The Daily Gardener

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 1779 Birth of William Baldwin, American physician, and botanist. William is remembered as one of the first botanists to explore Georgia and Florida and parts of Latin America and the West Indies. William was brought on as the botanist for Stephen Long's 1819 expedition to find the headwaters of the Missouri River. Six months later, William Baldwin died at Franklin, Missouri, at the age of 40 and was buried on the banks of the Missouri River. Today we know about William mostly from his dear friend, the botanist William Darlington, who wrote his biography. The two men became close after William nursed Darlington back to health after an illness when the two were young men. Darlington reflected on William's death decades later when he wrote these words: His gentle spirit forsook its frail tenement, in a region far remote from his anxious family, - and the wildflowers of the West, for more than twenty years, have been blooming on his lonely grave: But the recollection of his virtues continues to be fondly cherished by every surviving friend, - and his ardor in the pursuit of his favorite Science will render his memory forever dear to the true lovers of American Botany. William Darlington learned from a colleague that floodwaters had washed away William Baldwin's grave the following year. Baldwin's milkwort (Polygala balduinii "puh-LIG-ah-lah bal-DEE-nee-eye") was named in honor of William Baldwin. Baldwin's milkwort is one of only a handful of white milkworts found in Florida. 1913 Birth of Ronald Stuart Thomas (published as R. S. Thomas), Welsh poet and Anglican priest. Here's an excerpt of his poem The Garden (1963). It is a gesture against the wild, The ungovernable sea of grass; A place to remember love in, To be lonely for a while; 1969 On this day, work was finished on a kimono-inspired garden in Japan called Yûrin no Niwa ("Yer-EEN no nee-wah") in Kyoto. The garden was initially designed to accompany the building for the Association of Kimono Manufacturers. The famous garden designer Mirei Shigemori ("Me-ray Shig-ah-mor-ee") designed the garden, which was celebrated in a ceremony the day after work was completed. But thirty years later, the area was redeveloped, and the building was set to be demolished. Iwamoto Toshio ("E-wah-mo-to To-see-oh") was a student of Shigemori's, and he decided to rescue the garden so that it could be relocated to a new home. When Shigemori's hometown built a new town hall, the garden found its new home. And so, over 80 truckloads of rock and stone were painstakingly brought to the new site, where they were reassembled to make the second incarnation of the Yûrin no Niwa garden. This second garden ended up being just a bit larger. The garden features a shallow kimono-shaped pond, and the water brings out the colors of the red and blue stones that make the strips of the noshi bundle on the kimono. The garden's name was a blending of the two names - the name of the man who developed the silk-dying process for the kimonos and the name of the painter who inspired the kimono designs: Yûrin no Niwa. 2021 On this day, as Brits were enjoying the end of their COVID lockdown, Out and Out shared an article called, five things to do to get your garden ready for March 29th. The tips included: 1. Smarten up your lawn There is something so appealing about a lush, vibrant green lawn, so make this your first job. Give your lawn a good raking to get rid of any fallen debris and shake over some grass seed if you notice any patchy areas. 2. Wash away winter ...get everything scrubbed up nicely – you don't want to take the shine off your gathering with grubby surroundings. Give your patio and decking areas a good going over with a jet wash and blast away winter's deposits. 3. Organize your seating Place garden dining furniture in a large enough area that there's space to walk all the way around and for guests to comfortably get in and out. If you have a garden lounge set or garden sofas, lay them out so you can comfortably converse with guests while enjoying the satisfying garden views. 4. Spring planting If you didn't get round to planting spring bulbs last year, you can always add instant colour by picking up some established plants at the garden centre. Shrubs such as Camellia, Japanese quince and Forsythia also look their best during the spring months. Pop some into borders and create container displays for the patio to give your garden an instant lift. 5. Finishing touches For alfresco dining, set the table with colorful crockery and beakers which will take you through to BBQ season too. For sunny weather, invest in a parasol, and for cooler days and evenings patio heaters and some chunky throws will be very welcome additions. Don't forget solar lights either, to keep the conversation going after nightfall. Grow That Garden Library™ Book Recommendation Homegrown Tea by Cassie Liversidge This book came out in 2014, and the subtitle is An Illustrated Guide to Planting, Harvesting, and Blending Teas and Tisanes. I have been waiting to share this book with you. Now, if you don't know what a Tisane is, it's an infusion: take dried or fresh herbs and infuse them into liquids, and then you have a beverage that you can drink just to enjoy or get some medicinal benefit from it. A sample Tisane might be made with Juniper berries or white peppercorns with grapefruit and orange peels. That's a great little drink. Juniper is outstanding and is a common ingredient in a Tisane. Now, one of the things that I want to say about Cassie's book right off the bat is that it's stunning. This is a St. Martin's Griffin book. There are so many beautiful photos. I love illustrated guides because they are so helpful. Sometimes, when you're exploring a new topic or venturing into a new area of gardening, you need lots of photos to find your way and serve as inspiration for you. Now Cassie is a huge tea fan, and she sees the garden through the lens of tea. When Cassie sees a garden, she sees a living tea cupboard because there are all kinds of plant materials that you can harvest to make your own teas and tisanes. As Cassie says in her introduction, Homegrown Tea is a gardening book for tea lovers. It explains how to grow a large variety of plants from which you can make your own teas and tisanes. your garden, your balcony, or even your window sill could become your tea cupboard. Now, one of the other things that I love about how Cassie approaches this is, she also shares some of the history of tea and how some of these ingredients have been used over the years. Her sample drinks include plants like rose hips, mint, sage hibiscus, and lavender and plants like chicory or angelica, apple geranium, and lemon verbena. One other thing that I want to tell you about Cassie is that she's a garden girl. She grew up in her parents' plant nursery, so she knows about plants - they're in her DNA. And that's why Cassie is so thoughtful and so knowledgeable about plants in the garden and how you can incorporate them into teas. And by the way, her debut book was called Grow Your Own Pasta Sauce, and that book is excellent as well. But if you are a tea lover, you've got to get this book. And if you have a friend that loves tea, this would make an excellent gift or even just a wonderful hostess gift. It would be great to give this book to a summer party hostess and a few teabags of your own concoctions. This book is 288 pages of tea in all its glory and fresh from your garden. You can get a copy of Homegrown Tea by Cassie Liversidge and support the show using the Amazon link in today's show notes for around $16. Botanic Spark 1942 On this day, a twenty-six-year-old ethnobotanist named Richard Evans Schultes arrived at the Kofán village of El Conejo, where a shaman welcomed him. Richard had just finished his Ph.D. at Harvard, and his mission was to find indigenous arrow poisons used in the Amazon rainforest. The goal was to see if the poisons could be used as muscle relaxants in surgical procedures. The trip set Richard down a path of meeting with shamans and discovering the plants they used medicinally and in their holy traditions. Richard gleaned so much on this trip. He learned about special leaves that were heated with smoke and then laid on the forehead to relieve headaches; orchid bulbs that were chewed for energy on long trips; shamrock leaves that were gargled for throat pain; pepper plant poultices applied to insect bites; the leaves of a white orchid that could be packed around a sore tooth or eaten mashed with sugar to heal a broken heart. The list goes on and on. Overall, Richard's trip was a success. It seemed charmed from the start. On his first day in Bogata, Richard discovered a new orchid. He pressed it in between the pages of his passport. It was later named Pacyphyllum schultesii in his honor. Richard later reflected on the opportunity and wrote, I had just earned my Ph.D. at Harvard, and I had been offered two jobs. One was as a biology master at a private school in New England; the other was a ten-month grant... to go to the Amazon region to identify the plants employed in the many kinds of curare the Indians use for hunting. I decided on the Amazon—which is fortunate because otherwise, I would probably still be a biology [teacher]! 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 1895 Birth of Spencer Woolley Kimball, American business, civic, and religious leader. He was the twelfth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). He was also a gardener and wrote, Where you have a plot of land, however small, plant a garden. Staying close to the soil is good for the soul. 1906 Birth of Jean Galbraith, Australian botanist, gardener, writer, and poet. Jean is remembered for her books on Australian botany including three editions of the seminal Wildflowers of Victoria (1950), Collins Field Guide to the Wild Flowers of Southeast Australia, and a children's book Grandma Honeypot (1964). Her charming book, Garden in a Valley (1939), became an instant garden classic when it was republished in 1985. Born in Tyers (a little town in Gippsland, Australia), Jean spent almost eighty years in her family home called Dunedin ("Do-NEE-din"). At Dunedin, Jean maintained an enormous garden, which became a draw for visitors from all over Australia and the world. The artist, Peter Cuffley, painted a fabulous representation of Dunedin. It's one of the most iconic garden art pieces of the past century. Jean learned botany through letters she exchanged with the botanist Herbert B. Williamson during the 1920s. When Jean turned 21, Herbert sent her a microscope and it became one of her most treasured possessions. As a writer, Jean had a distinctive style and voice. Her writing was more akin to John Muir's than the stiff formal writing of her scientific peers. For 50 years she delighted the readers of the two magazines she regularly wrote for: The Garden Lover and the Victorian Naturalist. As a person, Jean lived an incredibly simple life. She did not have a car, tv, or phone and wrote her books longhand. By all accounts, she was one of the kindest souls to have ever walked the earth. She wanted children to know and love nature. She was an advocate for plant preservation - especially wildflowers in their native habitats. Jean believed in the spiritual and healing aspects of gardening. She believed that the garden was a metaphor for life and for living. In 1970, Jean was awarded the Australian Natural History Medallion. Jean died in 1999, just before her 93rd birthday. Jean once wrote that she knew the stories of every plant in her garden, There is no flower in the garden that has not its remembered history. And Jean loved her garden, despite its faults. It is not a model garden, rarely, alas, is it even orderly. (But) in spite of its failures and mistakes and imperfections, its airs are sweet, its flowers love to bloom, and we are happy in it. 1928 On this day, Margarita Grace Phipps, wife of John S. Phipps (an heir to the Phipps family fortune), hosted the first meeting of The Garden Club of Palm Beach at her home, Casa Bendita. Fifteen women attended the event. Mrs. Frederick E. Guest is credited with having the original idea for the club Today Casa Bendita's remaining six-acre garden has evolved into Casa Phippsberger, the island's most sensational private botanical garden. And, The Garden Club of Palm Beach continues to grow. One of the ways the club stays relevant is to have a member attend every single town meeting to make sure the club can take advantage of opportunities to help the community. In 2010, the club installed a beautification and education garden at the Southern Oasis Traffic Circle. The garden features plants that thrive in the Palm Beach climate. That same year, the club installed xeriscape landscaping in eight Kaleidoscope Flower Beds on Royal Poinciana Way. In 2011, the club created a vertical garden on the Saks Fifth Avenue store. Called the Living Wall, the project has become an iconic element of the Worth Avenue Restoration Project. In 2021, the club created the four-acre Bradley Park Tidal Garden. When the club began work on a children's playground in Bradley Park, members realized that frequent flooding from king tides needed to be addressed in the plans. The solution was the creation of a tidal garden. King tides are bigger than normal tides and they can cause an enormous amount of damage to the Landscapeape. The new tidal garden was designed by SMI Landscape Architecture LLC, to withstand king tides by incorporating sunken gardens with channels that send water back where it belongs. The majority of the garden is designed with native plants and natural elements like climbable cap-stone boulders. The next project will be the restoration of the Chinese Garden at The Society of The Four Arts where the demonstration gardens are maintained by the Palm Beach Garden Club. The seven demonstration gardens illustrate different themed garden spaces and include the Chinese Garden, the Fragrant Moonlight Garden, the Palm Garden, the Bromeliad Garden, the Jungle Garden, the Spanish Facade Garden, the Formal Garden, the Tropical Garden, and the Madonna Garden. Grow That Garden Library™ Book Recommendation Aquascaping by George Farmer This book came out in 2020, and the subtitle is Simple Ideas For Small Outdoor Spaces. You can get a copy of Aquascaping by George Farmer and support the show using the Amazon link in today's show notes. Botanic Spark 1961 On this day, the American poet Sylvia Plath wrote a poem called I Am Vertical. Here's the first verse: I Am Vertical But I would rather be horizontal. I am not a tree with my root in the soil Sucking up minerals and motherly love So that each March I may gleam into leaf, Nor am I the beauty of a garden bed Attracting my share of Ahs and spectacularly painted, Unknowing I must soon unpetal. Compared with me, a tree is immortal And a flower-head not tall, but more startling, And I want the one's longevity and the other's daring. 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 Lady Day March 25 is also known as Lady Day, the traditional name of the Feast of the Annunciation, which commemorates the visit of the archangel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary. During this visit, Gabriel told Mary that she would be the mother of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Lady Day is also the first of the four traditional English quarter days. The Marigold is the flower dedicated to Mary on Lady Day. The etymology of the common name Marigold comes from Mary (probably referring to the Virgin Mary) + gold, thus Mary's gold. Mary's gold was also a common name used for a similar plant native to Europe, Calendula officinalis. Both Marigold flowers and leaves are edible, and Marigolds are commonly used as culinary herbs. In terms of medicinal uses, Marigold is good for the skin and has been used for topical healing to address cuts, soars, and general skincare. Marigolds have essential oils and a high concentration of flavonoids like carotene. In Floriography or the language of flowers, Marigolds represent the sun and therefore refer to the power, strength, and light inside each of us. Marigolds also represent lost love. So if someone's inner strength has been damaged by the loss of a loved one, whether by death or a breakup, the Marigold represents that despaired or lost love. 1641 Birth of Nehemiah Grew, English botanist. He's remembered as the Father of Plant Anatomy. Nehemiah was the first person to illustrate plants' inner structures and functions in all their unique intricacies. His 1682 book, Anatomy of Plants, was divided into four topics: Anatomy of Vegetables Begun, Anatomy of Roots, Anatomy of Trunks, and Anatomy of Leaves, Flowers, Fruits, and Seeds. Nehemiah used a relatively new invention to help his study of plant morphology: the microscope. He tried to recreate what he saw through the lens when he drew. Nehemiah's drawings of tree parts cut transversely look like intricate laser cuts - imagine a mandala - and the lines are impossibly thin. Nehemiah examined all kinds of natural elements under the microscope, and he wrote the first known microscopic description of pollen. If you'd like to try something fun this summer, channel your inner Nehemiah Grew, get a microscope on Amazon or at a thrift store, and check out your own plant specimens under the microscope. 1890 On this day, the naturalist João Barbosa Rodrigues established the Herbarium at the Botanical Garden of Rio de Janeiro. The Herbarium was Rodrigues's first step toward expanding the scope of the garden to include education. Today, the Herbarium has over 750,000 mounted specimens of Brazilian flora, and most of the collection is from the Atlantic and Amazon forests. The botanic garden sits on 350-acres and features over 7,000 species of tropical plants. One of the most unique elements of the garden is the avenues of 100-foot-tall avenues of royal palms. 2021 On this day, the Indira Gandhi Memorial Tulip garden in Kashmir opened to the public. The most extensive tulip garden in Asia, the garden was formerly known as the Model Floriculture Center and covers 74 acres. The government owns the garden. The garden was initially created in 2007 with 1.5 million tulip bulbs from Amsterdam's famous Keukenhof tulip gardens. Other spring-flowering bulbs like daffodils, hyacinth, and ranunculus have since been added to the 65 different varieties of tulips now growing in Kashmir. This year the Kashmir Tulip Garden Festival runs from April 1 through the 20th. Every year, the tulip garden is opened to the public during the month of March when the tulips start to bloom - a fantastic sight to see. Grow That Garden Library™ Book Recommendation The Violets of March Sarah Jio This book came out in 2011, and this book is a fiction book. The book is about a heartbroken woman who stumbles on a diary and then steps into the life of its anonymous author. The main character is named Emily Wilson. She has a bestselling novel and a GQ husband, and a one-way ticket to happily ever after. But ten years later, Emily's life has changed. Her Great Aunt Bee invites her to spend the month of March on Bainbridge Island in Washington State. When she's researching her next book, she stumbles on a red velvet diary dated 1943. And then, the contents of the journal have massive implications for her own life. Now I love what Jodi Picoult said about The Violets of March. She wrote Mix a love story history and a mystery and what takes root. The Violets of March is a novel that reminds us how the past comes back to haunt us and packs great surprises along the way. Now, if you're a gardener, you're going to love the cover of this book because it's an old chair with the diary that's open and then a violet cutting on top of the pages. It's gorgeous. So if you're looking for a bit of fiction book to tide you over through the spring, please consider The Violets of March by Sarah Jio. This book is 296 pages of intrigue, incredible settings, as well as history, and mystery. You can get a copy of The Violets of March Sarah Jio and support the show using the Amazon link in today's show notes for $1. Botanic Spark 2020 On this day, Jim Salyards, Director of Horticulture, Filoli Center, documented the spring displays in an article called Essential Gardening: Public Gardens in the Spring of COVID-19, published in Arnoldia, a publication of the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University. The Filoli garden is located at a grand country estate built in 1917 for the William Bourn family. Bourn devised the name Filoli from his personal motto. Fi from fighting for a just cause, Lo from loving your fellow man, and Li from to live a good life. There's a good chance that Filoli is a place you may be familiar with - especially if you were a fan of the 1980s hit tv show Dynasty because Filoli's house was the Carrington house. Every year, 100,000 visitors stop by the home and gardens. It is nestled in the foothills of the Santa Cruz mountains just south of San Francisco. The 16-acre formal English garden at Filoli is in USDA zone 7, which allows Filoli to grow beautiful spring bulbs and draws many visitors since spring bulbs generally can't grow in the native California climate. But on this day in 2020, at the beginning phase of the pandemic, the garden had no visitors. Here's some of what Jim wrote, On March 25, I was in the Sunken Garden, snapping a social media photo of yellow 'West Point' tulips that were blooming within the low, clipped hedges of the parterres. Filoli has blooms 365 days a year because of the moderate climate along the coast of northern California. Locals and visitors from around the globe are captivated by the spring experience of seeing daffodils and tulips in our meadows and formal beds. Wisteria clambers on the side of the mansion, and peonies are showstopping. But this year, our spring peak of mid-March to mid-April was completely missed. All the planting and tending on the part of the staff, all the expectant calls and emails that started at the beginning of the year asking the best time to visit were for naught. I did my best to share photos and videos through our social media outlets, but it's just not the same. A few thumbs-up or heart emojis are a poor substitution for the "oohs" and "aahs" and the thank-yous we receive from guests each day—the guests who call out compliments while we are weeding and pruning or who pass along the praise to our colleagues in visitor services and interpretation. Public gardens like Filoli are champions of environmental education and conservation, yes, but we also provide substance for people's souls. Hopefully, in the near future, the garden will once again become a space of healing, just when the world needs us most. 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 1682 Baptism of Mark Catesby, English naturalist, adventurer, explorer, and artist. Mark made two trips to the new world when America was still a British colony. On his second trip, he explored the lower southeastern corner of the United States. After returning to England, he published his masterpiece, the very first account of flora and fauna of North America, in two large folios called The Natural History of Carolina, Florida, and the Bahama Islands. Mark provided the text and the outstanding illustrations. He also offered an overview of the climate, soil, water, and any crops that were grown. Mark was a superb nature artist. He depicted birds and plants together, something only a handful of artists did at the time. Maria Sybilla Merian did that, and like Maria, once you've seen Mark's work, you never forget it. Mark also painted living subjects, which made his depictions more lifelike. Mark's botanical illustrations showed both the fruit and the flower of a plant in a single image. And when you consider the fact that Mark paired his art with the text in two languages - English and French - to market this content to his audience, Mark Catesby's genius and dedication really become apparent. In Mark's book, the first plant he dedicated an entire page to was the Magnolia, and he also included a full page of text. Magnolias are one of the planet's earliest flowering plants, and as such, they existed before bees. Now for gardeners, this is an important clue about how Magnolias reproduce, which explains why magnolias rely on beetle pollination. Magnolia blossoms do not produce nectar. Instead, they produce pollen, and that pollen is food for the beetles. In terms of uses, in Chinese medicine, the bark of the Magnolia has been used to treat respiratory illness and anxiety. 1733 Birth of Joseph Priestley FRS, English chemist, polymath, author, and minister. Joseph conducted many experiments while he tutored the sons of American sympathizer William Petty, 2nd Earl of Shelburne, at Bowood House in Wiltshire, England. In one of his experiments, he put a mouse and a mint plant in a bell jar. Without the mint, the mouse died, but the mouse survived with a plant inside the jar. This laid the foundation for the study of ecosystems. Joseph also wrote the first comprehensive study of the history of electricity, invented carbonated water, created the first timeline, and discovered laughing gas. He also revealed a practical use for vegetable gum: it could remove pencil marks from paper, becoming known as the eraser. 1834 Birth of William Morris, British textile designer, poet, writer, and socialist activist. Born in 1834 to a wealthy family, William was the leading figure in the Arts and Crafts Movement. As a designer, William Morris remains widespread, and his designs are based on nature. Trees and plants figure prominently in his designs and patterns. Many of his designs feature the flowers that bloomed in his own garden, and among his favorites were honeysuckle, rose, acanthus, tulips, and chrysanthemums. Although he was not a fan of geraniums and once wrote, Red geraniums were invented to show that even a flower could be hideous. The first Morris wallpaper was 'Trellis' (1862) and was based on a rose trellis in his garden in Kent. William found inspiration in England's gardens and countryside. His most iconic designs include Larkspur (1872), Jasmine (1872), Willow (1874), Marigold (1875), Wreath (1876), and Chrysanthemum (1887). And William's poems are clever and offer a glimpse of his personality. In 1888, William created his design for 'Autumn Leaves' 1888 and a seasonal poem 'Autumn': 'Laden Autumn here I stand Worn of heart, and weak of hand: Nought but rest seems good to me, Speak the word that sets me free' In 1890, William designed his first tapestry, which depicts four medical women holding a banner with the words of an original poem by morris. The poem celebrates the orchard in every season, from the bounty of the harvest to the promise of spring. Midst bitten mead and acre shorn, The world without is waste and worn, But here within our orchard-close, The guerdon of its labour shows. O valiant Earth, O happy year That mocks the threat of winter near, And hangs aloft from tree to tree The banners of the Spring to be. Grow That Garden Library™ Book Recommendation Reflections of Paradise by Gordon Taylor This book came out in 2020, and the subtitle is The Gardens of Fernando Caruncho. Every time I think about this particular book, I regret the fact that it was released during the pandemic, as I believe it would've gotten so much more attention had it been released just a year earlier, in September of 2019. But that said, people, are still discovering the magnificent gardens created by Fernando Caruncho. Fernando is a Spanish landscape designer, and he has been designing gardens for over four decades. His gardens are all over the world, and they include elements from zen gardens, Islamic gardens, and classical European gardens. Fernando is very sensitive to scale in gardens, the amount of light in a garden, and how light can impact garden design. He's also a massive fan of using local materials- not shipping in a bunch of different stone and elements from far-flung places around the globe. Fernando is all about looking to the region, to the location to determine what beautiful elements should be incorporated into his garden. In this book, Reflections of Paradise, Gordon Taylor is profiling 26 Fernando Caruncho projects, and these gardens run the gamut from largest states to private little spaces. You will see an incredible vineyard in Italy. You'll see a private garden in France. There's a magnificent estate in New Jersey. That's how it is with Fernando Caruncho because once you know about him and once you've seen some of his gardens, he is just going to pop up everywhere in your life. In any case, this book features unique environments that are landscape-focused that are designed to perfection, and that are unmistakably Fernando Caruncho's creations. This bookcase is 304 pages of 26 Incredible gardens designed by Fernando Caruncho. (And the cover is extraordinary too, I might add.) You can get a copy of Reflections of Paradise by Gordon Taylor and support the show using the Amazon link in today's show notes for around $29. Botanic Spark 1993 On this day, 2.4 acres of the Krider Display garden were donated to the town of Middlebury, Indiana. The garden was formally dedicated two years later and is formally known as Krider Nurseries World's Fair Garden, a garden park. Kreider Nurseries' origins date back to 1896, when Vernon Krider supplemented his teaching income by planting berries on thirty acres of land. A decade later, he quit his teaching job to start his nursery. The nursery had grown to over 500 acres when the Century of Progress Exposition in Chicago looked for a nursery to set up display gardens. Vernon signed onto the project but had no way of knowing how the World's Fair would change his business. Kreider gardens set up many different display gardens at the fair in the horticulture building. The gardens represented gardens worldwide; there was a Japanese garden, a Dutch garden with a windmill, etc. The gardens got a lot of attention, and visitors happily shared their contact information to receive the Kreider nursery catalog. Vernon had over 370,000 names and addresses for his catalog by the end of the expo. The old saying "the money is in the list" proved true for Krider Nurseries, and they became the largest mail-order nursery business in the U.S almost overnight. Soon, there were many mail-order requests that the Middlebury post office had to be redesigned to handle the volume. At one point, Kreider Nurseries was the largest employer in Middlebury. In 1946, in an attempt to keep growing, Kreider Nurseries spent $11,000 on a patent for a thornless rose dubbed "Festival." It was the most amount of money ever paid by a single nursery for a patent - and they had to learn to cultivate it all on their own. Another Kreider claim to fame was that the nursery provided all the roses for Tricia Nixon's wedding. Despite their successes, Kreider's business declined in the 1980s. By 1990, Kreider Nursery closed for good - almost 100 years after Vernon's humble start. Today the Kreider Nursery legacy is the Kreider Garden - lovingly restored and maintained by the Middlebury community since 1995. The garden pays homage to the display that Krider Nurseries created for the Chicago World's Fair - complete with the original Dutch windmill and the giant toadstool sculptures that were a hit with the crowds back in 1933-1934, as well as new elements like the ever-changing Quilt Garden, is one of several Quilt Gardens in Northern Indiana Amish Country. 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 1699 Birth of John Bartram, American botanist, and explorer. John founded the first botanical garden in America, and Linnaeus called him the "greatest natural botanist in the world." Like many botanists of his time, John was born to a farming Quaker family in Pennsylvania. He never forgot his rural roots, and he always thought of himself as a farmer first. When asked to describe how he ended up in botany, he wrote, One day, I was very busy [plowing]… and being weary I ran under a tree to repose myself. I cast my eyes on a daisy; I plucked it mechanically and viewed it with more curiosity than common country farmers are wont to do, and observed ... many distinct parts, some perpendicular, some horizontal. ...I thought about it continually, at supper, in bed, and wherever I went.... On the fourth day I hired a man to plow for me and went to Philadelphia. [I bought] a Latin grammar [and] ...applied to a neighboring schoolmaster, who in three months taught me Latin enough to understand Linnaeus... Then I began to botanize all over my farm. 1907 On this day, a school garden for boys only was started at a school in Rhode Island. A summary report was published with the State Board of Education. Here's what the report said, On March 26th, all the boys wrote for catalogs, some sending several letters or cards. It proved a valuable letter lesson in letter-writing and geography as they looked at the places they had sent the letters and inquired about distances, railroads, and mail trains. More than fifty attractive catalogs were received. Tomatoes, lettuce, and radishes were planted in boxes ready for early transplanting. The seeds were obtained through a member of Congress, and despite all the rumors regarding the poor quality of government seed, [they] proved excellent. Two boys found an old sink in a dump. This was sunk in the middle of the West yard, partly filled with cement and now used as a birdbath. Each boy chose several vegetables from a list of corn, squash, onions, carrots, beans, beets, lettuce, radishes, pumpkins, potatoes, peas, and parsnips. The corn and a row of sunflowers were planted next to the fence; the other vegetables [were planted] according to height, living lettuce, and radishes in the front. Difficulties: There have been many difficulties in the way. Most of the work has been done outside of school hours, at noon when some of the boys have to hurry home or at night when they carry papers. Most discouraging of all, vegetables have been stolen and Gardens trampton almost nightly. Effect: But the effect of the garden work on the boys has been excellent. First of all it's giving them an outside interest. They have learned courtesy and generosity and showing visitors the garden and giving away their vegetables. Toads which we have raised from eggs are to be put in the garden when school closes. There has been less time for running about the streets and cigarette smoking. Since the gardens were started, there's only been one case of truancy and very little absence. Ten or fifteen minutes hard work during the school hours has often served to bring a cross, restless boy back to quiet and pleasant. Of the 23 boys, 18 have made gardens at home and most of them are doing well. A copy of one boy's notebook will give an idea of the garden from the boy's standpoint. March 25: Began to pick rocks. Got a backache. Wrote for catalogs. March 26: Laid out 23 beds - [each] 6 by 14 ft March 27: Planted radishes, lettuce, tomatoes in boxes. Miss Allen paid $0.25 for loam. May 1: Put down sink for Birds bath. May 3rd: Planted pumpkins, potatoes, beans, beets, lettuce, radishes. May 15, 16, 17: Cleaned up West yard. Got loam. Planted shrubs and trees. Planted marigolds, candytuft and poppies, Boston Ivy, cornus, weigelia, lilac, crab. It looks slick. May 20th: These seeds are up in my bed: radish, lettuce, beans. May 21: brought Bush to school. Went to Arlington for ferns. Pumpkins up. Put violets beside Birds tub. June 12th: Brought home 10 radishes. They were good ones. Saw a jay in our bath and a chipping sparrow. June 17: Mr Randall out. Hoeing. A lot of teachers came. Took home lettuce June 18: Sent radishes to Mr. Small. A man and lady came to see if we will get a prize. June 19: Everything in my garden is growing fine. It's a good thing. We have spent $11.45. 1913 Birth of James C. Rose, American landscape architect, and author. A high school dropout, James was expelled from Harvard University as a landscape architecture major because they disapproved of his design style. James fulfilled a lifelong dream despite his personal struggles with educational institutions when he created The James Rose Center for design study and landscape research. In From Creative Gardens (1958), James wrote, A garden is an experience. It is not flowers or plants of any kind. It is not flagstone, brick, grass, or pebbles. It is not a barbeque or a fiberglass screen. It is an experience. If it were possible to distill the essence of a garden, I think it would be the sense of being within something while still out of doors. That is the substance of it; for until you have that, you do not have a garden at all. 1923 Birth of Norman Thelwell, English cartoonist. He is remembered for his humorous drawings of ponies and horses. In his book, From a Plank Bridge by a Pool (1978), he wrote, When I look at the tree in the dark days of winter, its huge green-black skeleton silhouetted against the ashen sky, or hear its tracery seething in a westerly gale as I lie snug and warm in bed, I wonder who it was planted this giant for so many generations to enjoy. And in the balmy days of summer when its leaves are overlaid like the breast feathers of a great bird to form high domes of rounded foliage, I wish I could call back this gentle spirit of the past and say, "This is your tree. Look at it now, for it is gracious beyond words." Grow That Garden Library™ Book Recommendation The Cook's Herb Garden by Jeff Cox and Marie-Pierre Moine This book came out in 2010, and the subtitle is: grow harvest cook. As someone who loves to grow herbs, this is one of my favorite books on herbs because it features beautiful photography of over 120 culinary herbs. Then, Jeff and Marie-Pierre offer more than 30 delicious, practical recipes that show you what you can do with your herbs - everything from making your own salad dressings and marinades to flavored butter, pestos, herbal teas, and cordials; in addition to seasoning your favorite meals. And I love what Jeff writes. He says, I always think of culinary herbs as the champions of the kitchen garden. And he reminds us that their volatile oils serve a purpose: they were the compounds that plants used to defend themselves from insects and fungi. As for Marie, she says that, As a cook herbs are my best friends. Just a handful brightens up the concoctions that I make in my kitchen. And she also reminds us that when space is at a premium, herbs should be a priority. So whether you're going to store some ginger root in the freezer, or a roll of herb butter or even just a little cilantro ice cube. They are all well-worth their shelf space. This book is 192 pages of fantastic herbs -and the photography is top-notch. This is a DK book - and it looks like it. You can get a copy of The Cook's Herb Garden by Jeff Cox and Marie-Pierre Moine and support the show using the Amazon link in today's show notes for around $4. Botanic Spark 2011 Death of Elizabeth Taylor, British-American actress. She was the highest-paid movie star in the 1960s. She won two academy awards - for BUtterfield 8 (1960) and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966) In 1999, she was named the seventh-greatest female screen legend of Classic Hollywood cinema by the American Film Institute. Elizabeth was an early AIDS activist, and she founded the National AIDS Research Foundation. In 1990, she championed Ryan White Care Act to stop discrimination against people with H.I.V. One of her tactics was to send lavender-scented notes to senators and congressmen that simply read, "I think you should see this," along with detailed information about H.I.V. Elizabeth's Bel Air home garden was located behind the swimming pool. A private tropical paradise, the garden featured her favorite flowers - gardenias and lilies of the valley - along with birds of paradise. Tucked beneath lush palms and bamboo, a small greenhouse held her collection of orchids. In 2004, Elizabeth's mobility declined, and she stopped walking through her beloved garden. In 1987, Elizabeth was one of the first celebrities to launch a signature fragrance: White Diamonds. Her garden served as the muse for her fragrance. The White Diamonds scent is made up of Italian neroli, Egyptian tuberose, narcissus, and Turkish rose. It has generated more than $1.5 billion in sales, and Revlon reports that four bottles of the scent are sold per minute in the United States, and a bottle is sold every 15 seconds worldwide. Elizabeth died at 79 from congestive heart failure. She left instructions that her funeral service started 15 minutes late as she wanted to be late for her own funeral. Thanks for listening to The Daily Gardener And remember: For a happy, healthy life, garden every day.

March 22, 2022 St. Catherine, Thomas Carew, New York Horticultural Society, Christine Johanna Buisman, The Earth in Her Hands by Jennifer Jewell, and John Banister Tabb

1775 Birth of Pierre Jean François Turpin (books about this person), French botanist and illustrator.

Pierre was friends with the botanist, gardener, and botanical artist, Pierre Antoine Poiteau. And although we know that he learned a great deal about botany from his friend Poiteau, Pierre was self-taught when it came to his botanical illustrations. And Redouté's work was an obvious influence on him. Pierre created over 6,000 magnificent botanical watercolors. He was an expert on fruit trees, and his fruit prints are considered some of the best in the world.

There are two fascinating stories about Pierre I wanted to share with you today.

First, Pierre created a fictional plant for Goethe that was an amalgam of different angiosperms.

Goethe wanted an illustration to show the diversity of angiosperms, and when Goethe saw Pierre's drawing, he named it the Urplant.

Goethe wrote, The Urplant would be the most wondrous creation in the world, for which nature itself would envy me. With it, one could invent plants to infinity... The second Pierre story that I wanted to share with you is about his son, Pierre Jr.

No doubt Pierre taught his son how to draw. But tragically, Pierre Jr. died young, and his final drawing was of an Amaryllis.

After his death, Pierre made sure his son was credited for the work, and then he did something unusual for botanical illustrations: he made a little personal remark on his son's passing, writing: This original illustration was painted by Pierre John Frederick Eugene Turpin. The illustrator, who was 18 years and six days of age, ceased to live on the 21st of August in 1821.

Less than 20 years later, Pierre himself would die in Paris in 1840 at 65.

Now, speaking of Amaryllis, this is the time of year when gardeners get all kinds of questions about them. My neighbor Jan, up at the cabin returned from a trip to Las Vegas to find her Christmas gift, an Amaryllis, in full bloom - and she's utterly captivated by this gorgeous Amaryllis, but of course, she called me to say,

What do I do with it after it's done blooming?

And this is the question that's on everybody's mind because they're wrapping things up about now. So what are your options if you have an Amaryllis?

Well, number one, you can throw it away. You can simply be done with it. If you choose to, you could put it in the compost pile and so forth.

Or, if you're committed to trying to get your Amaryllis to bloom again next year, it is possible to do. You can force it to flower again next year.

Keep it on a sunny window inside until June when things warm up and then harden it off, the way you would any of the houseplants that you bring outside, take it outside for a few hours, and then bring it back in.

Gradually increase the amount of time it stays outside until it's out all day. Make sure that it's in a sunny spot.

And then, in the fall, you can bring it back indoors. This is the time when you're going to impose dormancy. Put the Amaryllis in a cold area. (If you have a dark cellar, that would be ideal). And remember that during dormancy, you don't want to water your Amaryllis. Think about your Amaryllis like a sleeping beauty that you'll wake up in time for the holidays.

And then, at that point, you can resume watering, and your Amaryllis, with any luck, will flower again.

So there you go—a little Amaryllis care 101 inspired by the son of Pierre Turpin. 1811 Birth of Katherine Sophia Kane, Irish botanist, and horticulturist.

Orphaned as a little girl, Katherine was raised by her uncle, who fostered Kate's love for the outdoors and, ultimately, her focus on botany.

When Kate was 22, she anonymously published a book that became the first national flora of Ireland, called The Irish Flora Comprising the Phaenogamous Plants and Ferns (1833). Kate's book not only described all the Irish flowering plants but also ferns and other cryptograms.

Accurate and informative, Kate's book became a textbook for botany students at Trinity College in Dublin. Three years later, in recognition of her work, Kate became the first woman to be elected to the Botanical Society of Edinburgh.

The story of how Kate met her husband Robert is similar to how John Claudius Loudon met his wife, Jane Webb: through her book. In Kate's case, proofs of The Irish Flora had mistakenly landed on Robert's desk. Robert tracked down Kate's address and personally returned the proofs to her. The rest, as they say, was history. The two were married in 1838, and they went on to have ten children.

In 1846, Robert was knighted, and Kate became known as Lady Kane. An economist, a chemist, and a scientist, Robert was hired to serve as the President of Queens College. Although Kate was happy for her husband, she refused to move to Cork. She'd designed a magnificent garden with many exotics planted all around their home in Dublin, and she was reluctant to leave it.

And so, much to the school's dismay, Robert commuted to work until the College finally insisted he reside in Cork during the school year in 1858.

And here's a fun little side note about Kate and Robert: since they were both scientists, Kate and Robert would send messages to each other in Greek. 1877 Birth of Jean White-Haney, Australian botanist.

In 1912, as a young botanist, Jean was asked to deal with the non-native Prickly Pear problem in Australia. The plant had been introduced to Australia 100 years earlier, and it became invasive once it was established.

Tackling the Prickly Pear was a massive undertaking, and Jean's appointment marked the first time a woman held a scientific leadership position in the Australian government. Jean knew she would have to power through the hardships of the job to prove herself. She recalled the experience this way: [I lived] amid the thickest pear. A desolate little place where living was primitive. I was young then and still rather nervous, but I insisted on not being given any special privileges because of being a woman. ...Failures of women who can not rough it would naturally be magnified. I lived in the little public house there. [I] worked on my fascinating job with all the enthusiasm of those who see small beginnings to great ends. And the methods chosen for experiment were the introduction of suitable insects and poison.

Many gardeners are surprised to learn that the Prickly Pear is actually an excellent pollinator plant.

Charles Darwin noticed that the flowers of the Prickly Pear Cactus had thigmotactic anthers, which means the anthers curl over and drop their pollen when touched. And yes, the bees love it. Grow That Garden Library™ Book Recommendation Life in a French Country House by Cordelia de Castellane

This book came out in 2020, and the subtitle is Simple Ideas For Small Outdoor Spaces.

Cordelia is France's favorite host and the artistic director of Dior Home and Baby Dior.

This book is organized into four seasons - one of my favorite ways to organize a book that covers all the basics like at-home entertaining and decor. Cordelia shares her tips and secrets to imbuing your home with style and flowers. Architectural Digest's review of this book highlights Cordelia's five things every home needs: meaningful objects, books, flowers, scent, and children.

If you love French Country and want to know how to recreate the look in your own home and garden, you can't go wrong with Cordelia's guidance. Cordelia even includes some of her favorite recipes, flower arranging, and table setting tips.

This book is 240 pages of French Chic combined with Cordelia's eclectic but elegant vibe that has been refined to perfection over the past three decades.

You can get a copy of Life in a French Country House by Cordelia de Castellane and support the show using the Amazon link in today's show notes for $34. Botanic Spark

1952 Birth of Douglas Noel Adams (books by this author), English writer, satirist, and dramatist.

He's remembered for his radio comedy The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, which became a trilogy of five books. He was an environmentalist and a conservationist.

In his book, Last Chance to See, Douglas wrote, As zoologists and botanists explore new areas, scrabbling to record the mere existence of species before they become extinct, it is like someone hurrying through a burning library desperately trying to jot down some of the titles of books that will now never be read.

And in Richard Dawkins' best-seller The God Delusion, his dedication was to Douglas Adams in memoriam, and included this quote by Douglas, who was an atheist:

Isn't it enough to see that a garden is beautiful without having to believe that there are fairies at the bottom of it too?

Finally, in his book Life, The Universe and Everything (1982), Arthur Dent's old friend Ford Prefect, says,

....I decided I was a lemon for a couple of weeks. I kept myself amused all that time jumping in and out of a gin and tonic....I found a small lake that thought it was a gin and tonic, and jumped in and out of that. At least, I think it thought it was a gin and tonic. Thanks for listening to The Daily Gardener And remember: For a happy, healthy life, garden every day.

March 11, 2022 Pierre Turpin, Katherine Sophia Kane, Jean White-Haney, Life in a French Country House by Cordelia de Castellane, and Douglas Adams

Subscribe Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart Support The Daily Gardener Buy Me A Coffee Connect for FREE! The Friday Newsletter | Daily Gardener Community Friends of the Garden Meeting in Athens, Georgia Register Here Historical Events 1763 Birth of William Cobbett, English writer, Member of Parliament, and farmer. In Parliament, Wlliam fought for agrarian reform. He did this through his regular writings called Rural Rides, where he shared what he saw while taking horseback rides throughout rural England. William never forgot his rural roots, and he was a lifelong gardener. He once wrote, How much better during a long and dreary winter, for daughters, and even sons, to assist, or attend, their mother, in a green-house, than to be seated with her at cards, or, in the blubberings over a stupid novel, or at any other amusement that can possibly be conceived. And he also wrote, If well-managed, nothing is more beautiful than the kitchen garden. 1845 Birth of Wilhelm Friedrich Philipp Pfeffer, German botanist and plant physiologist. Wilhelm was born in his father's apothecary. He grew up and learned every aspect of the business, which had been in his family for generations. One of his childhood friends noted, In those days, it was not yet customary to obtain drugs in cut and powdered form; thus, he spent hours cutting roots and herbs and pulverizing dried drugs with a heavy pestle in a mortar. In addition to life at the A=apothecary, Wilhelm loved collecting plants in the Alps. His early study of plants and his natural curiosity set the stage for his in-depth plant experiments as an adult. In terms of plant physiology, he's remembered for the Pfeffer pot or pepper pot to measure osmotic pressure in plant cells. 1874 Birth of Karl Foerster, German plant breeder, writer, and garden designer. When Karl turned 18, he took over his family's Berlin nursery, which was a bit of a mess. Karl quickly streamlined the business by simplifying his plant inventory. Although Karl loved all plants, he was especially drawn to tough, low-maintenance, hardy perennials. Karl used three factors to determine whether a plant would be sold in his nursery: beauty, resilience, and endurance. Today, Karl is most remembered in Karl Foerster Grass. The story goes that Karl was on a train when he spied the grass growing along the tracks. Karl frantically pulled the emergency brake, stopped the train, and quickly collected the specimen that now bears his name. In 2001, Karl Foerster grass was the Perennial Plant of the Year. Karl's plant standards and his appreciation for low maintenance spaces with year-long seasonal interest helped shape the New German Garden Style of garden design. A Karl Foerster garden had some signature plants: grasses, delphinium, and phlox. Naturally, all of these plants were favorites in Karl's breeding work. Karl once wrote, Grasses are the hair of mother earth. And he also wrote, A garden without phlox is not only a sheer mistake but a sin against summer. Karl lived to the ripe old age of 96. And looking back, it's staggering to think that Karl spent nearly nine decades gardening, and it was Karl Foerster who said, In my next life, I'd like to be a gardener once again. The job was too big for just one lifetime. 1892 Birth of Vita Sackville-West, English author and garden designer. In 1930, Vita and her husband, the diplomat, and journalist Harold Nicolson, bought Sissinghurst Castle - at least what was left of it. Together, they restored the house and created the famous garden, which was given to the National Trust in 1967. Vita explored the depths of her own creativity as she shaped the gardens at Sissinghurst. When she came up with the idea for a Sunset Garden, she wrote, I used to call it the Sunset Garden in my own mind before I even planted it up. Vita's Sunset Garden included flowers with warm citrus colors, like the yellows, oranges, and reds of Dahlia's Salvias Canas and tulips. Vita also created a White Garden – one of the most difficult Gardens to design, maintain and pull off. Why is that? Well, the main reason is that, after flowering, most white blooms don't age well; they turn brown or yellow as they wither and die on the plant. But I have to say that ten years ago, I did help a friend install a white garden. And when it was in bloom, it really was spectacular. During World War II, there came a point when Vita and Harold were convinced that a German invasion of Britain was likely. Vita planted 11,000 daffodils, a message of defiance to the enemy. In 1955, Vita was honored with the Veitch Memorial Medal. She died seven years later in 1962. She once wrote, The waking bee, still drowsy on the wing, Will sense the opening of another year And blunder out to seek another spring. Grow That Garden Library™ Book Recommendation The Art of Edible Flowers by Rebecca Sullivan This book came out in 2018, and the subtitle is Recipes and ideas for floral salads, drinks, desserts, and more. This sweet little book is a fun little recipe book of the many ways flowers can be incorporated into drinks and edibles. Recipes include a Rose and Lavender Cocktail Syrup, a Jasmine and Green Tea Ice Cream, Lavender and Orange Cheesecake, Pumpkin Carpaccio with Mustard Flower Sauce, Artichoke Flower with Borage Butter, Fermented Elderflower Fizz and a soothing Poppy Milk. The recipes are simple, creative, and elegant. This book is 80 pages of edible, beautiful, tasty blossoms. You can get a copy of The Art of Edible Flowers by Rebecca Sullivan and support the show using the Amazon link in today's show notes for $12. Botanic Spark 1902 Birth of Luis Barragán, Mexican architect and engineer. In 1980, he won the Pritzker Prize, the highest award in architecture. In 1948 he designed and built his own home with cement after being inspired by local modernist architecture. In 2004, the Luis Barragan house was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In addition to architecture, Luis loved landscapes. He once wrote, I don't divide architecture, landscape and gardening; to me they are one. And he also wrote, A garden must combine the poetic and he mysterious with a feeling of serenity and joy. Thanks for listening to The Daily Gardener And remember: For a happy, healthy life, garden every day.