and August Rosenberg had the distinction of being the first recipients of a patent for a plant. The patent was conferred for the first ever-blooming rose, which they named "The New Dawn." The patentable feature was for its ever-blooming aspect. The new rose was described as identical with the Dr. Van Fleet climbing rose, except that instead of blooming once each year it bloomed successively like the ever-blooming tea roses. The plant patent act was signed by president Hoover May 23, 1930. The patent for New Dawn was assigned shortly after President Herbert Hoover signed the the bill. A plant patent gives the

Have you tried to propagate roses through cutting? Maybe you want to pass along an old rose from a friend or simply make more of your own. You can take a cutting of your rose, which is also called a slip. When it comes to selecting the right stem, I look for a long, young shoot. These new shoots are about the diameter of a pencil and have grown from spots I have pruned earlier in the year – which is another benefit of pruning. Now these shoots are pretty easy to spot; they are usually a little lighter in color and they are super vigorous. Anyway, you want to cut one long shoot down low and then make your hardwood slips from that one long shoot. If you look at the long stem you just cut, you'll notice that, at the top, the stem is pliable; meaning you can bend it quite easily. But as you go further down the stem, you'll begin to notice that the soft, pliability goes away and all you're left with is what we call hardwood. That's where you will take your cuttings. From one long stem I can usually get three or four 5 to 7 inch cuttings. So, bottom line; Don't take your cutting from a stem that is bendable. Now when you make your slips, use something sharp – it can be a knife or a pruner. For the bottom of the cutting, cut straight across - right below a bud(where the leads to connect to the stem.) For the top of your slip, cut at an angle - right above a bud. Using those bud connection points as guides for cutting is important because this is where loads of non-determinant cells like to hang out. That means the plants can leverage them to make roots or shoots, depending on what it needs to do to survive. Pretty cool, huh? Then, I just strip the leaves off from the lower 4 inches of the stem, leaving just one or two leaf clusters at the tip. Then, I trim some of the bark from the bottom inch or so of the cutting; making it rather squarish (like a mint stem), and then I dip that into rooting powder. Finally, place the bottom 3-4 inches of the cutting into well drained potting soil in the ground and cut and cover the slip with a mason jar. Brevities #OTD It's the birthday of Roland Hallet Shumway who was born on this day in 1842. A pioneering seedsman out of Rockford, Illinois, Shumway always went by his initials of R.H. The RH Shumway Seed Company became the worlds largest mail-order seed company; their "Marketmore" seeds or especially popular. Famous Shumway Seed customers included Bing Crosby and Perry Como. When Shumway was 19, he enlisted in the army to serve in the Civil War. He contracted bronchitis and became totally deaf during his service. Once Shumway was asked how he would like to be remembered. He gave a three word response: Good Seeds Cheap. Shumway said that he wanted to make sure, "that good seeds were within the reach of the poorest planters" As with any venture, sweat equity drives success. Shumway said, "From the beginning of the new year, until after spring planting, my industrious employees work 16 hours a day, and myself and my family 18 or more hours per day. Are we not surely knights at labor? How can we do more? Do we not deserve the patronage of every planter in America ?" #OTD It's the 120th anniversary of the 14-week botanical expedition through Yellowstone led by the botanist Aven Nelson. Aven had hired a student named Leslie Goodding to be the chore boy for $10 per month. The group assembled at the University of Wyoming where Nelsen had been hired to teach. Leslie remembered the excitement on campus at the prospect of going on the trek, saying, "Some three or four months were to be spent in Yellowstone park collecting plants… Many students… were anxious to accompany Dr. Nelson on [the] expedition, and were willing to work for nothing just to see the Park… This was in the days when autos were much like hen's teeth and trips through the Park by stage were expensive." (Note: The euphemism "hen's teeth" refers to something being exceptionally rare; since hens have no teeth, it implies that something is so scarce it is virtually nonexistent. So, during the time of this expedition – no vehicles.) In addition to Leslie, another botany student named Elias Nelsen, (no relation to Aven), joined the group. Anyway, on this day in 1899, Leslie and Elias, had gone collecting near an area called Artist Paint Pots; it's a dangerous area with over 50 springs, geysers, vents and mud pots. Geothermal features are some of the most dangerous natural features in Yellowstone, but people often fail to realize that fact. To this day, park rangers rescue one or two visitors, who fall from boardwalks or wander off designated paths and punch their feet through thin earthen crust into boiling water. Yet, drawn by curiosity, Elias ignored the warning signs and went off the path. Suddenly, he found himself with one leg sunk into boiling hot mud. He managed to free himself and Aven's wife did what she could with soda and flour to bandage his wounds, and the doc at the nearest town recommend Elias return home for tre

Are you growing Cleome? My daughter just had her senior pictures taken and I took some cuttings from the garden for her to hold during her photo shoot. For one of the pictures, I had her hold just one large white blossom in her hands. It looked like a giant puffball and it had a very etherial quality about it Cleome is beautiful - but it is also sticky - so keep that in mind if you handle it. I know some gardeners have no trouble sowing cleome directly into their gardens, but some gardeners complain that it can be an inconsistent germinater. I like to sow cleome right now since the seeds like strong light to get going. Sometimes cleome can benefit from staking - so keep that in mind as well. And, if you are planning a cutting garden, it is hard to beat cleome. The blooms are a show-stealer in any arrangement. Brevities #OTD The Botanic garden at Oxford, also known as the Physic Garden, was founded on this day in 1632. The garden is the oldest in England. When the garden was founded,the ground where the garden stands had been raised to protect it from floods. During the founding ceremony, dignitaries of the University walked in a procession from St. Mary's church to the garden. Mr. Edward Dawson, a physician, and Dr. Clayton, the Regius Professor of Medicine, each gave a speech and a stone was placed in the garden gateway by the Vice-Chancellor himself. #OTD Today is the birthday of William Forsyth who was born on this day in 1804. Forsyth was a Scottish botanist. He trained as a gardener at the Physic Garden and was an apprentice to Philip Miller, the chief gardener. In 1771, Forsyth himself took over the chief gardening position. Three years later, he built one of the very first rock gardens with over 40 tons of stone collected from the land around the Tower of London and even some pieces of lava imported from Iceland. The effort was noted for posterity, the garden was a bust. Forsyth was also the founding member of the Royal Horticultural Society. The genus, Forsythia, is named in his honor. #OTD The English poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge died on this day in 1834. Along with his friend, William Wordsworth, he helped found the Romantic Movement in England and was a member of a group called the Lake Poets. In his poem called Youth and Age, Samuel Taylor Coleridge wrote, "Flowers are lovely; Love is flower-like; Friendship is a sheltering tree;" #OTD On this day in 1938, Canadian Naturalist Charles Joseph Sauriol ("Sar-ee-all") wrote about sharing his garden with a toad. He wrote, "One particular toad has taken quite a fancy to the Wild Flower garden. His den is alongside the Hepatica plant. There he sits half buried, and blinks up at me while I shower water on him." Unearthed Words Here are a few English proverbs about July: "If the first of July be rainy weather, It will rain, more of less, for four weeks together." "The glowing Ruby should adorn Those who in warm July are born, Then will they be exempt and free From love's doubt and anxiety." Today's book recommendation: The Fragrant Path by Louise Beebe Wilder This is a wonderful guide to the cultivation of scented flowers. The newly revised edition includes modern varieties as well. The late Louise Beebe Wilder is that rare figure, a garden writer from another era (she was born in 1878). Her books continue to be published because they are so charming and contain a wealth of horticultural knowledge. Today's Garden Chore Go to a local farmers market - not for the produce - for the knowledge. The growers at the farmer's market have an expertise about growing that is often an untapped resource. Plus, the growers are so generous with Information. It's always a pleasure to talk to someone who has first-hand knowledge about growing plants. Something Sweet Reviving the little botanic spark in your heart Today in 1874, the The Opelousas Courier shared a wonderful story called "A Case of Floral Offerings." The story was from Berlin, it told of an actress who was playing the role of a female Hamlet. She wanted to have bouquets and wreaths thrown to her at the end of her performance. When a man told her that the flowers would cost $20, the actress said that it was too much for one night. But, the gentleman had an idea. He said, twenty dollars would be sufficient for two nights. And he explained how it would work. He said, "Today, I and my men, will throw the bouquets to you from the first tier. After the performance is over, I shall take the flowers home with me in a basket [and] put them in water... Tomorrow night [we will toss them at your feet again]. No one in the audience will know that the bouquets have been used before." The actress liked to the man's ingenious plan and paid the sum he had demanded. Thanks for listening to the daily gardener, and remember: "For a happy, healthy life, garden every day."

Are you a fan of basil? A few years ago, I produced an entire long-format show about basil for the Still Growing podcast. It was Episode 573, and I called it Basilmania. At one point or another, we've all needed an introduction to basil and to pesto. So, if you've never grown basil, or smelled basil, or tasted it, or cooked with basil - I want to introduce you to it. I'd love it if someday you look back and say - yeah that Basilmania episode on Still Growing - that's what made me want to give basil a try. If you're an experienced basil gardener, you also it because I take you through some of the amazing varieties of basil - just know that there are over a hundred - (and I give you some ideas for what you can do with them). From a growing standpoint, I share how to grow it from seed, how to propagate it (it's so easy - its insane), offer some basic cultivation tips, and provide answers to some common questions about problems folks can have growing basil. I also tell you about harvesting and storing all of your green gold - your basil leaves. And then I wrap up with my favorite part of growing basil - eating it. I'll share my pesto tips and give you some pretty amazing recipes that may or may not incorporate pesto. Whew! So, check it out on my blog or on your favorite podcast player just search for the word Basilmania (SG573) and the Still Growing podcast episode should pop right up. Brevities #OTD It's the birthday of Benning Wentworth who was born on this day in 1696. Wentworth was the colonial governor of New Hampshire from 1741 to 1766. Wentworth is important to North American gardeners, because Wentworth had brought the lilac along with other trees and shrubs when he immigrated to America from England. In 1750, the first lilac was planted at the Wentworth home. In 1919, it was adopted as the New Hampshire State Flower because lawmakers felt it was, "symbolic of the hardy character of the men and women of New Hampshire; the granite state." #OTD It's the birthday of one of the man who created the Missouri Botanical Gardens also known as "Shaw's Garden," or "Hank's Garden" - I'm talking about none other than the great Henry Shaw who was born on this day in 1800. Shaw is easily in the top ten of any list of great American botanical philanthropists. Shaw is commemorated on the St. Louis Walk of Fame with this epitaph: Henry Shaw, only 18 when he came to St. Louis, was one of the city's largest landowners by age 40. Working with leading botanists, he planned, funded and built the Missouri Botanical Garden, which opened in 1859. Shaw donated the land for Tower Grove Park and helped with its construction. He wrote botanical tracts, endowed Washington University's School of Botany, helped found the Missouri Historical Society, and gave the city a school and land for a hospital. Of Shaw's gifts, the Botanical Garden is best-known. Said as early as 1868 to have "no equal in the United States, and, indeed, few anywhere in the world." In addition to the Botanical Garden, Shaw built the Linnean House in 1882. It is the oldest continuously operated public greenhouse west of the Mississippi River and was originally designed to be an orangery; a place to overwinter citrus trees, palms and tree ferns. And, there's a little story I love that reveals Shaw's regard for the plants in his garden. It was posted in the St. Louis Star and Times on April 5, 1933 "Mr. Shaw was escorting a lady through his gardens, pointing out objects of interest. The visitor said: " I cannot understand, Sir, how you are able to remember all of these difficult names." He replied, with a courtly bow, "Madame, did you ever know a mother to forget the names of her children? These plants and flowers are my little ones." #OTD Today in 1938, The Miami News posted an article about pigeon peas. The article begins this way, "If English peas don't suit your palate, plant pigeon peas. The suggestion is that of a Miami pioneer, Charles F. Sulzner, who through the years has pointed out to newcomers the advantages of growing tropical fruits and vegetables, often of a type requiring no painstaking cultivation... Pigeon peas, as Sulzner demonstrated in his spacious grounds at 236 S. W. Second St grow on trees, and may be had by the simple process of picking. Pigeon peas make a lovely and distinct addition to the edible garden. The cultivation of the pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan), can be traced back more than 3,500 years. Other common names include: Congo pea, Angola pea and red gram. In Barbados, pigeon pea was used to feed pigeons. Gardeners who love growing peas in the spring, may thoroughly enjoy growing pigeon pea in the summer. It's a hardy perennial that can produce multiple harvests during the season. The sweet, fresh green peas are technically beans. They can be eaten fresh when green or dried. The dried beans need to be soaked before boiling. Pigeon peas have a nutty taste and crisp texture. The entire pod may be eaten. As a bonus, the yellow-red flowers att

Today, Catholics honor St. Phocas the Gardener who lived in Turkey during the third century. A protector of persecuted Christians, Phocas grew crops in his garden to help feed the poor. Phocas is remembered for his hospitality and generosity; his garden played an important part in living both of those virtues. When Roman soldiers were sent to kill him, they could not find shelter for the night. Naturally, when Phocas encountered them, he not only offered them lodging, but a meal made from the bounty of his garden. During the meal, Phocas realized they had come for him. While the soldiers slept that night, he dug his own grave and prayed for the soldiers. In the morning, Phocas told the soldiers who he was and the soldiers, who could conceive of no other option, reluctantly killed him and buried him in the grave he had dug for himself. Although gardening can be a solitary activity, may we follow in the footsteps of Phocas the gardener, using our gardens to connect us to others through generosity and hospitality. Brevities #OTD Today is the birthday of Frances Ropes Williams, born on this day in 1883. Williams had a shady garden in Winchester, Massachusetts. And, what is the most-used plant by shade gardeners? Hostas. That's right. And, Williams had an appreciation for hostas before they became widely used in the United States. A graduate of MIT, Williams was lucky enough to get the chance to work with Warren H. Manning, the famous Boston landscape architect, for a little over two years. Williams stopped working to marry Stillman Williams. But sadly, he died after almost twenty years of marriage, leaving Frances with four young children - two boys and two girls. Williams and her family loved the outdoors. When the kids were little, Williams made them one of the very first playsets. When the children were grown, Williams found purpose in her garden and she zeroed in on her hostas. She became known for hybridizing them and she even wrote about them for various botanical magazines. Williams discovered the hosta that would be named for her honor quite by happenstance. She had visited her daughter in college in New York, and she stopped by Bristol Nurseries in Connecticut on her way home. Nestled in a row of Hosta sieboldiana,was a hosta that had a yellow edge. Williams bought it and continued to grow it in her garden. Years later, Williams hosta ended up in the hands of Professor George Robinson at Oxford. Williams had labeled the plant FRW 383. When the professor couldn't remember what Williams had labeled the plant, he simply called it hosta Frances Williams. Williams work with hosta helped the newly-formed American Hosta Society. After she died in 1969, a hosta garden was planted in her memory at MIT. #OTD It's the anniversary of the death of John Goldie who died on this day in 1886. Goldie was a Scottish-born botanist and author. He led an extraordinary life. He started out as an apprentice at the Glasgow Botanic Garden. As a young man, another botanist bumped him off what was to be his first plant exploration. However the botanical gods were smiling on him. The expedition was doomed when most of the party died from coast fever along the Congo River. Two years later, William Hooker encouraged Goldie to travel to North America. He started in Montreal and made his way down the Hudson River to New York. He wrote that he carried as many botanical specimens "as his back would carry." Goldie returned to the Glasgow Botanic Gardens and for five years, he trained an eager young apprentice and fellow Scottsman named David Douglas. When Douglas met an early death, Goldie planted a Douglas-Fir next to his house to remember his young friend. After Goldie discovered the giant wood fern, Hooker called it Dryopteris goldieana in his honor and it earned the name Goldie's woodfern. Goldie worked tirelessly and he recorded a total of fourteen plant species previously unknown to science. Unearthed Words Here's a poem from Raymond A. Foss called Summer Rain "A break in the heat away from the front no thunder, no lightning, just rain, warm rain falling near dusk falling on eager ground steaming blacktop hungry plants thirsty turning toward the clouds cooling, soothing rain splashing in sudden puddles catching in open screens that certain smell of summer rain." Today's book recommendation: The Living Landscape: Designing for Beauty and Biodiversity in the Home Garden Hardcover by Rick Darke and Douglas W. Tallamy What if you're looking for a landscape that's not only beautiful, functional and productive, but also nourishes and fosters wildlife. That's the aim of The Living Landscape. Darke and Tallamy describe how plants can be used for multiple uses in the garden. Today's Garden Chore Buy a bolt of wedding tulle. Wedding tulle is the perfect protector for you summer crops and ornamental from Japanese Beetles and other ravenous insects. It's attractive and inexpensive; the perfect combination. You can get 600 feet of wedding tulle

Have you ever tried drying flowers? Successfully drying one of your favorite flowers is such a joy. Some flowers actually look even better when they are dried. There are many options for drying flowers; air drying is the simplest. Then, of course, there's pressing. If you've never tried sand drying a bloom, you should give it a shot. Just fill a microwave-safe container with a layer of silica sand. Put the bloom on top of the sand and then bury the bloom in sand. Place the bloom along with a cup of water in the microwave. Heat in microwave in 30 second increments. Your flower should be dried in 2-3 minutes. Brevities #OTD On this day in 1842, Asa Gray arrived at Harvard. He didn't have to start teaching until the following spring. Gray wasn't a great speaker, but he was respected by his peers and his students for his knowledge. #OTD It's the anniversary of the death of the physician and botanist Hugh Algernon Weddell who died on this day in 1877. Weddell specialized in South American flora and he collected specimens there for five years. Before he left Paris, Weddell was asked to look into the Cinchona, or "fever bark" tree. Cinchona is the source of quinine. Weddell did the job. He found multiple regions where the tree grew. In addition, he discovered fifteen species of the genus Cinchona (Rubiaceae). Weddell returned to Paris with the seeds and they were germinated in the botanical garden there. Weddell's seeds helped establish the Cinchona forests that were brought to Java and other islands in the East Indies. #OTD It's the birthday of Cornelius Herman ("Neil") Muller, the American botanist and ecologist, who was born on this day in 1909. Muller pioneered the study of allelopathy "uh·lee·luh·pa·thee." Allelopathy occurs when one plant species releases chemical compounds that affect another plant species. Most Gardeners know that the black walnut is an example of allelopathy. In addition to the leaves, black walnut trees store allopathic chemicals in their buds, in the hulls of the walnuts, and in their roots. #OTD Today in 1938, the St. Cloud Times ran a story about Miss Louise Klein Miller. Miller, at the age of 84, was retiring as supervisor of Cleveland's Memorial Gardens - after supervising them for over a quarter of a century. The first woman to attend Cornell University's school of forestry, Miller became the landscape architect for Cleveland schools; she was the only female landscape architect working in a large city school system. Collinwood is a neighborhood on the east side of Cleveland. On Ash Wednesday, March 4, 1908 the Collinwood school fire became one of the country's biggest tragedies. The school had only two exits, the construction created a chimney effect; the school became a fire trap. Almost half of the children in the building died. In 1910, Louise Klein Miller planned the Memorial Gardens to honor the 172 children, 2 teachers and 1 rescuer who died in in the blaze. The year before, in 1909, the Ohio General Assembly passed legislation that, "a memorial should stand in perpetuity to honor those who lost their lives in this school fire tragedy." The memorial is comprised of a large square planting bed is rimmed 3.5 foot walls made of concrete that are tiled. The plantable area of the memorial measures roughly 20' x 40'. There's also a deep bench around the perimeter and the walls are slanted to make seating more comfortable. The down side, is that the bench and the scale of the raised bed make access to the planting area is sometimes very challenging. During Miller's era, students grew flowers in a school greenhouse for the Memorial. Over the span of 70 years, the garden fell into neglect. 2018 was the 110th Anniversary of the Collinwood School Fire; there have been a few attempts to make sure the that garden continues to be a meaningful memorial. The struggle to maintain the Memorial continues. In July of 1910, there was an article in the Santa Cruz newspaper that described the new memorial garden - which at the time included a large lily pond: "There was a poet who said he sometimes thought that never blows so red the rose as where some buried Caesar bled; That every hyacinth the garden wears, drops in her lap from some once lovely head. Then there will never be lilies so fair as those that will bloom in the lily pond that is to be on the site of the Collinwood school." Unearthed Words "Our fear of death is like our fear that summer will be short, but when we have had our swing of pleasure, our fill of fruit, and our swelter of heat, we say we have had our day." - Ralph Waldo Emerson Today's book recommendation: Secret Gardens of the Cotswolds by Victoria Summerley This gorgeous book features 20 special British gardens and people who own and manage them. The book is photographed by Hugo Rittson-Thomas and written by Victoria Summerley, both of whom live in this part of England. Their combined knowledge and love of these gardens shines through in their depictions of each garden and t

What's the Difference Between Oregano and Marjoram? If you've grown both, you know they look quite similar and they are often confused for one another. But, when it comes to flavor and taste, it is easy to tell them apart. Oregano tends to be earthy, pungent, and spicy. It can easily overpower the other flavors in a dish. To subdue the pungency, cooks recommend using the dried form of oregano. On the other hand, marjoram is more mild. Use that alliteration to help you remember, Mild Marjoram. Marjoram's flavor is more refined; it's floral and woodsy. Because marjoram is sweeter and milder, chefs recommend using fresh marjoram instead of dried marjoram for cooking. Brevities #OTD It's the birthday of the naturalist, botanist, ornithologist, prizewinning horticulturist, painter, archaeologist, historian, author of six books and a proud daughter of the great state of Louisiana: Caroline Dormon. Her friends called her "Carrie." Carrie was a tiny woman; she was also a powerhouse; she formed her own opinions and ideas about the natural world and she always wore dresses; she thought pants were quite scandalous. Carrie was born at her family's summer home called Briarwood. In the 1920's at Briarwood, Carrie built a writing cabin she called Three Pines because of the trio of tall pines around it. Carrie told her friends it was a place for daydreams. In the 1950's, a second cabin was built at Briarwood. Carrie liked to take the screens off the windows every spring so wrens could build nests inside. At Briarwood, Carrie installed trails through the woods, planted hundreds of plants and she even installed a reflecting pool for "Grandpappy" - her favorite tree on the property. Grandpappy is a longleaf pine and he's still alive today. Grandpappy is estimated to be over 300 years old. There's a story about Grandpappy that Carrie used to share with visitors. Once a forester wanted to "core" Grandpappy to determine a more exact age for the tree. Carrie stopped him and said, "It's none of your business how old Grandpappy is, or how old I am for that matter." #OTD On this day in 1920, John Macoun, one of Canada's leading botanists, passed away. He was 90 years old. Here's a little story he shared about Macoun's early life, growing up in Ireland: "We had a garden well fenced in, she encouraged us to spend our idle time in it... I seemed to prefer taking an old knife and going out to the fields and digging up flowers and bringing them in and making a flower garden of my own. I only remember primroses and the wild hyacinth. Another characteristic was the power of seeing. I could find more strawberries and more birds' nests ... than any other boy." After arriving in Canada, Macoun had started out as a farmer. In 1856, he became a school teacher; partly to nourish his nearly "obsessive" interest in botany, but also to find a more balanced life. Macoun wrote that before teaching, "I never had had more than one holiday in the year and that was Christmas Day. [My brother] Frederick and I might take a day's fishing in the summer, but an eight-mile walk and scrambling along the river was not very restful." Within five years, Macoun had begun regular correspondence with prominent botanists like Asa Gray and Sir William Hooker. In Macoun's autobiography, there are many touching passages about his love of botany. Here's a little glimpse into how he cultivated his own understanding of plants: "I would take a common species of roadside or garden plant of which I knew the name and then immediately endeavor to work out its correct name from the classification. The Mullein was the species that I took first. I found it more difficult than I had thought on account of its long and short stamens, but I soon came to understand the arrangement of the stamens and pistils so well that most plants could be classified by their form alone." Once, Macoun was approached by his future father-in-law, who was a bit skeptical of Macoun's prospects. Macoun wrote, " Simon Terrill, who was a well-known Quaker in that district, ... found me with a plant in my hand and said : "John, what dost thee ever expect to make out of the study of botany? I told him that I did not know but that it gave me a great deal of pleasure." Unearthed Words Flowers reflect the human search for meaning. Does not each of us, no matter how our life has gone, ache to have a life as beautiful and true to itself as that of a flower? Philip Moffitt Today's book recommendation: The Wild Garden by William Robinson Rick Darke updated this garden classic. At the time when Robinson first published the book, his natural vision for gardens was considered revolutionary. Today, we regard it as standard gardening. In addition to the complete original text and illustrations from the 1895 edition, this expanded edition includes material from Rick Darke the esteemed photographer and landscape consultant. Like Robinson, Darke seeks to show wild gardening in a modern context. The result is even more inspira

Have you tried growing the herb chervil? Chervil tastes similar to tarragon - it's sometimes called gourmet parsley. It has a wonderful fern-like leaf which turns red in the fall which is another plus. August is a wonderful time to sow chervil - so keep that in mind. The 1884 Dictionary of English Names of Plants lists chervil as "the shepherd's clock'' because the blossoms open at five in the morning and then close up around eight in the evening. The word chervil is derived from a Greek word meaning "the herb of rejoicing'' or "the cheer leaf." Brevities #OTD It's the birthday of the English naturalist, Gilbert White, who was born on this day in 1720. White kept a journal for almost three decades where he recorded observations of his garden. It was eventually published as a Calendar of Flora and the Garden, followed by the Naturalist's Journal. People immediately recognized White had a gift for observation and for describing with vivid clarity the goings-on in the natural world. Here's a little of what he wrote in his journal on this day in 1781; his 61st birthday: "Farmers complain that their wheat is blited. In the garden at Dowland's,... stands a large Liriodendrum tulipifera, or tulip-tree, which was in flower. The soil is poor sand; but produces beautiful pendulous Larches. Mr R's garden, ... abounds in fruit, & in all manner of good & forward kitchen-crops. Many China-asters this spring seeded themselves there... some cucumber-plants also grew-up of themselves from the seeds of a rejected cucumber thrown aside last autumn. Mr R's garden is at an average a fortnight before mine." #OTD Today is the anniversary of the death of the author and gardener Jane Austen. Austen loved gardens. She had a heart for ornamentals, herbs, and kitchen gardening. Her family always had a garden - growing their own food and beautifying their homes with flowers. In every single one of her books, Austen included gardens. We know from Austen's letters to her sister, Cassandra, that gardens brought her joy and they were also regulating. In 1807, she wrote about the redesign of her garden: "I could not do without a syringa... We talk also of a laburnum. The border under the terrace wall is clearing away to receive currants and gooseberry bushes, and a spot is found very proper for raspberries." In 1814, she wrote about the garden outside her rented room, "The garden is quite a love... I live in the room downstairs, it is particularly pleasant...opening upon the garden. I go and refresh myself every now and then, and then come back to Solitary Coolness." #OTD It was on this day in 1863 that the father of American landscape architecture, Frederick Law Olmsted, walked the battlefield of Gettysburg, just 15 days after the battle. Olmsted was the General Secretary of the United States Sanitary Commission (USSC) - overseeing the support of sick and wounded soldiers of the United States Army during the Civil War. At times, Olmsted personally treated the battlefield wounds of soldiers. Olmsted was handpicked for the job thanks to his success in designing and overseeing New York City's Central Park, one of the country's largest public works projects. A week after the battle at Gettysburg, Olmsted arranged for 40 tons of supplies to flow into Gettysburg every day - bringing in items like surgeon's silk, fans, butter, shoes, and crutches. By July 18, the scene had settled down enough that Olmsted could walk the fields of Gettysburg. In Martin's biography of Olmsted, he shared that Olmsted, "was struck by the scale of the place; everything had happened across distances far greater than he had supposed." Ever attuned to the landscape, Olmsted also noted that, "The hills were gentle and rolling, so very out of kilter with the carnage that was everywhere still in evidence... Olmsted came across spent shells and twisted bayonets, broken-down wagons and half-buried dead horses. Particularly touching, to Olmsted, was the random strew of Union and Confederate caps, often together on the ground, shot through with bullet holes." Unearthed Words Recently, I've started collecting cuttings from my garden to make my own potpourris and sachets. Here's a quote from Eleanor Sinclair-Rhode about this lovely garden pastime: "No bought potpourri is so pleasant as that made from ones own garden, for the petals of the flowers one has gathered at home hold the sunshine and memories of summer, and of past summers only the sunny days should be remembered." Today's book recommendation: A Southern Garden by Elizabeth Lawrence As much as I love to garden, there are days when it's just too hot or humid to go out there. I draw the line when sweat starts to trickle into my eyeballs - then it's time to call it a day. Lawrence's Southern Garden is a classic. This is Lawrence's personal experience with gardening - my favorite kind of gardening book. Although Lawrence's growing zone isn't always applicable to where you might be gardening, I guarantee you'll learn somethin

The Daylilies are blooming their little hearts out right now. Daylilies are in the genus Hemerocallis which has about 15 species of daylilies. They are not part of the Lilium genus, which is the genus for true lilies. The name Hemerocalliscomes from the Greek words ἡμέρα (hemera) "day" and καλός (kalos) "beautiful". Especially in China, the daylily symbolizes motherhood. Their name alludes to the flowers which typically last no more than 24 hours (about a day or so). Daylily flower stems are called "scapes" and as one fades, the next one on the scape opens, keeping daylilies blooming for weeks or even months. Daylilies have been dubbed the 'perfect perennial' because their wonderful features: they are pretty low maintenance, beautiful colored blooms, tremendous drought tolerance, and they can grow in most zones. Brevities #OTD On this day in 1850, The Sydney Morning Herald shared an advertisement from plantsman John McMahon. McMahan advertised that he had put together a catalogue of nearly 2000 species of plants. For his customers, McMahon assured that, "Plants securely packed for long journeys, glazed plant cabins prepared, and filled with rare plants for transmission to Europe." #OTD Today is the anniversary of the death of botanist Charles Theodore Mohr who died on this day in 1901. Charles Mohr was one of Alabama's first botanists. He was born in Germany and educated in Stuttgart - he was a trained pharmacist. Mohr traveled the world before settling in Alabama. He collected in Surinam, emigrated to the United States in 1848, took part in the California gold rush, lived briefly Mexico, Indiana, and Kentucky. Mohr spent decades gathering the information and plant specimens for his work. In 1857 he started Chas. Mohr & Son Pharmacists and Chemists in Mobile, Alabama. His personal herbarium specimens were donated to the University of Alabama Herbarium (15,000 specimens) and the United States National Herbarium (18,000 specimens). When Mohr's book on the plants of Alabama was published, he was seventy seven years old. The following plants are named for Charles Theodore Mohr: Andropogon mohrii (Hack.) Hack ex Vasey Mohr's bluestem Grass family Aristida mohrii Nash Mohr's threeawn Grass family Eupatorium mohrii Greene Mohr's thoroughwort Aster family Marshallia mohrii Beadle & F.E. Boynt. Mohr's Barbara's buttons Aster family Rudbeckia mohrii Gray Mohr's coneflower Aster family Silphium mohrii Small Mohr's rosinweed Aster family Tephrosia mohrii (Rydb.) Godfrey pineland hoarypea Pea family Quercus mohriana Buckl. Ex Rydb. Mohr oak Oak family #OTD The poet, George William Russell who went by the pseudonym AE, died on this day in 1935. Russell attended the Metropolitan School of Art, in Dublin. There he met the poet William Butler Yeats Russell became the editor of The Irish Homestead. His popular quotes include the following: "Our hearts were drunk with aa beauty our eyes could never see." "You cannot evoke great spirits and eat plums at the same time." #OTD Today is the anniversary of the death of one of the 20th century's leading landscape architects; Sir Geoffrey Jellicoe. Jellicoe was multi-talented, but his true passion was landscape and garden design, which he described as "the mother of all arts". He was a founder member of the Landscape Institute. Over his 70-year career, Jellicoe designed more than 100 landscapes around the world. Jellicoe designed the John F Kennedy memorial site by the River Thames in Berkshire. Jellicoe's final and most ambitious project was the Moody Gardens in Galveston, Texas. Jellicoe imagined a design where visitors could walk through the history of landscape, from the Garden of Eden and the gardens of ancient Egypt, to a design inspired by Thomas Mann's novel The Magic Mountain (1924). As the Moody Garden website acknowledges, "It was the culminating work of his design career but has not, as yet, been implemented. We live in hope." Jellicoe's favorite garden was the gardens he designed in Hemel Hempstead. Jellicoe designed the Hemel Hempstead Water Gardens to improve the quality of life for the townspeople. Jellicoe designed a canal with dams and little bridges to take visitors from the town parking lot to shopping. Jellicoe designed the canal after seeing one of Paul Klee's paintings of a serpent. Jellicoe said, "The lake is the head and the canal is the body," wrote Jellicoe in his book Studies in Landscape Design. "The eye is the fountain; the mouth is where the water passes over the weir. The formal and partly classical flower gardens are like a howdah strapped to its back. In short, the beast is harnessed, docile, and in the service of man." Unearthed Words Here's a poem from Niels Mogens Boedecker, who was an illustrator and author of children's books. "Mosquito is out, it's the end of the day; she's humming and hunting her evening away. Who knows why such hunger arrives on such wings at sundown? I guess it's the nature of things." Today's book recommendation: A Year in

Did you know Tarragon is an artemisia? Like all plants in the Artemisia genus, Tarragon is gray and silvery. Artemisia's were sacred to Artemis and there are over 180 species - all of them ornamental, most are medicinal, and of course, a small few are culinary. Tarragon is quite agraceful plant when it is fully grown. Never demanding, Tarragon can stand some shade and a heavier soil. French tarragon has a subtler aroma and flavor compared to Russian tarragon.Tarragon has its own peculiar sweet taste recalling anise. Tarragon is an integral part of dijon mustard. Tender, fresh stems of Russian tarragon can be cooked and consumed as asparagus. The tea stimulates the appetite, especially when it has been lost because of illness. Drinking the tea before bedtime is helpful because Tarragon compounds are mildly anesthetic and sedative. The tea can also help with hyperactivity. And, here's something valuable to remember about tarragon: the flowers generally do not produce viable seed. So, tarragon propagates via root cuttings, rhizome sprouts and stem division. As an example, the French tarragon commercial growers dig it upin the fall after all the foliage has been harvested. Then they cut the roots into short pieces. Brevities #OTD It's the birthday of Camille Corot born in 1796 in Paris. Corot was a French painter, famous for his landscapes and he inspired the landscape painting of the Impressionists. Corot's quotes about painting are inspiring to gardeners. Here's a little sample of his inspiring perspective on the natural world: "Beauty in art is truth bathed in an impression received from nature. I am struck upon seeing a certain place. While I strive for conscientious imitation, I yet never for an instant lose the emotion that has taken hold of me." Here are some of Corot's words about the end of the day: "...everything is vague, confused, and Nature grows drowsy. The fresh evening air sighs among the leaves - the birds, these voices of the flowers are saying their evening prayer." Imagine sitting beside Corot as he wrote, "I hope with all my heart there will be painting in heaven." Gardeners would reply, "I hope there is a garden." #OTD Today in 1907, Orville Redenbacher, was born. Redenbacher was a U.S. agricultural scientist and the co-creator of a new hybrid of popcorn called "snowflake." It was lighter and fluffier than traditional popped kernels and Redenbacher became a household name with his commercials for his popcorn. To this day, Orville Redenbacher is the number one selling popcorn in the world. Nebraska produces more popcorn than any other state in the country. Unearthed Words Rachel Peden was a popular environmentalist, newspaper columnist, and author. Peden had a profound appreciation for the minutia in the natural world and she was very funny. She wrote, "The serene philosophy of the pink rose is steadying. Its fragrant, delicate petals open fully and are ready to fall, without regret or disillusion, after only a day in the sun. It is so every summer. One can almost hear their pink, fragrant murmur as they settle down upon the grass: 'Summer, summer, it will always be summer.'" Today's book recommendation: Good Planting by Rosemary Verey Verey is regarded as the "Queen of the Traditional English Country Garden." Verey was known for creating gardens with a amix traditional elements and beautiful plantings. The gardens she created are timeless. Verey's practical reference book covers planting throughout the seasons. This book is a classic for your garden library. The best part about this book is that it offers advice for successful planting and utilizing difficult areas of the garden. Today's Garden Chore Get serious about planting blueberries. Blueberries provide more than just fruit; they can be an effective screen, they can add greenery to the walls of your house. They provide massive interest during three seasons in the garden: In spring, the beautiful white flowers to kick off the growing season, there's blue berries during the summer (of course), and they offer gorgeous fall coloring. Don't forget that blueberries need full sun. They require acidic soil. Blueberry plants grow slowly and reach full size in 8 to 10 years. Something Sweet Reviving the little botanic spark in your heart Today in 1987, The Indianapolis Star announced that the biography of Charles Clemon Deam, the legendary turn-of-the-century Indiana botanist and author had been published. The book was written by Robert C. Kriebel, editor of the Lafayette Journal and Courier. Charlie Deam was a self-taught botanist and served as state forester for Indiana. In his home herbarium, Deam kept a loaded pistol in his desk drawer One time, Deam and a guest were discussing something about taxonomy. Suddenly, Deam quickly opened the drawer, pulled out the gun, and fired two or three shots through the open window making some disparaging comments about the "canine ancestry of a rabbit" which had been terrorizing his garden. Thanks for li

Let's start today off by talking briefly about bolting cilantro. Why does cilantro bolt and how should you address it? You can help delay when cilantro will bolt by planting it in part shade instead of full sun and keeping the plant cool and moist. Heat is a stressor and sensing it's own mortality, cilantro will bolt quickly in hot weather. You can also buy a slow-bolt cilantro variety and harvest the leaves more often to keep the stalks under control. Brevities #OTD It's the birthday of the English architect, Inigo Jones; born today in 1573. Jones introduced classical Roman architecture and the Italian Renaissance to Britain. He left his mark on London by his design of buildings, such as the classically styled Queen's House for James' queen, Anne of Denmark. Sadly, Anne died after work on the building started. It took another 15 years before it was finished; It was presented to queen Henrietta Maria. Inspired by an Italian palace, it caused a sensation when it was revealed. Today, gardeners remember that Jones designed the layout for Covent Garden square. The Duke of Bedford asked Jones to build a residential square using the Italian piazza for Inspiration. The Duke felt he had to include a church, but he told Jones to put up something simple like a barn.Jones' famous response was that the Duke would have "the finest barn in Europe". Covent Garden square became the chief produce market for Londoners. #OTD It's the anniversary of the death of the botanist John Wilson who died on this day in 1751. It was Wilson who first attempted a systematic arrangement of the plants of Great Britain in the English language. From an occupational standpoint, Wilson was a shoemaker and then a baker. There is a little story that is often told about Wilson - although it's veracity has been questioned. Apparently Wilson was so intent on the pursuit of botany, that he was tempted to sell his cow in order to by a book written by the Scottish botanistand taxonomist Robert Morison. The transaction would have caused Wilson's financial ruin had a neighbor lady not purchased the book for him. And there was one other story that reveals Wilson's self-taught expertise and personality. Wilson had traveled to the county of Durham where he met a man who enjoyed growing rare plants. The man challenged Wilson to a contest of skill. The man thought himself superior to Wilson and when he could not stump him with the names of the rarities in his garden. Wilson turned about and grabbed a wild herb which the man simply dismissed as a weed. But, Wilson stated that a weed was a term of art, not a production of nature: adding, that the explanation proved his antagonist to be a gardener, not a botanist. And so, the contest ended. #OTD It's the birthday of William Robinson, originator of the Herbaceous border and advocate for the wild garden, who was born on this day in 1838. Robinson helped change the English landscape from formal to much more relaxed and attainable for the masses. Robinsons work and books brought him financial security. By the age of 45, he had enough money to purchase the Elizabethan Manor of Gravetye in Sussex, along with almost two hundred acres of pasture and woodland. In 1896, Gertrude Jekyll offered this summary of Robinson's impact on gardening: "[Thanks to Robinson] ... we may see how best to use and enjoy the thousands of beautiful plants that have been brought to us by the men who have given fortune, health and often life in perilous travel that our gardens may be enriched and botanical knowledge extended. We cannot now, with all this treasure at our feet, neglect it and refuse it the gratefully appreciative use that it deserves." Unearthed Words Today is the birthday of Almira Hart Lincoln Phelps who was born on this day in 1793. Phelps wrote about nature and her textbook, Familiar Lectures on Botany, was first published in 1829. Phelps taught at Amherst Academy and her textbook was undoubtedly known and used by Emily Dickinson who was a student there. The following quotes show us that she was hip to the idea of mindfulness over 200 years ago. Here's what she wrote: "So, in the physical world mankind are prone to seek an explanation of uncommon phenomena only, while the ordinary changes of nature, which are in themselves equally wonderful, are disregarded." "How often are the beauties of nature unheeded by man, who, musing on past ills, brooding over the possible calamities of the future, building castles in the air, or wrapped up in his own self-love and self-importance, forgets to look abroad, or looks with a vacant stare." "Each opening bud, and care-perfected seed, Is as a page, where we may read of God." Today's book recommendation: Classic Garden Design by Rosemary Verey Rosemary Verey's book Classic Garden Design (1984) gives us a glimpse of how much she learned from various gardens of the past, with their topiary, knot gardens and box-edged beds. All are incorporated in her Barnsley garden, providing a formal struc

In China, July is the month of the lotus. Recently I shared a video in the Facebook Group for the Showfrom the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburghwhich shows Senior Horticulturist, Pat Clifford, teaching their intern Hazel, how to remove the older leaves of the Giant Water Lily so the pond does not get overcrowded. Using a pitchfork, Pat carefully folds the large lily pad first in half, then quarters, and then once more. Then he stabs the large folded pad with the pitchfork, hoists it in the air to let the water drain out and then flops the beast down on the edge of the pond. The camera zooms in to reveal the most savage thorns that grow on the underside of the lily pad and all down the stem of the plant. It was so surprising to see how viscous the thorns are - rivaling the thorniest rose. Brevities #OTD It's the anniversary of the day that Captain Cook arrived in England in 1771. He had successfully led that first voyage to Australia. But, neither Cook, nor his botanist Joseph Banks, realized that the quartz reef where they planted the British Flag contained gold. The area would remain untouched by Europeans for almost two more decades. And, Cook's ship, the Endeavor, had somehow managed to survive the trials of sailing on the Great Barrier Reef and River. Before he sailed for England, Cook worried the Endeaver wouldn't make it around the Cape of Good Hope. In a fateful decision, Cook had brought the ship to Batavia, a Dutch colony, in order to fortify his ship. Batavia was a dangerous place. Malaria and dysentery were rampant. As a result of his stop in Batavia, Cook lost a staggering 38 members of his crew. The botanists, Banks and Solander, managed to survive the stop, although at one point they were both gravely ill. Even as they battled back from illness, they still went out to collect specimens. So, on this day, in 1771, Cook and Banks and Solander make it home to England. 365 days later, Cook would be setting sail once more, but this time Banks would not be going with. Instead, a German, Johann Reinhold Forster and his son Georg—would be the botanists for his next big adventure. #OTD Today, in 1835, Charles Darwin wrote a letter to his friend John Stevens Henslow. He wrote: "In a few days time the Beagle will sail for the Galapagos Islands. I look forward with joy and interest to this, both as being somewhat nearer to England and for the sake of having a good look at an active volcano." Throughout his life, Darwin exchanged letters with Henslow, professor of Botany and Mineralogy at Cambridge University, Their correspondence was a powerful influence on Darwin; helping to shape his thinking about the natural world. And, it was thanks to Henslow that Darwin received the invitation to join captain Robert FitzRoy on the HMS Beagle. Henslow had written a letter recommending Darwin for the journey because of his like-able personality. When they were young, Henslow and Darwin had walked the Cambridgeshire countryside together. Their walks inspired Darwin to study the natural world and to travel. Once Darwin was part of team Beagle, Henslow presented Darwin with a copy of Humboldt's Narrative, an account of Humboldt's travels in South America. In it, Henslow had inscribed these words: "J. S. Henslow to his friend C. Darwin on his departure from England upon a voyage around the World. 21st Sept. 1831." Darwin treasured this gift above all others and at his death, the book was safely brought to Cambridge University Library where it remains to this day. Unearthed Words #OTD It's the birthday of Henry David Thoreau, born on this day in 1817. National Simplicity Day is observed on July 12th in his honor. Thoreau was an advocate for living a life of simplicity. Thoreau said all of these things: "If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer." "The question is not what you look at, but what you see." "Though I do not believe that a plant will spring up where no seed has been, I have great faith in a seed. Convince me that you have a seed there, and I am prepared to expect wonders." "Gardening is civil and social, but it wants the vigor and freedom of the forest and the outlaw." Today's book recommendation: Gardens Are for People by Thomas Church Church is one of the most influential American landscape architects of the twentieth century. Church's ideas on the 'modern' landscape revolutionized residential landscape design; changing the look of the suburban back yard. His notion that the suburban backyard should be an extension of the house, essentially creating an outdoor room, was revolutionary. Gardens Are for Peoplecontains the essence of Thomas Church's design philosophy and much practical advice. His four design principles include: • Unity • Function • Simplicity • Scale The book is loaded with photographs of some of the 2,000 gardens designed by Church. It was Thomas Church who said: "When your garden is finished I hope it will be more beautiful that you antici

It's National Rainier Cherry Day. Rainier cherries were bred at Washington State University by crossing Vans and Bings. They are one of the most delicate and challenging cherries to grow because of one big drawback: their thin red-yellow skin. This makes them super sensitive to the elements and they bruise easily. Even if a grower can address these challenges, they still must contend with the birds. Birds LOVE Rainiers and can eat as much as 1/3 of the cherry crop before the harvest arrives. Watch what happens if you add a few Rainier Cherries to your bird feeder. Brevities #OTD Today in Fettercairn Scottland in 1857, the amateur botanist David Prain was born. He would ultimately become the Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens of Calcutta and Kew. Prain was sent to Calcutta in 1887 to be the curator of the herbarium. He researched Indian hemp, followed by other crops like wheat, mustards, pulses and indigo for the Bengal government. Prain's most important work involved Cinchona plantations. The bark of cinchona trees contains quinine which is used to treat malaria. In Prain's obituary, it said that he set up a system to send every village in India quinine through the local post offices thereby saving unnumbered lives. During Prain's directorship at Kew, the medicinal garden was installed at Cambridge Cottage and the Japanese gateway was acquired for the 1910 Japan-British exhibition. Prain also reinstated the Kew Bulletin. Prain's biggest professional challenge at Kew came not from a plant, but a person. William Purdom was a sub-foreman at Kew and he was passionate about making sure that the garden staff was being treated fairly. The discord stemmed from some of the gardeners at Kew discovering that their positions were only temporary. Having wages well below market levels didn't help either. Even though all of this was set in place before Prain assumed the directorship, it fell to him to fix everything. Prain's humble origins gave him a heart for his workers and he did his best to remedy the situation. Despite Prain's reasonable efforts to mediate the situation, Purdom made it personal. Prain finally forced the issue basically saying that it was either him or Purdom. In a magnanimous gesture, Prain worked to get Purdom a spot on the expedition to China by Harry Veitch and the Arnold Arboretum. Today, history looks back at Prain with admiration, that he could recognize the talents of an employee, even while disagreeing with him - and all the while acting with fairness and integrity. #OTD Today in 1941 the Amarillo Daily News ran an article featuring Charles Sumner Lambie who was a Denver area civil engineer by day and a rare orchid breeder by night. Lambie grew up in Pittsburgh tending the family garden. He later married Margaret McCandless and together they raised nine children. As his engineering firm became successful, Lambie's wife said he turned to the hobby of raising orchids as a means of relief from the stresses of his job. Mr. Lambie shared an upside that he discovered about greenhouse gardening: He no longer suffers from hay fever as he did when he gardened outside. After sharing the various types of orchids grown by Lambie, the article shared Lambie's method for documenting his plants. Here's what it said: "Mr. Lambie has a card index file ... on each plant. Here is a simple entry from the card of C. Talisman: "L.O. Talisman: 6 inches, December 1938, Christmas; Winter Bloomer, October to early summer, variable. Flowers large, Sepals and petals – Light to dark rose. Lip, dark rich crimson; Throat purple with yellow – gold veins." Mr. Lambie puts a protective canopy over the orchids when they are in bloom and he sprays them several times a day. When Mr. Lambie leaves town on business, Mrs. Lambie makes sure that the orchids are watered several times today. As the reporter for the story was leaving, Mrs. Lambie showed him a small orchidAnd shared that Mr. Lambie was given the orchid when he subscribed to an orchid magazine. The orchid is called the Charles Lambie Rittenberry orchid named for their grandson and of course it receives "very careful attention" she added with a smile. #OTD On this day in 1950, a very unusual dwarf Amaryllis species was collected in Peru by the eminent botanist, Dr. Ramon Ferreyra, July 11, 1950, and was sent to Dr. Hamilton P. Traub in the United States. Unfortunately, the bulbs experienced frost while they were being shipping in the mail. Some of the bulbs were totally destroyed, the surviving bulbs all had been damaged. It took almost 18 months for Dr. Traub to nurse the frosted plants back to health. In recognition of his patience and skill, the Amaryllis was named Hippeastrum traubii. Unearthed Words Here's a sweet diary entry from 1938 for today by Canadian Naturalist Charles Joseph Sauriol ("Sar-ee-all") shared by the Toronto Archives on their fabulous twitter feed - which is a wonderful thing to follow: "I find it hard to come in from the flower borders. My Pansi

Are you growing parsley? I do. But, I generally only plant the flat leaf variety - since the curly leaf parsley is used mainly as a garnish. Parsley is a member of the Umbelliferae family, which also includes celery, carrots, dill, cilantro, caraway, cumin, and the poisonous hemlock. Brevities #OTD On this day in 1838, the botanist Asa Gray resigned from the Wilkes Expedition. Gray was frustrated by all of the delays. He also disagreed with Captain Charles Wilkes. Gray and Wilkes disagreed about the Latin descriptions of the new taxa. In addition, Wilkes wanted to work with Americans only. Gray recognized that the work could not be done with his usual level of excellence unless European herbaria and experts were included. Instead, Gray accepted a position at the University of Michigan. But, before he could officially start, Harvard wooed him away. Gray established the science of botany and guided American botany into the international arena. It was Asa Gray who said, "Natural selection is not the wind which propels the vessel, but the rudder which, by friction, now on this side and now on that, shapes the course." #OTD Today in 1949, a 79 year old botanist, Dr. Melville Thurston Cook, his wife, and their pilot were rescued by an Air Force helicopter after a week in the Alaskan wilderness. Cook reported they survived on 90 dozen eggs after their plane was forced down in the rugged Brooks Mountain range. As luck would have it, the 1,080 eggs were aboard the plane as cargo. Cook shared their ingenuity with the world; telling how they had not lacked for variety in their preparation of the eggs, enjoying fried eggs, boiled eggs, poached eggs, scrambled eggs, shirred eggs and omelet. Naturally, when he wasn't eating eggs, Dr. Cook collected specimens. Dr. Cook, who would be 80 in September, and his wife had been vacationing in Alaska. In newspaper accounts he said he never doubted the party would be saved. But the crash had impacted their priorities. Following the accident, Cook and his wife moved to be closer to their children. One of their four kids followed Cook's footsteps to become a plant pathologist; Dr. Harold T. Cook. Before the accident, Cook was finishing up his career by working as visiting part-time professor of plant pathology at Louisiana State University. During his prime, Cook had gone botanizing with Nathaniel Lord Britton and Elizabeth Gertrude Britton in Puerto Rico. He had also worked with Henry Allan Gleason at the New York Botanical Garden. #OTD Back in 1977, Ethan Allen and Elvin McDonald of House Beautiful (ww.housebeautiful.com) gave a presentation called "Decorating with Plants." McDonald revealed many new decorating-with-plant ideas. Keep in mind, this was three decades before Instagram. Otherwise, McDonald would have no doubt share photos of the over 300 plants in his apartment. In the newspaper promotions for his presentation, McDonald was quoted as saying, "Take a pill if you will I say take a plant to cope with everyday stress." #OTD A 1983 newspaper headline on this day in The Town Talk in Alexandria, Louisiana said, 'Rare Plant Halts Road Work'. Turns out, a $15 million highway widening project near College Station was stopped because it threatened a tiny, rare, and unusual orchid plant. The Spiranthes parksii (ii = "ee-eye"), also known as Navasota Ladies' Tresses because it grew along the Navasota River, is only 6 inches tall with white blooms. First discovered in 1945 and described by Donovan Stewart Correll in his 1950 book, Native Orchids of North America North of Mexico, It became the 54th U.S. plant species to be classified as endangered. #OTD In 1988, British plant explorer Roy Lancaster revealed that a thriving black market for plants was threatening rare Chinese orchids. In the same way an art collector might buy stolen works of art underground, elite plant collectors are the wealthy clients of orchid smugglers. Lancaster shared the plight of Paphiopedilum armeniacum which was discovered in 1980, but was 100 percent harvested from the world in 1983. In just three short years, the plant had gone from discovery to presumed extinction! Unearthed Words Here's a poem by Theodore Roethke called Transplanting. Roethke said he wrote the poem from the perspective of "a very small child: all interior drama; no comment; no interpretation." Watching hands transplanting, Turning and tamping, Lifting the young plants with two fingers, Sifting in a palm-full of fresh loam,-- One swift movement,-- Then plumping in the bunched roots, A single twist of the thumbs, a tamping and turning, All in one,Quick on the wooden bench, A shaking down, while the stem stays straight, Once, twice, and a faint third thump,-- Into the flat-box it goes, Ready for the long days under the sloped glass: The sun warming the fine loam, The young horns winding and unwinding, Creaking their thin spines, The underleaves, the smallest buds Breaking into nakedness, The blossoms extending Out into the sweet air, The

Here's a little primer on mulch placement. Keep mulch away from the bases of plants and trees. Trees can be harmed or killed by mulching too heavily around the trunk. Perennials and other plants can be smothered or damaged by heavy mulch around the crown as well. Mulch is a wonderful tool in the garden, but it pays to pay attention to placement. Brevities #OTD Today in 1926, the Green Bay Press-Gazette posted an article titled, "Ice Cream Grown on Vine in yard of Former Kentuckian." The article was about the fabulous Colonel Henry Wallace Johnston who, until the age of 50, had operated a hardware store in Lebanon, Kentucky. At midlife, he moved to Homestead Florida. And, in 1912, Johnston created a 20 acre estate called Palm Lodge Tropical Grove. He even liked to dress the part; wearing a tropical outfit complete with a white helmet and looking as if he had just finished playing Jumanji. Known as the Wizard of Palm Lodge or Florida's Burbank (a nod to California's Luther Burbank ), Johnston began adding over 8,000 incredible specimens of tropical fruits and flowers, many of them not found anywhere else in America. Palm Lodge gained him widespread recognition. And, although Johnston never traveled outside the US, he was a natural marketer. Stories about Johnston include the following: He coined the name "lipstick tree". Rarest among his plants was a flower that produces a perfume called the "Scent of Lilith." Johnston grew the Dumb Cane tree or dieffenbachia from Cambodia. He would tell folks that if they bit into the leaves, their tongue would be paralyzed for six weeks. Harvey Firestone and Henry Ford brought back rubber plants from Madagascar, but only Colonel Johnston's plants survived. Johnston's Palestine tree fruit was wrapped in cellophane while on the tree to protect against insects. The fruit was used in religious rituals by rabbis. Johnston's gingerbread palm's fruit tasted of gingerbread. Johnston furnished almost all of the tropical exhibit for the state of Florida at the Chicago World's Fair. All of Johnston's plants were grown from seed. Johnston also produced nearly 300 different types of fruits and jellies all packaged on site. One of Johnston's specialties was the cultivation of the aloe vera plant. He grew a 15 acre aloe field and by 1920 was regularly harvesting the leaves and bringing them to Miami, individually wrapped to stop the spines from making the jelly ooze out. And yes, one of Johnston's plants was something he called "the ice cream vine," botanically known as the monstera deliciosa. The fruit resembles a large ear of corn minus the husk and tastes like a combination of banana, strawberry and pineapple. Johnston's lodge was a Florida showplace and there was no charge for admission. Homestead's chamber of commerce showed that 30,000 people, including botanists, visited the lodge every year. One day, after 2,000 guests had been received, the register revealed that Henry Ford had passed unnoticed in the crowd. #OTD On this day in 1941 a Soviet court sentenced the prominent Russian botanist Nikolay Vavilov to death by firing squad. Vavilov never faced the firing squad. Instead, he died of starvation in a Soviet prison two years after receiving his sentence. #OTD Today in 1942, newspapers announced the retirement of George Shull. An Ohio farm kid, Shull was the noted botanist who taught at Princeton University for 27 years. His work resulted in a $150M increase in the value of US corn as a result of his crossing pure line varieties with self-fertilized corn. Shull's hybrid yielded 10 to 40 percent more than ordinary corn. Shull never made a penny from his creation. Unearthed Words Here's a poem from Emily Dickinson called Answer July. In the poem, Dickinson speaks to July directly and July responds by pointing out that the hot summer is the fulfilled promise of spring. Answer July – Where is the Bee – Where is the Blush – Where is the Hay? Ah, said July – Where is the Seed – Where is the Bud – Where is the May – Answer Thee – Me – Today's book recommendation: Lives of the Trees: An Uncommon History by Diana Wells Wells investigates the names and meanings of trees, sharing their legends and lore. As Wells says, "Our long relationship with trees is the story of friendship. The human race, we are told, emerged in the branches of trees and most of us have depended on them ever since for food, shade, shelter, and fuel." Today's Garden Chore Incorporate a wheelbarrow garden into your garden plans. Take an old wheelbarrow, drill some drainage holes in the bottom (very important!) and up-cycle it into a beautiful, portable planter that is perfect for flowers, herbs, and small edibles. Something Sweet Reviving the little botanic spark in your heart Today in 1963 the Marvel comic botanist Samuel Smithers became Plantman when lightening struck his plant ray gun, giving it the power to control and animate all plant life. Plantman dueled with the Human Torch in the botanical garden and lost. He w

Have you checked to see if there is an herb society near you? Herb societies offer gardeners what I call next-level understanding of plants. Aside from parsley, oregano, and thyme, you'll probably be surprised by the sheer number of plants that fall into the herbal category; plants like bronze fennel, red-veined sorrel, lovage, tansy and sweet cicely. Brevities #OTD On this day in 1878 the American botanist Forrest Shreve was born. We owe such a debt of gratitude to Shreve. He was THE preeminent botanist of North American deserts during the first half of the Twentieth Century. Shreve worked out of a laboratory in Tucson, Arizona. The lab was ideally situated for Shreve's field research of the western United States and northern Mexico. Shreve relished telling the origin story of his lab: "Of course you are familiar with the story of Andrew Carnegie," he began, "the immigrant boy who became one of America's richest steel magnates and who left a fortune "to encourage in the broadest and most liberal manner investigation, research, and discovery, and the application of knowledge to the improvement of mankind." Before he died Carnegie had established an institution which divided its scientific investigations into twelve departments in widely separated parts of the country. The Desert Laboratory became one of the outposts of the Division of Plant Biology. The total Carnegie benefaction totaled about $25,000,000." In July of 1908, Shreve ascended the Santa Catalina Mountains for the very first time. His party rode on horses to climb the 6,000 feet from Mount Lemmon's desert base to the summit which is 9,100 feet above sea level. During that climb, Shreve noticed what he called, "a continually shifting panorama of vegetation". Shreve's astuteness helped him realize the most amazing aspect of desert mountains; changes in vegetation are compressed into a few thousand feet of elevation - started with desert scrub, then grassland, then oak woodland... and followed by pine-oak woodland and forest, then pink forest, montane fir forest, and finally subalpine forest. Shreve's mastery of the North American Desert allowed him to describe and define, with precision, the four distinct desert regions of the United States. Today, each year, in Shreve's honor, the Forrest Shreve Student Research Award ($1000-2000) is given to support ongoing research of the hot deserts of North America. #OTD Today in 1901, the world lost Eva Reed, a botanist, author, and librarian with the Missouri Botanical Gardens . In a tragic accident, Reed had been sketching on the tracks of the Burlington railway, near Louisiana, Missouri, when she was run over and instantly killed by a passenger train. Several years earlier, she had become almost totally deaf as the result of a fever. #OTD Today in 1934, Leonard Cockayne passed away. Cockayne was 79 years old and is considered New Zealand's greatest botanist. Cockayne was born in England and was raised in home that encouraged the exploration and appreciation of the natural world. As a child, Cockayne loved pressing flowers. In addition to Cockayne, both his brother and sister were great gardeners. In 1879, Cockayne left England and made his way to New Zealand. Dominion became his home for the remainder of his life. Ever modest, Cockayne once sent a letter to Kew along with a small parcel of seeds. He attached a little note which said, "I may say I am not a nursery gardener but merely a private individual who spends his whole time in the study of botany." In recognition of his 30 years of tireless work in New Zealand, Cockayne won the Darwin metal. During his career, Dr. K Richter von Goebel and John Paulus Lotsy, two distinguished botanists from the UK, visited him in New Zealand. Those visits where true highlights for Cockayne and they inspired him to continue his work. When he died, Cockayne was buried at the open-air museum he founded, which is serves as lasting memorial.vFrom his grave, one can see the native vegetation which had captured his heart, as well as the heights which bear his name. #OTD Today we wish Monty Don a happy birthday! Don is an English television presenter, writer and speaker on horticulture, best known for presenting the BBC television series Gardeners' World. Over the past year, Don wrote Japanese Gardens: a journey by Monty Don and Derry Moore, the complement to the BBC2 series. In this personal and lyrical exploration of both the traditional and the modern aspects of Japanese gardening, Monty Don guides us through the history and beauty of Japanese gardens throughout the spectacular changing seasons. Unearthed Words National Meadows Day took place over the weekend in the UK - and it is an annual celebration of the wildflower meadows of England. Each year, the event takes place on or around the first Saturday of July. So, in tribute, here's a little poem about the Meadow Sweet by Charles MacKay: ROSE ! we love thee for thy splendor, Lily ! for thy queenly grace ! Violet ! for th

Sometimes the plant gods smile on you with a clearance sale featuring something truly spectacular like Japanese Forest Grass or in this case, Hakonechloa 'All Gold'. My local Lowes was clearancing them for $3 a pop - and it was just what the plant doctor ordered to dress up our cabin up north. In 2009, my garden idol, Margaret Roach tweeted, "Another plant I cannot garden without: Hakonechloa 'All Gold.' Solid gold in the shade." She's right. Brevities #OTD On this day in 1796, Gilbert Laing Meason was born. Laing Meason was a friend of Sir Walter Scott and he invented the term 'landscape architecture', in his 1828 book on The Landscape Architecture of the Great Painters of Italy. Not many copies of his book were printed, but somehow the prolific garden author, John Claudius Loudon, . secured a copy. He shared the term with American horticulturist Andrew Jackson Downing, who, in turn, shared it with Frederick Law Olmsted. Olmsted was the first professional to describe himself as a 'landscape architect', and he is regarded as the founder of landscape architecture. Meason was very balanced in his perspective on architecture. He valued both function and beauty. In terms of his own property, Meason was a romantic and his personal estate was known as Lindertis House. It is no surprise that he surrounded it with ornate gardens. Over time, the cost of maintaining the elaborate gardens in addition to the household management of the estate as a whole brought Lindertis to total financial ruin. Today, barely a trace of the mansion exists. When Meason died, he had no idea that his notion of 'landscape architecture' would be his legacy. #OTD Today in 1806, Michael Keens, a market gardener from Isleworth, exhibited the first large-scale cultivated strawberry combining flavor and appearance, at the Royal Horticultural Society. It's hard to imagine, but large garden strawberries didn't exist prior to the 1800s. In his wonderfully illustrated book, The Complete Strawberry (Century Books, 1985), Stafford Whiteaker revealed the modern strawberry's development over the last two centuries; sharing how plants were harvested from the foot of the Andes and brought to France by a French spy named Amédée François Frézier (1682- 1773). Frézier cared for five plants during the six-month journey home by sharing his own precious supply of water. In a strange coincidence, Frézier's surname is itself derived from fraise, the French word for strawberry. It turns out, his ancestor, Julius de Berry, presented the Emperor with a gift of strawberries and was honored with the name of his gift. For clarification, the name ''strawberry'' does not refer to mulching the berries with straw. Rather, it is from the Old English term straw which means ''to spread' referring to their runners grow. On 30 Apr 1859, The Preston Chronicle and Lancashire Advertiser, offered a little advise about growing Keen's strawberries, saying, "For edgings for these nothing is more profitable than parsley or a line of Keens's seedling strawberry." #OTD It was on this day in 1939, that The Asbury Park Press, reported that Lambertus C. Bobbink, one of the country's best known florists, was honored at the New York Botanical Gardens. The author, Pearl Buck, was there to dedicate a rose garden and unveil a plaque to Bobbink that read, "To honor Lambertus C. Bobbink, a great rosarian whose counsel and generosity helped to make this garden possible for the enjoyment of all." Bobbink immigrated to the United States from Holland in 1896. He purchased a few acres of land in Rutherford, New Jersey, and in 1898 Frederick L. Atkins, an English nurseryman, became his partner in the business forming Bobbink and Atkins; one of the worlds largest horticultural organizations at the time. They both made their homes on Herrick Street, around the corner from their business on Paterson Avenue. In 1911, Bobbink & Atkins successfully grew the first crop of budded Hybrid Tea Roses in the United States and they hybrid tea roses to this country. In 1935, Bobbink introduced the Azalea Rutherfordiana in 1935 which memorialized Rutherford, his hometown. Unearthed Words Today is the birthday of the English poet, William Henry Davies. Davies loved the natural world, especially birds and butterflies. George Bernard Shawwas a fan of his work and he wrote the preface of Davies' autobiography. Here are a few of his poems: " When I can hear the small woodpeckers ring Time on a tree for all the birds that sing ; And hear the pleasant cuckoo, loud and long? The simple bird that thinks two notes a song." "And here are butterflies : poor things Amazed with new-created wings; They in the air-waves roll distrest Like ships at sea ; and when they rest They cannot help but ope and close Their wings, like babies with their toes." Today's book recommendation: Grow in the Dark by Lisa Eldred Steinkopf Lisa Eldred-Steinkopf is known as the Houseplant Guru and this is her latest book. She's putting thespotlight on 50 of

Do you have delphiniums in your garden? I used to start out every summer by planting twenty delphinium in front of my porch. By the time I my red lilies were popping, my delphinium would be 4 feet tall. In that same area, I had planted white astilbe and alyssum; I had a little red, white, and blue garden under my American flag for 4th of July. The Delphinium is one of the birth flowers for the month July. It's also known as 'Larkspur' and 'Knight's-spur'. During the Victorian age, people essentially used flowers as emojis: and the delphinium symbolized lightness and an open heart. If your a delphinium lover, it's easy to see how the happy delphinium blooms would be associated with levity and laughter. Brevities #OTD It was on this day in 1846 that the British naturalist, and women's rights activist, Marian Farquharson was born. As a botanist, Farquharson had specialized in ferns and mosses. Farquharson had petitioned the Linnaean Society for four years to allow women. In 1904, 83% of the Society voted to elect women members. When the first 15 women were nominated, Farquharson was the only one not to be elected on that day in 1904. It took four more years for Farquharson to be elected to the Society in March, 1908. Sadly, she was too ill to attend to sign the register. Farquharson died from heart disease, in Nice, in 1912. #OTD It was on this day in 1893, that the Welsh landscape gardener, architect and author, Ralph Hancock was born. Hancock created several famous Gardens across Wales, England, and United States. One of his most famous works is the rooftop garden at the Rockefeller Center in New York. Hancock designed his rooftop garden in 1934. It was really cutting-edge at the time. In the interview, he said, "The days of penthouse gardening in boxes are over and miles and miles of roof space in every metropolis in this country remain to be reclaimed by landscape gardening." Hancock's rooftop garden was called The Garden of Nationsand it featured gardens for eight different countries around a central, old English tea house and cottage garden. Hancock's Garden of Nationsrequired 3,000 tons of earth, 100 tons of natural stone, and 2,000 trees and shrubs. They were all delivered by the service elevator or by man using a block and tackle pulley system on the side of the building. The 11th floor Garden of Nations opened on April 15, 1935. Nelson Rockefeller was in attendance as well as students from Bryn Mawr college. The young women arrived wearing costumes from the various nations and there's a beautiful photo of Nancy Nichol wearing a kimono in the Japanese garden. #OTD It was on this day in 1940 the St. Joseph Gazette reported that Dr. Hugh C. Cutler of St. Louis had discovered two species of plants in Utah: the wild bridal wreath and a crucifer. He sent the specimens via airmail to Washington University in St. Louis. #OTD It was on this day in 2018, that NASA's Best known as ECOSTRESS berthed at the space station. ECOSTRESS' mission is to measure the temperature of plants from space enabling researchers to determine how much water plants use and to study how droughts affect plant health. Unearthed Words Today we honor Herman Hesse, who was born on this day in 1877. He was a German poet, novelist, and painter. He won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1946. Hesse had a special appreciation for trees and I thought I'd share some of his prose with you today: "Trees are sanctuaries. Whoever knows how to speak to them, whoever knows how to listen to them, can learn the truth." "A tree says: A kernel is hidden in me, a spark, a thought, I am life from eternal life. The attempt and the risk that the eternal mother took with me is unique, unique the form and veins of my skin, unique the smallest play of leaves in my branches and the smallest scar on my bark. I was made to form and reveal the eternal in my smallest special detail." Today's book recommendation: Seasonal Flower Arranging by Ariella Chezar Chezar says in the introduction of her book, "I use as many blossoms as possible that are in season. I don't want to see a tulip in August or peony in September. I love them in their season - and when that season passes, it's time to move on." Chezar is a professional floral designer and she provides step-by-step instructions for 39 seasonal floral arrangements. A pioneer in the farm-to-vase movement, her book is a delightful reminder to gardeners that they can bring their garden indoors and create exciting compositions with cut flowers. Today's Garden Chore Multiply your Solomon Seal through division. All you need to do, is split the large white tubers. Make sure that each piece has at least one big bud. If you want to plant in drifts, use small pieces and plant them close together; instead of using one large mass. Something Sweet Reviving the little botanic spark in your heart On this day in 1932, the Sydney Morning Herald shared a story of attempted murder. Richard Wettstein was responsible for the Botanical Gard

Martagon Lilies are in peak right now in most gardens. They bring the most wonderful architectural aspect and form to the garden; they are so very elegant. Offering a Turk's cap-style bloom, Like many plants, Martagon colonies get better and better with age. Martagons like sweet soil and they will be grateful for a dusting of lime every year. Brevities #OTD It was on this day in 1871, the Yorkshire Herald reported the first meeting of the Vale of York Field Naturalists Club. Although the weather was very unfavorable, forty-seven ladies and gentlemen (members and friends of the club) left the Society's Rooms, in Micklegate, in three four-horsed conveyances. When they reached Rivaulx ("ree-VOH")Abbey, the company then broke up into small parties - geologists, botanists, and entomologists - and proceeded to examine the valley for their own specialities. "The geologists were interested with the sections laid bare in the quarries, and many interesting and beautiful fossils were found The botanists collected, amongst other plants, Saxiraga tridaclylitet (nailwort), Helianthemum vulqare (rock rose), Cuscuta Epithymum (clover dodder), Aquilegia vulgaris (columbine), Atropa Belladonna (belladonna or deadly nightshade), Polypodium Phegopterit (northern beech fern), P. Dryoplerit (oak fern), besides the common Scolopendrium vuigare (hart's-tongue fern). At six o'clock the party sat down to dinner at the Crown Hotel, Helmsley, which was served in Mr. and Mrs. Cowen's usual substantial style, after doing justice to which the Rev. Vice-President Rowe addressed those assembled on the advantages of natural history and the beauties and history of the Abbey, and also stated he would shortly bring a very interesting piece of information concerning it before the public, he being hon. secretary of the Architectural Society. It was arranged that the next monthly field day should be held at Bolton Abbey and Woods. They then left for home, after a most agreeable day, which left every one with the feeling that this the first excursion of the club was a great success." #OTD It was on this day in 1908 that Illinois adopted the Violet as its State Flower. As with many State Flowers, Illinois had decided to let the school children vote to decide on the state flower. The purple violet received 15,591 votes and the wild rose came in second with 11,903 votes. The children also decided the state tree and they selected the white oak. Meanwhile newspapers were running a piece that blared the headline, "the reign of the violet is over". "Strange and unbelievable, but a fact, nevertheless, violets are no longer fashionable. Gardenias, orchids and American Beauty roses are as much in evidence as ever, but the reign of the violet is temporarily over. It is true that a large bunch of deep purple violets relieved by a single mauve orchid, a deep pink rose, or a single waxlike gardenia is still an acceptable gift, but it is not the gift that is so frequently' chosen this year, as a small cluster of gardenias or even of two or three exquisitely beautiful orchids... Roses are much in favor at the moment, ... A new flower hailing from Paris is the pink American Beauty, and well does it deserve the name... the color is an adorable shade of shell pink, and for all decorative purposes tins flower has already a firmly established place in fashion's regard. ... one cannot but regret the sense of chivalry of a generation back, when etiquette demanded that flowers be sent always to a hostess before even the least formal entertainment, and when a debutante had better stay at home than go to a ball without her ... little bouquet of flowers." #OTD It was on this day in 1910 that the Allentown Democrat out of Allentown PA reported that Joseph Hooker was 93 years old. "Sir Joseph Hooker, the world-famous botanist, received a personal note of congratulations from King George today on the occasion of his ninety-third birthday. Sir Joseph, who is still remarkably active for a man of his great age, has had a long and brilliant career in his chosen field of science. As early as 1839 he accompanied the expedition of Sir James Ross to the Antarctic region. Later he conducted scientific expeditions to many parts of the world including Eastern Bengal, the Himalayas, the Khasia Mountains, Morocco and the Greater Atlas, New Zealand Ceylon, California and the Rocky Mountain region of North America. In the course of his active career he rendered invaluable services to the British arts, manufactures and commerce by promoting an accurate knowledge of the floras and economic vegetable products of the various colonies and dependencies of the empire." Unearthed Words Today's poem is by Ann Taylor - an English poet and literary critic. In her youth she was a writer of verse for children, for which she achieved long-lasting popularity. Her sister, Jane, wrote the words to "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star". The Violet Down in a green and shady bed, A modest violet grew; Its stalk was b

Today is National Paul Bunyan Day. In Minnesota, most folks fondly remember the tales of Paul and Babe - his big blue ox. Speaking of big, Many gardeners have a fondness for giant plants. They are perfect if you have lots of space, or if you just prefer the look of tall or giant plants. You can Celebrate Paul Bunyan Day today by planting giant plants like these: hibiscus, Joe Pye weed, Baptisia, Hollyhock, Queen of the Prairie, Plume Poppy, Gunnera, Cup Plant, Castor Bean, - and this list is just to get you started. Brevities #OTD It was on this day in 1924 that botanist Harry V. Harlan gave a presentation to the Science Club at Kansas State University about his Plant Exploration and travels in North Africa. Harlan made the trip by mule caravan over 59 days. In some villages, Harlan was the first English-speaking person ever to visit. Harlan returned to the states with over 600 varieties of plants. During his life. Harlan organized a school of agriculture in the Philippines. He worked for the USDA and was the Principal Agronomist in charge of barley. Harlan went on many Plant Expeditions around the globe. The University of Illinois has a black and white photo of a young, handsome Harlan - looking a little Indiana Jones-ish. The photo was taken just before a trip to Ethiopia. The image was used as the headshot for his book One Man's Life With Barley(1957). #OTD It was on this day in 1939 that The Daily Times out of Davenport Iowa published a story about the practice of importing seeds to the United States. Here's what it said: "Exactly 100 years ago this week the United States Congress authorized the first search and collection of foreign seeds and plants in an attempt to increase the number of agricultural products produced in this country. In the century that has followed, this work has been carried forward with untold benefits to American farmers. Plant explorers have tramped over much of the earth's land surface and have imported thousands of varieties of seeds and plants that have enriched American agriculture in an incalculable degree." #OTD It was on this day in 1974 that the Panama City News out of Panama City, Florida published a story about one of Florida's most outstanding horticulturists: Dr. Henry Nehrling, who was an ornithologist, botanist, and plant breeder. It's been said that during his lifetime, "Every plant lover in Florida knew or knew of Henry Nehrling." Nehrling's horticultural writings covered a period dating from the early 1890s to the late 1920s. The esteemed plant explorer David Fairchild said this about Nehrling: "Dr. Nehrling's writings should be available to the young people who are making gardens around their houses, for they not only give the facts regarding a host of interesting plants from which they may choose, but they tell in narrative form how one who learns to recognize plants can explore for a lifetime the unlimited variety of beautiful forms which compose the plant kingdom." Nehrling's notes are wondrously inspiring even after all this time. Here's a sample of some of his quotes: "Show me your garden, provided it is your own, and I will tell you what you are." "In both the cultivation, and enjoyment of gardens. Is peace, rest, and contentment. Pleasure is not a luxury of life, but one of its necessities and ornamental horticulture is one of the truest and most stimulating pleasures in life and may be enjoyed by him who possesses only a window-box, as well as the favored mortal with acres in abundance." "The cultivation and enjoyment of tropical and subtropical plants is the noblest, the most delightful, the most satisfying of all earthly pursuits." "Florida Is the land of almost unlimited possibilities as far as ornamental horticulture is concerned. We are able to grow in the open air hundreds- no, thousands - of species of exquisite tropical and subtropical plants which farther north can only be grown with much difficulty and with considerable trouble In expensive glasshouses." "Nowhere, have I found such a wealth of beautiful native and exotic plants as in Florida, very aptly called the "land of flowers" and the "paradise of ornamental horticulture". Even if we were deprived of the exotic vegetation, we would be able to form wonderful gardens by using only the material found In our woodlands and along our water courses. There is no more beautiful evergreen tree in the whole plant world than our glorious evergreen Magnolia grandiflora bedecked with its noble lustrous foliage and embellished with Its snowy-white, deliciously fragrant flower-chalices." Following Nehrling's death in 1929, his incredible Gardens went untended and became a jungle. Over 20 years passed before the present owner, Julius Fleischmann, came upon the scene. Fleischmann had the heart of a naturalist, and he was determined to make Henry Nehrling's garden live again and did. It took over three years of intensive restoration and development to reopen the garden to visitors in 1954. Unearthed Words I

Today is the very first National Onion Day. It was founded by the National Onion Association which represents almost 500 growers from across the United States. The association celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2013. Onions are a member of the bulb family. There are twenty-seven different types of onion. They all grow underground and they're one of the easiest vegetables to grow. There's an old saying that says that the thicker the onion skin, the colder the winter will be. Brevities #OTD It was on this day in 1787 that the naturalist Thomas Say was born. Say was born to a Quaker family and was a relative of the Bartrams. Say grew up making frequent visits to their botanic garden on the banks of the Schuylkill River Say was one of the first naturalist in the United States to advocate for the naming and describing of native flora and fauna. Before Say's time, plant and animal specimens were sent to Europe for identification. The long sea voyage took a toll on specimens and there were often identification errors as a result. Say's specialty was entomology and Say is often considered to be the father of descriptive entomology in the United States. Say died from typhoid fever on the 10th of October in 1834, at the age of 47. His long obituary ended with these words: "On the 8th, the hopes of his friends were flattered by a deceitful calm. On the day following, these hopes for chilled; He appeared sinking under debility, when on the 10th, death came over him like a summer cloud. He met the embrace as the weary traveller falls into the arms of restoring sleep. Intellect triumphed to the last hour. He left his wife directions as to his Library and Cabinet of Natural History." #OTD Any was on this day in 1861 that the Courier and Argus out of Dundee, Scotland reported the death of a botanical guide: William Williams. The newspaper account said: While his party rode slowly forward on ponies, Williams indulged in his favorite science; collecting plants. When they arrived at the summit he left them again in order to gather some ferns. The party waited for him 90 minutes and then finally descended. Scouts were sent out and his body was found lying 300 yards beneath the precipice from where he fallen. Before he died, Williams had begun to realize that he was living a sort of contradiction by locating rare plants for collectors, he was contributing to their extinction. Today Williams tombstone reads: "William Williams, upwards of 25 years botanical guide at the Royal Victoria Hotel. Killed by a fall while pursuing his favorite vocation." #OTD And it was on this day in 1889 that William Guilfoyle married Mary Alice darling. Guilfoyle was the director of the Royal Botanic Garden, Victoria. When he married Alice, he decided to take his first holiday from the gardens in 17 years. They took a nine-month grand tour of British and European gardens and Forests. It was really quite the experience and it's documented wonderfully in this book called Mr. Guilfoyle's Honeymoon. Just so you know, you can only get it on Kindle. #OTD Anniversary of the death of Elizabeth Cabot Agassiz. Agassiz was an American naturalist, an educator, and the first president of Radcliffe College in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She grew up in an intellectual family. In 1856, she married married the Swiss naturalist, Louis Agassi. She became an intimate part of his life and work. When they were first married, she started a girls school in their home to bring in some extra income. When Louis died, Elizabeth was 51 years old. His death spurred her to establish Radcliffe College. Unearthed Words The Glory of the Garden by Rudyard Kipling Our England is a garden that is full of stately views, Of borders, beds and shrubberies and lawns and avenues, With statues on the terraces and peacocks strutting by; But the Glory of the Garden lies in more than meets the eye. For where the thick laurels grow, along the thin red wall, You will find the tool- and potting-sheds which are the heart of all; The cold-frames and the hot-houses, the dungpits and the tanks, The rollers, carts and drain-pipes, with the barrows and the planks. And some can pot begonias and some can bud a rose, And some are hardly fit to trust with anything that grows; But they can roll and trim the lawns and sift the sand and loam, For the Glory of the Garden occupieth all who come. Today's book recommendation: Practical Botany for Gardeners by Geoff Hodge This book explains over 3,000 botanical terms. I think one of the reasons this book is so helpful is that it is so beautifully put together. The Denver Post said: "It is a gentle guide to the green world... organized precisely how a non-botanist would need it done." The book is heavily illustrated and it's illustrated in a very decorative way. It's one of my favorite books to give to new and experienced gardeners. Part handbook, part reference, Practical Botany for Gardeners is a beautifully captivating read. It's a must for garden lovers and backyard

Have you ever needed to move a bumblebee nest? We discovered a nest under the basketball hoop on the driveway when the guys came to sealcoat. To move it, I waited until dusk. Then I grabbed a terra cotta pot that was a little bigger than the nest... and my pizza peel from kitchen. I placed the pot over the nest and then slid the peel under the pot. As I was carrying the nest, the buzzing sound from inside the pot was tremendous. I moved the nest about 10 feet away into a shaded and out-of-the-way spot in the garden. Then, I cut a 10 inch piece of 1inch tubing from my irrigation system and slipped that under the pot to elevate the pot a bit and to give the bees a way to fly in and out from under the pot. Brevities #OTD It was on this day in 1797, that Charles Newbold patented the first cast iron plough. Farmers were worried that the iron would negatively effect the soil. #OTD It was on this day in 1880, that the Chicago Tribune wrote an article about the herbarium of Dr. Charles Christopher Perry; it contained 15,000 species and it was being presented to the Davenport Academy of Sciences. Thirty years earlier, in 1850, Perry had written to the botanist John Torrey, he said: "I here found a new species of pine growing in sheltered places bout the bluff. Its characters are so unique …. if new I wish it with your permission to bear the name Pinus Torreyana…" Besides the Torrey Pine, Harry discovered the Colorado Blue Spruce on Pikes Peak in 1862. Colorado made its official state tree in 1939. #OTD On this day in 1967, The Rolling Stones compilation album "Flowers" was released. It included three previously unreleased tracks – "My Girl", "Ride On, Baby", and "Sittin' on a Fence". #OTD And it's the anniversary of the death of the ornithologist, Margaret Morse Nice, who died on this day in 1974. Nice developed a close bond with nature, especially birds; it was deepened with her hobby of gardening and frequent walks. In 1939 nice wrote these words in the opening pages of her book, The Watcher at the Nest: "The land was defended and won by age-old ceremonies and fierce battle…. Their conflicts with each other and their neighbors, their luck with their wives and devotion to their babies… the fortunes of their sons and daughters, grandchildren and great grandchildren—all these were watched season in and season out until tragedy overtook them." It's hard to believe when you hear that passage that Nice is referring to song sparrows. She was the scientific outsider. She conducted all of her groundbreaking studies at home, in her backyard in Ohio, while she was busy raising a family of five children. Unearthed Words Why Was June Made? by Annette Wynne Why was June made?—Can you guess? June was made for happiness! Even the trees Know this, and the breeze That loves to play Outside all day, And never is too bold or rough, Like March's wind, but just a tiny blow's enough; And all the fields know This is so— June was not made for wind and stress, June was made for happiness; Little happy daisy faces Show it in the meadow places, And they call out when I pass, "Stay and play here in the grass." June was made for happy things, Boats and flowers, stars and wings, Not for wind and stress, June was made for happiness! Today's book recommendation: 100 Flowers and How They Got Their Names by Diana Wells Diana knows that every flower tells the story and she's collected some of the very best stories about our flowers. Once in an interview Diana said, "If we fail to remember the history of our flowers we know them less and to trace their link with us is to make them part of our lives." Here is a good example of Diana's storytelling ability when it comes to flowers. This one's about lilacs: "American settlers planted lilacs in front of farmhouse doors, not for usefulness but for beauty, while they struggled to make a new life in the wilderness. Sometimes the slowly cleared fields, the houses, and the walls were no more permanent than those who made them, but the liliacs remained by the ghost porches leading nowhere." Today's Garden Chore Plant Sunflower Seeds. I'm seeing posts about sunflower seeds pump up all over social media. And the main question that people have is, "Is it too late to plant them?" June is still planting season. As with your edibles, you can succession sow your flowers. Depending on the variety, sunflowers will bloom about 55 to 75 days after planting – 60 days is a good average. By planting in the back half of June you'll have a wonderful second flush of blooms - and you'll be able to take cuttings on Labor Day weekend. Something Sweet Reviving the little botanic spark in your heart On this day in 1922, The Nevada State Journal published an article out of San Francisco. The headline was: "Laws are changed to help gardener..." The gardener in question was the famed landscape expert and creator of the city's "Eden," the beautiful Golden Gate Park. His name was John McLaren. McLaren had come to America from Scotland.

Did you know that the most popular giant hosta is Empress Wu? At maturity the plan is 5 feet tall with an 8 foot spread. Pictures don't really do the Empress Wu hosta justice. Because of its size and fast rate of growth, Empress Wu demands soil that is consistently moist but not soggy. Empress Wu was bred by Brian and Virginia Skag out of Lowell, Indiana. On February 23, 2010, they finally received their patent for the impressive Empress Wu hosta. Brevities #OTD It was on this day in 1799, the Scottish botanist David Douglas was born. Douglas was responsible for the identification over 200 new plant species in North America including the famous Douglas-fir. Douglas never received a formal education, and he was primarily a plant collector rather than a published scientist. Despite his lack of formal training, Douglas sent more plants to Europe than any other botanist of his time. During his expeditions, Douglas was often accompanied by his little Scottish terrier named Billie. Douglas's career ended tragically in 1834 when he was killed while exploring in Hawaii. There is a memorial to Douglas and Honolulu which says: "Here lies Master David Douglas - an indefatigable traveler. He was sent out by the Royal Horticultural Society of London and gave his life for science." And on the second bronx tablet there is a quote by Virgil: "Even here the tear of pity springs, And hearts are touched by human things." #OTD Today is the anniversary of the death of the landscape gardener and botanist William Robert Guilfoyle, who died on this day in 1912. Guilfoyle was the architect of the Royal Botanic Gardens in Melbourne. It took Guilfoyle over 35 years to transform the Botanic Gardens into what is now is widely accepted as one of the world's greatest botanical landscapes. When the author of Sherlock Holmes, Arthur Conan Doyle, saw the garden, he said it was absolutely the most beautiful place he had ever seen. #OTD It's the anniversary of the death of Nathaniel Lord Britton; an America botanist and taxonomist who died on this day in 1934. Britton married the famous brylogist Elizabeth Gertrude Knight. Together, they used Kew Gardens in London as their inspiration for the New York Botanical Garden. Britain and the botanist Joseph Rose named Regina Carnegiea in 1908 as a tribute to his philanthropy. In obituary of Britton, botanist Henry Rusby shared this charming anecdote: "Attracted one day, by the beauty of some drawings that lay before him, I inquired as to their source. When told that he, himself, was the artist, I asked in astonishment, 'Can you draw like that?' 'Of course,' he said. 'What you suppose I did all that hard work in the drawing class for?'" #OTD And it was on this day in 1903 that the author George Orwell was born. Over the past few decades Orwell's diaries have been made public. Across from his entry for October 3, 1946, there is a map for a fruit and vegetable garden. Orwell hoped to set up a small farm on the property, that he called Barnhill, on the island of Jura. In reality, Orwell's health was not good when he was on the island. Before he arrived, he had actually received a diagnosis of tuberculosis. Working in the vegetable garden was considered good for him because, at that time, being in fresh air was considered part of the treatment for tuberculosis. The last entry in his diary is for December 1949. It reads: "Snowdrops all over the place. A few tulips showing. Some wallflowers still trying to flower." Unearthed Words Here are some quotes from George Orwell: "Outside my work the thing I care most about is gardening, especially vegetable gardening." "The plant is blind but it knows enough to keep pushing upwards towards the light, and it will continue to do this in the face of endless discouragements." "So often like this, in lonely places in the forest, he would come upon something--bird, flower, tree--beautiful beyond all words, if there had been a soul with whom to share it. Beauty is meaningless until it is shared." Today's book recommendation: Gardener's Latin by Bill Neal This text remains one of the best resources for helping you to understand Latin plant names and to help you become a better gardener with that knowledge. Neal includes horticultural fats, fables, and wisdom from other gardeners; from Virgil to Vita Sackville-West. Today's Garden Chore Order yourself some 2 inch floral pins (Click here to see the ones I order from Amazon). I use them all the time in the garden - especially when I'm creating with succulents. Recently I was sharing images of some head planters I put together and even a large succulent wreath. Floral pis help make those creations possible and help train the plants where you want them to grow. Something Sweet Reviving the little botanic spark in your heart It was on this day in 1929, that the American illustrator and writer Eric Carle was born. Carle gave a commencement address at Bates College in 2007. He concluded these words: "Love your partner and tend yo

Did you know that lilies enjoy being planted in part shade? They don't really like to be baked in full sun. If you plant them in a little bit of shade, it will allow your plant to experience less stress and thus it will elongate its stem. Lilies that are grown in full sun tend to be shorter and more stout. In nature, lilies grow in dappled light at the edges of woods and meadows. Brevities #OTD It was on this day in 1788, that the self taught tinkerer Thomas Blanchard was born. At the tender age of 13, Blanchard created a mechanical way to pare apples with a wire gauge. #OTD On this day in 1804 at the botanist Stephen Endlicher was born in Pressburg, Hungry. Endlicher devised a major system of plant classification. He explained it in his groundbreaking book Genera Plantarum. Endlicher donated his herbarium of 30,000 specimens to the Vienna Museum of Natural History and in 1840 he was appointed Prof. of botany at the University of Vienna. Sadly, Endlicher ran out of money after purchasing botanical collections and self-publishing his own work, in addition to the work of other botanists. Endlicher died in 1849 at the age of 45; he committed suicide. #OTD And it was on this day in 1817 that the first coffee was planted in Hawaii on the Kona Coast. Fifty years after those first plants were planted by a Spanish physician with a deep love for all things botanical, Mark Twain said this in the Sacramento Daily Union: "Kona coffee has a richer flavor than any other be grown where day and call it by what mean you please." As it turned out, coffee plants thrived in the rich volcanic soil. They loved the afternoon rainfall, the abundance of sun, and they were protected by the mountains from strong winds. By 1899, a little over 70 years after those first coffee plants were planted, nearly 3,000,000 coffee trees had grown throughout the region. #OTD And today in 1977, her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth, celebrated her Silver Jubilee by planting a Cerus Atlantica Glauca on the east lawn. The tree is regarded as the most striking in appearance of all the blue conifers. #OTD And on this day in 1989 Paul McCartney's album flowers in the dirt became the number one album in England. Flowers in the Dirt brought McCartney some of the best reviews he had seen in years. Unearthed Words The birthday of the poet John Ciardi who was born on this day in 1916. Here are a few of his most famous quotes: "A good question is never answered. It is not a bolt to be tightened into place but a seed to be planted and to bear more seed toward the hope of greening the landscape of idea." "Every word has a history. Every word has an image locked into its roots." "And the time sundials tell May be minutes and hours. But it may just as well Be seconds and sparkles, or seasons and flowers. No, I don't think of time as just minutes and hours. Time can be heartbeats, or bird songs, or miles, Or waves on a beach, or ants in their files (They do move like seconds—just watch their feet go: Tick-tick-tick, like a clock). You'll learn as you grow That whatever there is in a garden, the sun Counts up on its dial. By the time it is done Our sundial—or someone's— will certainly add All the good things there are. Yes, and all of the bad. And if anyone's here for the finish, the sun Will have told him—by sundial—how well we have done. How well we have done, or how badly. Alas, That is a long thought. Let me hope we all pass." ― The Monster Den Today's book recommendation: Plant Names Simplified by Arthur Johnson This book was first published in 1931 and is considered a botanical classic. The book gives the name, pronunciation, classification, and Latin origins of plants. If you've ever wondered how to pronounce the botanical name, this little book will come in handy. As Johnson wrote in his preface, "My job in preparing this glossary has been to offer the reader a simple translation and pronunciation of the names of plants, trees, and shrubs, that are commonly growing in the average garden. As they stand in such names are to most of us, something more than an awkward obstacle, barring way to any real intimacy with elements of botany. [...] If, in this work, I've succeeded in reducing even buy a little, the menace presented us by that pile of heterogeneous names which stand as a barrier between our people and the fairest gates of knowledge, I sure feel that I have done my bit in a good cause." Johnson's book was updated in 1946 and then again, in 2019, by AP Stockdale. Today's Garden Chore Incorporate Joe Pye weed (Eupatorium purpuream) into your garden. JPW is an incredible perennial. It is an herb, a wildflower, and a pollinator plant all in one. Its common name is in honor of a Native American named Joe Pye (Jopi), who made medicine with the plant to cure typhus in the 1800's. Over in the Facebook Group, I shared a photo of a single leaf of Joe Pye weed. The leaves can grow as long as 25 cm and as wide as 10 cm. Something Sweet Reviving the little botanic spark in y

When is the best time to divide? To prune? To transplant? In general, the answer I most often give is that the best time to do anything is when you're standing there with a shovel, or a knife, or a spade in your hand. We are all so busy. Our gardens can get away from us. Our good intentions of getting to things at a later date can evaporate faster than water on a hot July day. Thus the saying, "There is no time like the present." So, if you're in your garden, and you have helpers, or you just have the right frame of mind to tackle that bigger project, to move that plant, or split that rhubarb; I say go for it! Brevities #OTD It's the birthday of Abraham Mignon who was born on this day in 1640. Mignon was a Dutch Golden age painter and he created vibrant paintings of fruit, birds, and his specialty: flowers. When Mignon that was just nine years old, he was placed under the care of Jacob Merrill - a still life painter and art dealer. Mignon became his apprentice and Merrill was impressed with Mignon; he asked him to instruct his stepdaughter Maria Sabella Marián. Maria went on to become, arguably, the best botanical illustrator of all-time. Mignon died before his 40th birthday. #OTD It was on this day in 1834 that the American inventor and businessman, Cyrus McCormick, patented the reaping machine. McCormick's thresher changed agriculture forever; replacing the manual cutting of crops - which is why he's considered The Father of Modern Agriculture. McCormick's company would go on to become the International Harvester Company. McCormick was a devout Christian. He made a fortune from his reaper and much of his wealth went to charity. It was Cyrus McCormick who said, "There's a special place in God's kingdom for businessmen who put their money where their mouth is." In 1940, the three-cent postage stamp commemorated McCormick. And today the original McCormick Farm is owned by Virginia Tech. McCormick came up with all of these wonderful witticisms about business here's a fun one.. "Trying to do business without advertising is like winking at a pretty girl through a pair of green goggles. You may know what you are doing, but no one else does." #OTD It was on this day in 1872 that the famous landscape architect Frederick Law Olsted was nominated in absentia as Vice President of United States. Banker James McKim and philanthropist Robert Minturn, (who was instrumental in the creation of New York's Central Park), proposed a ticket featuring Olmsted as Vice President and as President, William Groesbeck (a former United States representative from Ohio). The party involved was the national American Democratic Republicans. When Olmsted heard the news, he immediately quashed his own nomination. He posted a rebuttal in the New York Post that said, "My name was used without my knowledge in the resolutions of the gentlemen who met on Friday at the Fifth Avenue Hotel..." Privately, Olmsted was delighted by the support. It was one more sign of the revered public figure that Olmsted had become. #OTD Today is officially the first day of summer. It's the longest day of the year and it always marks the beginning of summer in the northern hemisphere. It's also known as the summer solstice. A solstice happens when the suns's zenith is at its furthest point from the equator. Solstice has Latin origins and means sun-stopping. Unearthed Words Here are some quotes from Donald Culross Peattie, who was born on this day, in Chicago, in 1898. Peattie was regarded as the most-read nature writer in America during his time. "What is a weed? I've heard it said that there are 60 definitions. For me, a weed is a plant out of place." "I have often started off on a walk in the state called mad-mad in the sense of sore-headed, or mad with tedium or confusion; I have set forth dull, null and even thoroughly discouraged. But I never came back in such a frame of mind, and I never met a human being whose humor was not the better for a walk." "All the great naturalists have been habitual walkers, for no laboratory, no book, car, train or plane takes the place of honest footwork for this calling, be it amateur's or professional's." Today's book recommendation: Flowering Earth by Donald Culross Peattie The Hartford Times said this about Peattie's masterpiece: "Here is Mr. Peattie at his superb best.... [H]e makes the story of botany and its pursuit as fascinating to the reader as it is to him, and the reading of it a delight." Peattie's book was first published in 1939. The book is part of natural history, part biography, and part philosophical reflection. Peattie's voice is warm and lyrical; the voice of a poet. Today's Garden Chore It's another Photo Friday in the Garden. June 21 is National Selfie Day. So, today, take pictures of yourself in the garden. I did this with my student gardeners a few weeks ago and I have all of these adorable pictures of them peeking out from behind blossom and foliage in the garden. Something Sweet Reviving the little botan

There is nothing that can beat eating fresh food from the garden. It seems every meal around here has fresh basil lettuce from the garden and little cherry tomatoes. Today, I was at my favorite olive oil store and they sell this little gizmo called the Zip Slicer. You load it up with your cherry tomatoes or grapes, and then you slice them all in one quick motion. It's fantastic if you eat tomatoes and grapes a lot. It cuts down on the prep time and I think around here we've been eating Caprese salad about three times a week. So there you go. Check it out: the Zip Slicer. Brevities #OTD It was on this day in 1757 that the botanist John Bartram wrote a letter to Philip Miller. Miller was the chief Gardner at the Chelsea Physic Garden from 1722 until his death. He corresponded with botanists from all over the world, including John Bartram. Miller even trained William Forsyth after whom Forsythia is named. When Bartram wrote to Miller he shared some of his personal preferences as a gardener. First, he shared his desire for variety in the garden. He said, "One or two is enough for me of a sort." Later in the letter, he shared his dislike for plants that weren't hardy in Pennsylvania. He wrote to Miller saying, "I don't greatly like tender plants that won't bear our severe winters but perhaps annual plants that would perfect their seed with you without the help of a hotbed in the spring will do with us in the open ground." #OTD It was on this day in 1803 that President Thomas Jefferson sent a formal letter to his private secretary and aide, Meriwether Lewis. Lewis was a captain in the first United States infantry. Jefferson wrote him to request that he might lead an expedition of the Missouri River. Jefferson never mentioned botany in the letter, but he clearly was thinking about it; and Lewis knew it. As he was preparing for his trip, Lewis connected with Benjamin Smith Barton. Barton had written the first American textbook on botany and he gave Lewis a little crash course on the subject. #OTD It was on this day in 1861 that Sir Frederick Gowland Hopkins was born. In the 1700s, Dr. James Lind had made it known that eating limes would cure a sailors scurvy. Hopkins work call these substances accessory food factors. Today, we know them as vitamins. #OTD And it is on this day in 1892 that Benjamin Lincoln Robinson was appointed the curator of the Asa Gray Herbarium at Harvard. When Robinson took over, both the herbarium and the library were in dire straits. Robinson was instrumental in acquiring funds and extending the growth of the herbarium in library. Today, the Gray Herbarium and library are still housed at Harvard at 22 Divinity Ave. #OTD And It was on this day hundred years ago that Isabella Abbott was born. She was the first native Hawaiian woman to earn a PhD in science. Abbott became known as the "First Lady of Limu" or seaweed. When she was a little girl, she spent hours gathering seaweed for her mother to cook in traditional Hawaiian foods. I found a video online of an interview that Leslie Wilcox did with Abbott back in 2008. When Wilcox asked Abbott about her love of studying seaweed, she said, "There are so few of us [compared to] the thousands of people work on flowering plants. Flowering plants mostly have the same kind of life history so they become kind of boring; they make pretty flowers and make nice smells, they taste good - many of them. But, they're not like seaweeds. With every one you pick up, it does go through life a different way ... It's a game, it's a game I bet with myself the whole whole time from the time I cut it on the outside I say oh I think this might be in such-and-such a family, or something like that, and by the time I get to some magnification on the microscope... Oh No. 100% wrong. So let's begin again." You can watch the video of the interview with Isabella Abbott in the Facebook Group for the Show: The Daily Gardener Community Unearthed Words Green Summer No farther than my fingertips, No weightier than a rose, The essence of green summer slips Into a waiting pose. The tilted bowl of heaven Has spilled its blue and gold Among the vines and grasses Where autumn is foretold. Skylarks trill the melody, Crickets cry it over; Summer hides her mystery In fields of hay and clover. Alice Mackenzie Swaim Today's book recommendation: The Hillier Manual of Trees & Shrubs by John Hillier This book is considered a classic in horticultural literature. The best part about it remains all of the notes that were compiled by members of the Hillier family. Among all of them, they had an amazing amount of direct experience growing plants and assessing their performance in different regions. Over 10,500 plants representing more than 650 genera are described in detail, making it an indispensable guide for any keen gardener or botanist. Today's Garden Chore Don't forget to pinch back some of your perennials; this is also known as the Chelsea Chop. The simple technique helps control plant height

Irises are in full bloom right now. Although, there are around 300 species of iris, Bearded Iris and Siberian Iris are two of the most common types of irises grown. Iris takes its name from the Greek word for a rainbow. During the Middle Ages, irises were linked to the French monarchy, and theFleur-de-lis is now a national symbol of France. Brevities #OTD It was on this day in 1820, that the botanist Joseph Banks died in England. Banks is best known for his study of Australian flora and faunaIn his role as botanist on board The Endeavor with Capt. James Cook. When banks return to England, he advised George III on on the creation of the Royal botanic Garden, also known as Kew. #OTD Twenty years after the death of Joseph Banks, the "Raphael of flowers," Pierre-Joseph Redouté died. He was known for his watercolors of roses and lilies.He's often referred to as the greatest botanical illustrator of all time. He was an official court draftsmen to Queen Marie Antoinette. One evening around midnight, she summoned him to appear before her and she asked him to paint her a cactus. He also became a favorite of Josephine Bonaparte and his paintings of her flowers at Malmaison are among his finest works. #OTD It was on this day in 1872 that the English horticulturalist, landscape designer, and botanist Theodore Payne was born. He made his way from England to California. And, he was an early advocate for California native plants. He started his own seedling business In 1903 in downtown Los Angeles. His specialty was California native wildflower seeds, bulbs, and plants. Payne was involved in the creation of many native plant gardens. In 1939, he created one at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, using 178 plant species and all were native to California. It was Theodore Payne who said, "Be a good Californian; be loyal to your own state and keep your landscape Californian, by planting trees from California." #OTD It's the birthday of Elbert Green Hubbard born on this day in 1856. He was a writer, artist, and the philosopher. Among Hubbard's many publications, with the piece he wrote about the founder of the Burpee Seed Company called, "The business of distributing flower seeds." It was Elbert Hubbard who gave us these marvelous quotes: "Our finest flowers are often weeds transplanted." "A single rose can be my garden... a single friend, my world." "To me, flowers are happiness. If I had but two loaves of bread I would sell one of them & buy White Hyacinths to feed my soul." "Without love, the world would only echo cries of pain, the sun would only shine to show us grief, each rustle of the wind among the leaves would be a sigh, and all the flowers fit only to garland graves." In 1915, Albert Hubbard and his wife, Alice, guy. They were on a ship called The Lusitania when it was sunk by a German submarine off the coast of Ireland. Unearthed Words It's the anniversary of the death of the author of Peter Pan; James Matthew Barrie. Barrie was inspired by Kensington Gardens. In 1912, he commissioned Sir George Frampton to build the statue of Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens. It's been a favorite of visitors to the park ever since. Gardens and flowers were a tremendous source of inspiration from Barrie. The following are just a few samples of his garden inspired prose: "There is almost nothing that has such a keen sense of fun as a fallen leaf." "The unhappy Hook was as impotent as he was damp, and he fell forward like a cut flower." "All children, except one, grow up. They soon know that they will grow up, and the way Wendy knew was this. One day when she was two years old she was playing in a garden, and she plucked another flower and ran with it to her mother. I suppose she must have looked rather delightful, for Mrs Darling put her hand to her heart and cried, 'Oh, why can't you remain like this for ever!' This was all that passed between them on the subject, but henceforth Wendy knew that she must grow up. You always know after you are two. Two is the beginning of the end." Today's book recommendation: "Reader's Digest" New Encyclopedia of Garden Plants & Flowers by Justine et al Scott-McNab This is one of my favorite resources. Published back in 1997. Brand-new, this book is almost $200. You can get used copies following the link in today show notes on Amazon for just under $8. Describing 900 genera and over 8000 plants, this A-Z gardening encyclopaedia also introduces a way of identifying plants from their appearance alone. Hundreds of synonyms and common names are cross-referenced, and the book's coverage encompasses fruit, vegetables, herbs, house plants, flowers, foliage, shrubs and trees. The main benefits, uses and any drawbacks of each plant are pointed out, and there are instructions on cultivation, propagation and pruning techniques, and on dealing with pests and diseases. Today's Garden Chore It's time to get some new work gloves. I scoured the options here locally and these are my favorite. They are

Have you heard of the Little Free Library that some thoughtful people put up out by their sidewalks? Well, a few weeks ago, I saw a post by Hylton Jolliffe about his Little Free Herbary... Takes obvious inspiration from the little free library movement and it aims to help us share and connect with neighbors and others who might need herbs for cooking medicinal remedies fragrances etc. The idea takes obvious inspiration from the wonderful Little Free Library movement and it aims to help us share and connect with neighbors and others who might need herbs for cooking, medicinal remedies, fragrances, etc. Anyway, I loved Hylton's idea; I think it's just as cute as all get out. Hylton also has a Facebook groupthat you can go to to find out more information. Just search for "Little Free Herbary the next time your in Facebook. Brevities #OTD It was on this day, in 1812, the botanist Karl Theodor Hartweg was born. He'd started out in Paris, working for the botanical garden there, and then ended up going to the Chiswick garden in London. He was eager to travel and go on expeditions. He was sent to the Americas for the first time in 1836. He was supposed to be there for a three year project, but you know how plans go astray... He ended up being there're seven years. During Hartweg's time, native plants from Mexico, like dahlias and cacti, were all the rage. Hartweg's particular specialty was orchids. According to Merle Reinkka, the author of A History of the Orchid, Hartweg collected, "The most variable and comprehensive collection of New World Orchids made by a single individual in the first half of the [19th] century." During his time in America, Vera Cruz (Mexico) became something of a mecca for Plant Explorers. Hartweg once commented , "All the way from London just to look after weeds." #OTD It's the anniversary of the 1969 death of Edgar Shannon Anderson. Anderson was an American botanist and his 1949 book Introgressive Hybridizationwas a major step forward in botanical genetics. While he was at Harvard, Anderson went on to work at the Bussey Institute; a biological arm of the University. It was there that he met Dorothy Moore, a fellow botanist. Dorothy was always by his side; going on hikes and collecting plant specimens. They were married in 1923. Anderson became the director of the Missouri Botanical Garden. After three years of administrative work, he went back to his passions of teaching and research. In 1952, Anderson published Plants, Man and Life. In the book, Anderson shared his methods of research and his perspective on life. It is a favorite among botanists. It contains not only scientific knowledge, but also folklore, some of Anderson's insight on early herbalists, and a little bit of philosophy. There's a charming account of Leonard Fuchs, a German physician and botanist. When Anderson wrote about him, he said, "He was a big, broad-shouldered Henry VIII sort of man; with handsome clothes and a general air of getting things done." #OTD It's the one-year anniversary of the death of the beloved botanist Professor Holenarasipur Yoganarasimham Mohan Ram (H.Y. Mohan Ram). Mohan Ram Left a tremendous legacy of the faculty and students of the botany department at Delhi University. He had Published over 240 research research papers get guided 32 PhD students and his research included studies in floral biology, plant physiology, insectivorous plants and the river weed family. In one of his autobiographies Mohan Ram said, "I wish I could be like a tree; deep rooted and firmly fixed, bearing a lofty bole and a broad canopy, continuously absorbing, synthesizing and renewing, bearing fragrant flowers and delicious fruits, unmindful of stresses and insults, resilient to changes and perpetually giving and not coveting. To this I must add tenacity, based on the remarkable example of a gingko tree, almost at the epicenter of the 1945 Hiroshima nuclear explosion, that sprouted from the root after its trunk had been completely demolished along with everything around it." #OTD This month, the English gardening expert, Carol Klein, is hosting a brand-new television program called Great British Gardens. Carol's program has four parts and it explores four of the country's most distinctive gardens. Today's episode features Gravetye Manor at 9 PM. The gardens at Gravetye Manor were created by William Robinson; One of England's most distinguished gardeners. Unearthed Words Here are some thoughts on June from Vita Sackville-West: "It always seemed to me that the herbaceous peony is the very epitome of June. Larger than any rose, it has something of the cabbage rose's voluminous quality; and when it finally drops from the vase, it sheds its petticoats with a bump on the table, all in an intact heap, much as a rose will suddenly fall, making us look up from our book or conversation, to notice for one moment the death of what had still appeared to be a living beauty." Today's book recommendation: The Names of Plants by David Gle