The Daily Gardener

Subscribe Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart Support The Daily Gardener Patreon Buy Me A Coffee Connect for FREE! The Friday Newsletter |  Daily Gardener Community Today's Show Notes January is a quieter season in the garden. The beds are resting. The work is mostly invisible. This is the time of year when gardeners turn to stories — to the people who noticed plants closely, saved what mattered, and carried knowledge forward, even when it would have been easier to let it go. Today is full of those stories. Today's Garden History 1859 Alice Eastwood was born. Alice Eastwood would become one of the most important botanists in American history — not because she sought attention, but because she understood how easily plant knowledge can be lost if no one tends it. Her early life was unsettled. After her mother died, Alice and her sister were placed in a convent while her father moved west. What steadied her was learning — and later, walking. When Alice began studying plants seriously, she did so the way many gardeners do: by going where plants grow naturally and paying attention. In Colorado, she climbed into the Rocky Mountains, collecting alpine plants and learning which species thrived in exposure and which needed protection. Her careful work brought her to California, where she met Katherine Brandegee, curator of botany at the California Academy of Sciences. Together with her husband, Townshend Brandegee, Katherine edited a journal called Zoe, named for the Greek word meaning life. Zoe was a working journal, not a polished one. It gave field botanists a place to publish discoveries about western plants at a time when much of that flora was still being named and understood. New species. Corrections. Observations. This was where the real work appeared. Alice Eastwood did not just write for Zoe. She helped sustain it. 1893 When the Brandegees retired, Alice became curator of botany at the Academy, a position she would hold for more than fifty years. Then came the 1906 earthquake. The Academy burned. Cabinets collapsed. Thousands of specimens were nearly lost. Alice climbed the damaged stairways herself, rescuing what she could — and then rebuilt the herbarium almost from scratch, traveling tirelessly to restore what had been destroyed. Gardeners understand that instinct. When something precious is lost, you do not abandon the garden. You begin again. 2000 The botanist G. Ledyard Stebbins died at the age of ninety-four. Stebbins helped explain something gardeners observe every season: that plants change gradually, shaped by environment, variation, and time. His work gave botanists a way to understand plant evolution not just as theory, but as something visible in fields, hillsides, and gardens themselves. He once said he simply pointed out what plants had been showing us all along. Unearthed Words In today's Unearthed Words, we explore the etymology of the word January, which takes its name from Janus, the Roman guardian of thresholds — the figure who looks both backward and forward at once. It is a fitting image for the garden at this time of year. January's birth flower is the snowdrop, one of the first blooms to appear while winter still holds firm. In folklore, the soft green markings on its inner petals are said to be a promise — a sign that warmth will return. Here is a snowdrop verse to hold onto: "The snowdrop, in purest white array, First rears her head on Candlemas Day." The gardening year does not begin with abundance. It begins with courage. Book Recommendation The New Romantic Garden: Classic Inspiration, Modern Mood by Jo Thompson If you are gardening mostly by imagination right now, this is a winter-perfect recommendation. The New Romantic Garden celebrates gardens shaped by feeling as much as function. These are gardens built for atmosphere, reflection, and beauty — places where restraint matters as much as abundance. It is a book to read slowly, perhaps by the fire, letting it influence how you think about gardens long before you step back into the soil. Botanic Spark And finally, here's something sweet to ignite the little botanic spark in your heart. 2001 The Detroit Free Press shared the story of Harris Olson, a man whose personal mission was to turn everyone he met into a gardener — preferably, a daylily gardener. With his warm smile and battered gray truck, license plate reading "Mr. Daylily," Harris was widely known in the Detroit area for his volunteer work and his plant breeding. He hybridized daylilies and peonies, naming varieties for the people he loved. For forty-five years, he served as volunteer head gardener at the Congregational Church of Birmingham. Under his direction, the nine-acre grounds became an arboretum-like landscape filled with peonies, daylilies, roses, hostas, and other perennials. Even when his health declined, Harris refused to stop gardening. When he could no longer weed himself, he sat in a lawn chair while others worked the beds, offering commentary and encouragement. "Life isn't worth living unless you can pull a weed," he liked to say. Gardeners like Harris remind us that tending plants is often just an excuse to tend people — generously, patiently, and for as long as we are able. Final Thoughts Wherever you are, whatever season you are in, may you find something today worth tending. Thanks for listening to The Daily Gardener. And remember, for a happy, healthy life, garden every day.

Subscribe Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart Support The Daily Gardener Buy Me A Coffee  Connect for FREE! The Friday Newsletter |  Daily Gardener Community Botanical History On This Day 1854 Danske ["DAN-sker"] Dandridge, poet, historian, and garden writer, was born in Copenhagen, Denmark. 1937 Julia Wilmotte [will-MOT] Henshaw, Canadian botanist, geographer, writer, and political activist, died. Grow That Garden Library™  Read The Daily Gardener review of Outside In by Sean A. Pritchard Buy the book on Amazon: Outside In by Sean A. Pritchard  Today's Botanic Spark 2021 Author and blogger Amy Baik ["Beck"] Lee captured the bittersweet moment every gardener knows - the annual closing of the garden. Thanks for listening to The Daily Gardener And remember: For a happy, healthy life, garden every day.

Subscribe Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart Support The Daily Gardener Buy Me A Coffee  Connect for FREE! The Friday Newsletter |  Daily Gardener Community Botanical History On This Day 1793 Archibald Menzies, the Scottish surgeon-botanist, reluctantly departs Santa Barbara aboard the HMS Discovery during Vancouver's expedition. 1810 Asa Gray is born. He was a figure who would become America's preeminent botanist and one of the most influential scientists of the 19th century. Grow That Garden Library™  Read The Daily Gardener review of New Nordic Gardens by Annika Zetterman  Buy the book on Amazon: New Nordic Gardens by Annika Zetterman  Today's Botanic Spark 1916 Renowned landscape architect Beatrix Farrand (FAIR-rand) creates a visionary rose garden plan for the New York Botanical Garden. Thanks for listening to The Daily Gardener And remember: For a happy, healthy life, garden every day.

Subscribe Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart Support The Daily Gardener Buy Me A Coffee  Connect for FREE! The Friday Newsletter |  Daily Gardener Community Botanical History On This Day 1806 William Wordsworth received a life-changing invitation from Lady Margaret Willes Beaumont to design and build a winter garden at her estate in an old gravel quarry. This unique request would lead to what Wordsworth later called "the longest letter I ever wrote in my life" - a detailed garden design that merged poetry with horticulture. 1887 Georgia O'Keeffe was born - an artist who would revolutionize how we see flowers through her bold, modernist vision. Over her remarkable career, O'Keeffe created more than 900 works of art, but it's her dramatic, large-scale flower paintings that have become her most recognizable legacy. Grow That Garden Library™  Read The Daily Gardener review of Around the House and In the Garden by Dominique Browning  Buy the book on Amazon: Around the House and In the Garden by Dominique Browning  Today's Botanic Spark 1985 On this day, a phenomenal piece of botanical history changed hands at Sotheby's auction house: Empress Josephine's personal copy of Pierre-Joseph Redouté's (pee-AIR zho-ZEFF reh-doo-TAY) botanical watercolors for "Les Liliacées" (lay lee-lee-ah-SAY) - "The Lilies." Thanks for listening to The Daily Gardener And remember: For a happy, healthy life, garden every day.

Subscribe Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart Support The Daily Gardener Buy Me A Coffee  Connect for FREE! The Friday Newsletter |  Daily Gardener Community Botanical History On This Day 1687 Eleanor "Nell" Gwynn, died at the age of 37 in her Pall Mall house in London. Known as "pretty, witty Nell" by diarist Samuel Pepys, she was one of the most celebrated figures of the Restoration period and a long-time mistress of King Charles II. 1749 John Custis IV, an American planter, politician, government official, and military officer, died. His garden legacy has recently captured headlines as archaeologists uncover what was once colonial America's most lavish ornamental garden. Grow That Garden Library™  Read The Daily Gardener review of Gardens for the Soul by Sara Bird and Dan Duchars  Buy the book on Amazon: Gardens for the Soul by Sara Bird and Dan Duchars  Today's Botanic Spark 1805 Robert Buist, florist and nurseryman, was born near Edinburgh, Scotland. Trained at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, Buist emigrated to Philadelphia in 1828 at age 23, where he would become one of America's most influential early nurserymen. Thanks for listening to The Daily Gardener And remember: For a happy, healthy life, garden every day.

Subscribe Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart Support The Daily Gardener Buy Me A Coffee  Connect for FREE! The Friday Newsletter |  Daily Gardener Community Botanical History On This Day 1849 A most extraordinary presentation took place at Windsor Castle. Imagine, if you will, standing in the grand halls of Windsor Castle as Joseph Paxton (PAX-ton) presented a massive leaf and exquisite blossom of the Victoria Amazonica (vik-TOR-ee-ah am-uh-ZON-ih-kuh) to the Queen. The moment was so moving that Her Majesty enthusiastically declared, "We are immensely pleased." 1909 The Secretary of Agriculture James Wilson (WIL-sun) sent what seemed like a routine notification to the plant industry office in Seattle. Little did anyone know this simple message would set in motion one of the most delicate diplomatic situations in early 20th-century American-Japanese relations. Grow That Garden Library™  Read The Daily Gardener review of The Kew Gardener's Guide to Growing Cacti and Succulents by the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew and Paul Rees Buy the book on Amazon: The Kew Gardener's Guide to Growing Cacti and Succulents by the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew and Paul Rees Today's Botanic Spark 1989 The Sarasota Herald-Tribune published a story that lifted the veil on the shadowy world of rare orchid trading. The article focused on Limerick Inc. and an alleged smuggling operation of endangered Chinese orchids to Florida - but the real story runs much deeper into the heart of orchid obsession. The tale of Kerry Richards and his nursery, Limerick Inc., reads like a botanical thriller. Thanks for listening to The Daily Gardener And remember: For a happy, healthy life, garden every day.

Subscribe Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart Support The Daily Gardener Buy Me A Coffee  Connect for FREE! The Friday Newsletter |  Daily Gardener Community Botanical History On This Day 1872 William Copeland McCalla, Canadian botanist and photographer, is born. McCalla would become one of Alberta's most influential botanists, combining his passion for photography with his love of plants to create an extraordinary legacy in Canadian botanical history. 1922 Elizabeth Roberts MacDonald, Canadian poet, died. Her poetic voice still echoes through the gardens of Maritime Canada. Her garden legacy continues to bloom in the hearts of those who tend both soil and verse.  Grow That Garden Library™  Read The Daily Gardener review of A New Cottage Garden by Mark Bolton  Buy the book on Amazon: A New Cottage Garden by Mark Bolton  Today's Botanic Spark 1900 Margaret Mitchell, the American southern writer of Gone with the Wind, is born. Through Mitchell's pen, flowers and beauty became essential to her epic tale. Thanks for listening to The Daily Gardener And remember: For a happy, healthy life, garden every day.

Subscribe Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart Support The Daily Gardener Buy Me A Coffee  Connect for FREE! The Friday Newsletter |  Daily Gardener Community Botanical History On This Day 1783 General George Washington penned his historic Farewell Address to his troops at Rockingham, marking a pivotal moment in American history. Today, this historic site continues to tell its story not just through its architecture, but through its meticulously maintained period gardens that offer visitors a living connection to our nation's past. 1860 Warren Manning, a visionary landscape architect, is born. His birth was commemorated by his father with the planting of an elm tree - a fitting tribute for a man who would dedicate his life to transforming America's landscapes. Grow That Garden Library™  Read The Daily Gardener review of The Landscape of Home by Edmund Hollander  Buy the book on Amazon: The Landscape of Home by Edmund Hollander  Today's Botanic Spark 1897 On this day, Ruth Pitter, a remarkable British poet whose deep connection to nature, primarily through her beloved Hainault Forest, was born. Thanks for listening to The Daily Gardener And remember: For a happy, healthy life, garden every day.

Subscribe Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart Support The Daily Gardener Buy Me A Coffee  Connect for FREE! The Friday Newsletter |  Daily Gardener Community Botanical History On This Day 1868 The botanist and garden writer Alice Lounsberry is born in New York City. 1885 The renowned British botanist and explorer Frank Kingdon-Ward was born in Manchester, England. Grow That Garden Library™  Read The Daily Gardener review of Favorite Poems for the Garden by Bushel & Peck Books  Buy the book on Amazon: Favorite Poems for the Garden by Bushel & Peck Books  Today's Botanic Spark 1836 Martha Turnbull, mistress of Rosedown Plantation in St. Francisville, Louisiana, penned the first entry in what would become a remarkable 59-year chronicle of life and gardening in the antebellum South. Thanks for listening to The Daily Gardener And remember: For a happy, healthy life, garden every day.

Subscribe Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart Support The Daily Gardener Buy Me A Coffee  Connect for FREE! The Friday Newsletter |  Daily Gardener Community Botanical History On This Day 1801 On this day, America lost one of its pioneering botanists, Humphry Marshall, the "Father of American Dendrology." 1869 Ellen Shipman, a woman who found her voice in the whispers of flowers and her strength in the structure of garden walls, is born. Grow That Garden Library™ Read The Daily Gardener review of Garden Favorites by Warren Schultz, Rebecca Atwater and Rick Darke Buy the book on Amazon: Garden Favorites by Warren Schultz, Rebecca Atwater and Rick Darke Today's Botanic Spark 1857 Ida Tarbell is born - a woman who would become known for exposing Standard Oil's monopolistic practices but who found her greatest peace tending to her beloved Connecticut farm. Thanks for listening to The Daily Gardener And remember: For a happy, healthy life, garden every day.

Subscribe Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart Support The Daily Gardener Buy Me A Coffee  Connect for FREE! The Friday Newsletter |  Daily Gardener Community Botanical History On This Day 1857 John Joly (pronounced "JOLLY") was born on this day in Hollywood House near the village of Bracknagh (pronounced "BRACK-nuh") in County Offaly, Ireland. Joly was an Irish polymath whose profound connection to nature led him not only to groundbreaking scientific discoveries but also to poetry about fossils and gardens. 1636 Nicolas Boileau-Despréaux (pronounced "nee-koh-LAH bwah-LOH day-pray-OH") was born on this day in Paris. Boileau was a French poet and critic whose garden became a sanctuary for some of the greatest literary minds of the 17th century. Grow That Garden Library™  Read The Daily Gardener review of Adventures in Eden by Carolyn Mullet  Buy the book on Amazon: Adventures in Eden by Carolyn Mullet  Today's Botanic Spark 1826 Maude Jeannie Fuller Young was born on this day in 1826. Though she would become known for many accomplishments, it's her groundbreaking contribution to botanical education that particularly interests us as gardeners. Thanks for listening to The Daily Gardener And remember: For a happy, healthy life, garden every day.

Subscribe Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart Support The Daily Gardener Buy Me A Coffee  Connect for FREE! The Friday Newsletter |  Daily Gardener Community Botanical History On This Day 1795 John Keats is born into a world he would later capture through some of the most vivid botanical imagery in English poetry. 1895 Mary Eleanor Wilkins Freeman, the popular American writer, is born in Randolph, Massachusetts. Grow That Garden Library™  Read The Daily Gardener review of Seedtime and Harvest by Christie Purifoy  Buy the book on Amazon: Seedtime and Harvest by Christie Purifoy  Today's Botanic Spark 1804 Gardener Edward Ward laid down his trowel for the last time. He was 92. Thanks for listening to The Daily Gardener And remember: For a happy, healthy life, garden every day.

Subscribe Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart Support The Daily Gardener Buy Me A Coffee  Connect for FREE! The Friday Newsletter |  Daily Gardener Community Botanical History On This Day 1763 Heinrich Cotta [HINE-rick COT-ah] is born beneath the open sky of Kleine Zillbach [KLINE-eh TSIL-bock], Germany. 1897 Evelyn Mary Booth is born in Annamoe [AN-ah-moh], County Wicklow, Ireland. Grow That Garden Library™  Read The Daily Gardener review of The Cottage Garden by Claus Dalby Buy the book on Amazon: The Cottage Garden by Claus Dalby Today's Botanic Spark 1839 Impressionist painter Alfred Sisley, is born in Paris. Thanks for listening to The Daily Gardener And remember: For a happy, healthy life, garden every day.

  Subscribe Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart Support The Daily Gardener Buy Me A Coffee  Connect for FREE! The Friday Newsletter |  Daily Gardener Community Botanical History On This Day 1811 Texas botanist Charles Wright is born on this day in Wethersfield, Connecticut. 1972 The Berkshire Eagle published a revealing article about Henry David Thoreau [pronounced: THOR-oh] titled "Thoreau: The Amateur Botanist." Grow That Garden Library™ Read The Daily Gardener review of A Home in Bloom by Christie Purifoy Buy the book on Amazon: A Home in Bloom by Christie Purifoy Today's Botanic Spark 1830 Plant science pioneer Effie Almira Southworth Spaulding is born in North Collins, New York. Her story illuminates both the challenges and triumphs of women in early American botanical science. Thanks for listening to The Daily Gardener And remember: For a happy, healthy life, garden every day.

Subscribe Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart Support The Daily Gardener Buy Me A Coffee  Connect for FREE! The Friday Newsletter |  Daily Gardener Community Botanical History On This Day 1798 Count Hippolyte François Jaubert, a fascinating figure who bridged the worlds of politics and botany in 19th century France, is born. 1871 South African plantsman Harold Basil Christian [KRIS-tee-un] is born. His journey into botany began with an "unsightly rock" and turned into one of the world's most important aloe collections. Grow That Garden Library™  Read The Daily Gardener review of Growing Your Own Tea Garden by Jodi Helmer Buy the book on Amazon: Growing Your Own Tea Garden by Jodi Helmer Today's Botanic Spark 1744 Sarah Sophia "Sophie" Banks is born. Sophie, as her family and friends referred to her, reminds us that behind every great gardener often stands an equally remarkable helper, supporter, and collaborator. Thanks for listening to The Daily Gardener And remember: For a happy, healthy life, garden every day.

Subscribe Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart Support The Daily Gardener Buy Me A Coffee  Connect for FREE! The Friday Newsletter |  Daily Gardener Community Botanical History On This Day 1776 Patrick Neill, British printer and horticulturalist, is born. 1840 Joseph Hetherington McDaniels, Classical Scholar, is born.  1909 Tyge Wittrock Böcher [TEE-guh VIT-rock BER-ker], Danish botanist, evolutionary biologist, plant ecologist and phytogeographer, is born.  Grow That Garden Library™  Read The Daily Gardener review of The Healing Garden by Juliet Blankespoor Buy the book on Amazon: The Healing Garden by Juliet Blankespoor  Today's Botanic Spark 1973 An AP Newspaper Article shared the latest rare plant sensation from the two postal workers who founded the Siskiyou Rare Plant Nursery  Thanks for listening to The Daily Gardener And remember: For a happy, healthy life, garden every day.

Subscribe Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart Support The Daily Gardener Buy Me A Coffee  Connect for FREE! The Friday Newsletter |  Daily Gardener Community Botanical History On This Day 1830 Marianne North, the Victorian Artist Who Painted the World's Flora, is born. 1843 Learning from History: Vermont's Snowy October Surprise 1875 Cora Older, the Horticulturist and author known as the Pink Lady, is born. 2014 Remembering Margaret Owen, the Snowdrop Queen Grow That Garden Library™ Read The Daily Gardener review of A Life in the Garden by Barbara Damrosch Buy the book on Amazon: A Life in the Garden by Barbara Damrosch Today's Botanic Spark 1874 Henry Arthur Bright shares musings on his October garden. Thanks for listening to The Daily Gardener And remember: For a happy, healthy life, garden every day.

Subscribe Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart Support The Daily Gardener Buy Me A Coffee  Connect for FREE! The Friday Newsletter |  Daily Gardener Community Botanical History On This Day 1796 William Casson, English botanist, seed merchant, and local historian, was born. 1854 Annie Lorrain Smith, British lichenologist and textbook author, was born. 1865 Neltje Blanchan, American scientific historian and nature writer, was born. 1905 Katharine Stewart wrote in her garden journal featured in A Garden in the Hills Grow That Garden Library™ Read The Daily Gardener review of A Life in the Garden By Bunny Williams Buy the book on Amazon: A Life in the Garden By Bunny Williams Today's Botanic Spark 1813 Ludwig Leichhardt, German explorer and naturalist, was born. Thanks for listening to The Daily Gardener And remember: For a happy, healthy life, garden every day.

Subscribe Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart   Support The Daily Gardener Buy Me A Coffee    Connect for FREE! The Friday Newsletter |  Daily Gardener Community   Historical Events 1801 William Henry Seward "Sue-erd", an American politician who served as United States Secretary of State from 1861 to 1869, is born. He was also featured in the book by Doris Kearns Goodwin called Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln, in which she wrote about William as a naturalist. He loved his garden. This little passage offers so many insights into William as a nature lover. As a gardener and just to set this up, this is taking place during the civil war when there's a little break in the action for Seward, and he accompanies his wife Frances and their daughter, back to Auburn, New York, where they were planning to spend the summer.  Seward accompanied Frances and Fanny back to Auburn, where they planned to spend the summer. For a few precious days, he entertained old friends, caught up on his reading, and tended his garden. The sole trying event was the decision to fell a favorite old poplar tree that had grown unsound. Frances could not bear to be present as it was cut, certain that she "should feel every stroke of the axe." Once it was over, however, she could relax in the beautiful garden she had sorely missed during her prolonged stay in Washington. Nearly sixty years old, with the vitality and appearance of a man half his age, Seward typically rose at 6 a.m. when first light slanted into the bedroom window of his twenty-room country home. Rising early allowed him time to complete his morning constitutional through his beloved garden before the breakfast bell was rung. Situated on better than five acres of land, the Seward mansion was surrounded by manicured lawns, elaborate gardens, and walking paths that wound beneath elms, mountain ash, evergreens, and fruit trees.  Decades earlier, Seward had supervised the planting of every one of these trees, which now numbered in the hundreds. He had spent thousands of hours fertilizing and cultivating his flowering shrubs. With what he called 'a lover's interest," he inspected them daily.    Then I love what Doris writes next because she's contrasting Seward with Abraham Lincoln in terms of their love of working outside. [Seward's] horticultural passion was in sharp contrast to Lincoln's lack of interest in planting trees or growing flowers at his Springfield home. Having spent his childhood laboring long hours on his father's struggling farm, Lincoln found little that was romantic or recreational about tilling the soil. When Seward "came into the table," his son Frederick recalled, "he would announce that the hyacinths were in bloom, or that the bluebirds had come, or whatever other change the morning had brought."   1809 Martha Ballard recorded her work as an herbalist and midwife. For 27 years, Martha kept a journal of her work as the town healer and midwife for Hallowell, Maine. Today Martha's marvelous journal gives us a glimpse into the plants that she regularly used and how she applied them medicinally. And as for how Martha sourced her plants, she raised them in her garden or foraged for them in the wild. As the village apothecary, Martha found her own ingredients and personally made all of her herbal remedies. Here's what the writer, Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, Wrote about Martha's work back in May of 1809.  Martha's far more expansive record focused on the mundane work of gardening, the daily, incremental tasks that each season exacted.  In May of 1809, she "sowed," "sett," "planted,' and "transplanted" in at least half dozen places, digging ground "west of the hous" on May 15 and starting squash, cucumbers, muskmelons and watermelons on "East side house" the same day.  She planted "by the hogg pen" on May 16 and 18 on May 23 sowed string peas "in the end of my gardin," and on May 26, planted "south of the hous." The plots she defined by the three points of the compass were no doubt raised beds, rich with manure, used for starting seeds in cool weather. The garden proper had a fence, which Ephraim mended on May 12. Whether it included the plot near the "hogg pen," we do not know.  All of these spots, managed by Martha, were distinct from the "field." which Jonathan plowed on May 15, and DeLafayette and Mr. Smith on May 27 and May 31.  Martha's was an ordinary garden, a factory for food and medicine that incidentally provided nourishment to the soul. "I have workt in my gardin, she wrote on May 17, the possessive pronoun the only hint of the sense of ownership she felt in her work.  The garden was hers, though her husband or son or the Hallowell and Augusta Bank owned the land.  "I have squash & Cucumbers come up in the bed East side the house," she wrote on May 22.  The garden was hers because she turned the soil, dropped the seeds, and each year recorded in her diary, as though it had never happened before, the recurring miracle of spring.     1899 Luigi Fenaroli, the great Italian agronomist and botanist, is born. Luigi wrote a flora of the Alps, and he was an expert in forestry, but today we remember him for his work with chestnuts. Luigi wrote two books on chestnuts, and he was passionate about chestnuts as a good source of nutrition - especially for people who've lived in the mountains. Although today, of course, chestnuts are beloved in Italy, as well as other parts of the world. Chestnuts are unique in that they contain very little fat and protein compared to other types of nuts, but they are an excellent source of both carbohydrates and water. There is about a 50-50 ratio there. And so it's not surprising to learn that Roman soldiers were given porridge made of chestnuts before they went into battle. It gave them sustenance, that simple Chestnut porridge. Today chestnuts are known as a superfood. They are healthy and irresistibly tasty. And so they rank near the top of the list for most nutritious snacks.   1905 Herbert Ernest Bates (pen name H. E. Bates), English author, is born. He is remembered for his books Love for Lydia (1952), The Darling Buds of May (1958), and My Uncle Silas (1939). In his book, A Love of Flowers (1971), Herbert wrote, It is wonderful to think that one of the few unbroken links between the civilization of ancient Egypt and the civilization of today is the garden.   Herbert also wrote,  I shut my eyes it returns: the evocation of a whole wood, a whole world of darkness and flowers and birds and late summer silence... more than the mere memory of a wood, the first and the best wood.   Herbert wrote about gardeners. He said, The true gardener, like an artist, is never satisfied.   And he also once wrote this about gardens. Gardens... should be like lovely, well-shaped girls: all curves, secret corners, unexpected deviations, seductive surprises, and then still more curves.   1926 On this day, the state of Kentucky selected the Goldenrod for its Floral Emblem. Prior to 1926, Kentucky's floral emblem had been the Bluegrass (which seems more fitting still today), but Kentucky gardening clubs felt Bluegrass wasn't representative of the whole state.   And here's a fun fact: Alabama and Nebraska also picked the native goldenrod to be the State Flower.   Goldenrod has a lot of haters because many people confuse it for ragweed. I hate to even write that - because it makes people think they must look similar. But that's just not true. Once you see Goldenrod and Ragweed individually - you could never confuse them. Ragweed flowers are green and not eye-catching, while goldenrods are golden and very pretty.   I saw an infographic a few years ago that said,   Goldenrod Warning: if I'm here, so is ragweed. Stay indoors! Achoo!   This is clearly maligning Goldenrod. It might as well say the black-eyed Susans are blooming, so is ragweed. Or the Joe Pye Weed is blooming - and so is ragweed - and so, by the way, are all the late summer bloomers - echinacea, helenium, oriental lily, asters, balloon flowers, sedums, tickseed, autumn crocus, Japanese anemones, blue mist shrub, hydrangeas, the list goes on and on. It's just an issue of timing. The genus name Solidago is taken from the Latin "in solidum ago vulnera" and it means "I make wounds whole." And so it's not surprising to learn that Native Americans and herbalists have long recognized the curative power of goldenrod when it comes to wound care.   Now, If you want to plant some Goldenrod, keep in mind that it is an early autumn bloomer. It's also an important food source for honey bees and makes for a fantastic cut flower.   Finally, the botanical painter Anne Ophelia Todd Dowden once painted the goldenrod and observed, Abundant it may be, but repugnant it is not.    Grow That Garden Library™ Book Recommendation Of Rhubarb and Roses by Tim Richardson This book came out in 2013, and the subtitle is The Telegraph Book of the Garden. Well, this is such a happy and fun book for gardeners in the summertime. I love the cover, which shows a gentleman sleeping on a garden bench with a little golden Tabby cat beneath him. There's also a lawnmower and a wheelbarrow full of produce. There are beautiful garden beds. There's a beautiful garden arbor. And then, of course, there's a newspaper of the daily Telegraph That's laid out on the wheelbarrow, right by the tomatoes and the carrots and the cabbage and so forth. But this is a book that the Telegraph put together, and it is a compilation book - an anthology of garden essays by garden writers And so in this book, you will find fantastic garden essays from the likes of Stephen Lacey, Mary Keen, Helen Yemm, Bunny Guinness, Monty Don,  Rosemary Verey, and the like. Now here's what Tim wrote in the introduction to this book. I'm not sure quite what I was anticipating, but I know it was not diatribes against melon frappé or the best places to find wild chives on the Lizard peninsula. I'm not sure, either, that I was quite ready for the fac

Subscribe Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart   Support The Daily Gardener Buy Me A Coffee   Connect for FREE! The Friday Newsletter | Daily Gardener Community   Historical Events 1772 Karl Friedrich von Gaertner, German botanist, is born. Karl Friedrich von Gaertner had a fantastic last name; Gaertner translates to mean gardener. Karl was a second-generation gardener. His dad was Joseph Gaertner, the great German botanist and horticulturist, so Karl essentially stepped in his father's footsteps. Karl's claim to fame was his work with hybrids with hybridizing plants. Along with other botanists, he laid the foundation for Gregor Mendel, who discovered the basic principles of heredity through his experiments with peas in his garden at the Augustinian monastery he lived in at Brno ("BURR-no") in the Czech Republic.   1890 Phebe Holder's poem, A Song of May, appeared in newspapers this month. In addition to her religious poems, Phebe wrote about the natural world. Gardeners delight in her poems for spring and fall. Phebe is a fabulous New England Victorian poet and gardener I love and admire. She loved the delicate plants of springtime and wrote a poem called A Song of May. What song hast thou, sweet May, for me, My listening ear what song for thee? A song of life from growing things, The life thy gentle presence brings; The tender light of budding spray. The blooming down on willow grey, The living green that earth overspreads, The creamy flowers on mossy beds. From blossoms pure with petals white As pressed from out the moonbeam's light. The fragrant lily of the vale, The violet's breath on passing gale: Anemones mid last year's*leaves, Arbutus sweet in trailing wreaths, From waving lights of forest glade The light ferns hiding neath the shade. A song of joy from wood and plain, From birds in old-time haunts again; The silvery laugh of tuneful rill O'er rocky bed, down craggy hill; Soft coming of warm dropping showers, The sighing wind in piney bowers; The music breathed by low-voiced waves, For listening, from ocean caves, A plaintive strain doth memory sing, A breathing of departed Spring: An unseen Presence in the home, A spirit voice-"The Master's come!". While hearts in tender sorrow wept O'er one beloved who silent slept, Who in the May-time long ago Passed the pearl gates of glory through. A grateful song, our God, to Thee For treasures of the earth and sea; For all the beauty Thou hast given; A dream to loving hearts, of heaven; A song of life, of joy, of love, Of trust, of faith in light adore This offering on thy shrine I lay; This song hast thou for me, sweet May.   Phebe's A Song of May recalls the flowers of spring. In the second verse, she's touching on many great spring beauties: the Lily of the Valley, violets, anemones, The Mayflower (also known as the trailing arbutus), and then, of course, ferns. In May, fern fronds cover the woodlands and understories. All of these spring plants emerge very quickly once they get growing. The ground transforms from leaf-littered - brown, drab, and dreary - to excellent with beautiful little blossoms.   1822 Thomas Hoy, English gardener, horticulturist, and botanist, died. Thomas was a dedicated gardener and head gardener for the Duke of Northumberland for over four decades - so he worked with plants his entire life. Thomas was a fellow of the Linnaean Society and liked to show his work at various plant societies And outings.  Thomas is remembered as an experienced botanist and a capable cultivator. He was very good at his job. In fact, he was so good that the botanist Robert Brown named a popular plant genus for Thomas Hoy. Can you guess what it is? Well, if you were thinking Hoya, you are correct. The Hoya is a beautiful way to be remembered and honored. I love Hoyas. I picked up a couple of variegated Hoyas over the winter, and I'm so excited to see what the flower looks like.  Overall the Hoya is a gorgeous plant named for the intelligent, thoughtful, and dedicated gardener Thomas Hoy, who died on this day when he was 72.    1867 Ralph Waldo Emerson inscribed a copy of his book, May Day, to Sophie Thoreau, the devoted sister of Henry David Thoreau. May Day is a collection of Emerson's writing and poems and includes the line, "Why chidest thou the tardy spring?" from his May Day poem. Why chidest thou the tardy Spring? The hardy bunting does not chide; The blackbirds make the maples ring With social cheer and jubilee; The redwing flutes his o-ka-lee, The robins know the melting snow; The sparrow meek, prophetic-eyed, Her nest beside the snow-drift weaves, Secure the osier yet will hide Her callow brood in mantling leaves; And thou, by science all undone, Why only must thy reason fail To see the southing of the sun?   In other words, why be upset that spring is late? Spring has everything in hand. Don't be angry about nature's timing. A library first shared this inscription with Ralph Waldo Emerson's beautiful handwriting. About a decade after receiving the book, Sophie gifted the book to her friend Mabel Loomis and inscribed the transfer in the book. If you're looking for a sentimental month of May gift or have a May birthday and want to give something unique, look for an old copy of May Day by Ralph Waldo Emerson. It's a beautiful gift.   Well, it turns out that May 1st is a great day to release a brand new gardening book, and so I thought I'd wrap up today's botanical history with three great garden books released on May 1st.   2001 The Himalayan Garden: Growing Plants from the Roof of the World by Jim Jermyn. If you're into growing mountain plants, Alpine plants, wildflowers, etc., and if you have a cold climate, you'll enjoy this book.   2015 Monet's Palate Cookbook: The Artist & His Kitchen Garden At Giverny by Aileen Bordman   2018 Herbal Medicine for Beginners: Your Guide to Healing Common Ailments with 35 Medicinal Herbs by Katja Swift     Grow That Garden Library™ Book Recommendation Emily's Fresh Kitchen by Emily Maxson This book came out in January of 2022, and the subtitle is Cook Your Way to Better Health.  I must be honest and let you know that I stumbled on this book at my local Goodwill and was immediately taken with it. I think it's fantastic. And I can't believe I missed it last year, so I'm playing catch up here. But the cover captivated me because it features a great soup - Her Roasted Butternut with Sage Soup infused with Coconut Cream. I bet it's fantastic. It sure makes for a pretty cover. And I must say that all of the pictures in this book are beautiful. I wanted to share a little bit about Emily because her story has inspired so much of her work, and she writes, After a Crohn's disease diagnosis at age 28 and over a decade of unsuccessful traditional treatment, Emily Maxson discovered the specific carbohydrate diet's positive effects and food's transformative power to improve health. She's a trained chef who poured her heart into creating delectable dishes that meet her diet's rigorous guidelines.   So the diet that she's following is the Specific Carbohydrate Diet. If you haven't heard about it, Emily is an expert. And for her, the diet has led to a healthier and happier life. Now, if you're curious about this and can't wait to get the book, head over to her website Emily's Fresh Kitchen - it's the same name as the book title. You will find incredible recipes, inspiring stories, and photos there. She does a top-notch job. I also want to share more about this Specific Carbohydrate Diet because you're probably curious. This is a primarily plant-based diet, which is great for gardeners who want to eat fresh from the garden. And here's what Emily writes about on page nine of her book. Following this diet, I cooked myself out of disease and into good health. While the diet was strict, the results were miraculous. It was such a blessing not to have to take medications or to spend time in hospitals, my gut was healthy again, and I was able to start introducing foods that were not allowed while following the diet. Today, I strive for my diet to be 80% plant-based. I focus on fiber and try to get a variety of plant foods in my diet daily, including some gluten-free whole grains.   This diet and way of life are working for her. Consequently, Emily has written a great cookbook with lots of ideas. I thought what I would do is walk you through the chapters here. First, she does a quick overview of what's in her pantry. Then, she talks about her favorite kitchen tools. I love the gadgets, and I love her tips on this. Emily has an excellent section on salads, main dishes, soups, sides, breakfast, and smoothies. That's a critical section for me because I always feel like if I can nail down what I'm having for breakfast, the rest of the day goes well. Then she shares appetizers and savory snacks, which is a good section, too. I've been looking for delicious things I can eat in the evenings. I will check this out. The next chapter covers sweets, treats, condiments, dressings, and spice blends. This is an essential tool, especially if you're going to a plant-based diet because you don't want to lose the flavor. And then drinks and cocktails. Emily is pretty thorough, and it's easy to tell that this is an entire lifestyle for her. She's mastered this, and she can use her own story as a testament to the fact that it does work; to cook your way to better health. This book is 284 pages of nutritious and flavorful dishes that will help heal your body and get you back on the road to health. You can get a copy of Emily's Fresh Kitchen: Cook Your Way to Better Health by Emily Maxson and support the show using the Amazon link in today's show notes for around $25. This is a great gift book if you're looking for an excellent garden-to-table cookbook.    Botanic Spark 1859 On this day, Calvin Fletcher, American attorney, banker, farmer, and state senator in Indianapolis, wrote these words in his diary: This a most delightful Sabbath m