The Daily Gardener

Today we celebrate the birthday of the greatest playwright who ever lived - and he incorporated over 200 seeds, flowers, fruits, herbs, grasses, and trees into his large body of work. We'll also learn about Wordsworth's favorite flower - lesser celandine. We'll hear some words about the flowers we often fall in love with - simple flowers. We Grow That Garden Library™ with a book about Kitchen Gardening. And then we'll wrap things up with English Bluebell (Hyacinthoides non-scripta) for the patron saint of England, St. George. Subscribe Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart To listen to the show while you're at home, just ask Alexa or Google to "Play the latest episode of The Daily Gardener Podcast." And she will. It's just that easy. The Daily Gardener Friday Newsletter Sign up for the FREE Friday Newsletter featuring:

• A personal update from me
• Garden-related items for your calendar
• The Grow That Garden Library™ featured books for the week
• Gardener gift ideas
• Garden-inspired recipes
• Exclusive updates regarding the show

Plus, each week, one lucky subscriber wins a book from the Grow That Garden Library™ bookshelf. Gardener Greetings Send your garden pics, stories, birthday wishes, and so forth to [email protected] Curated News Isabel Bannerman on the evocative pleasure of scented plants | House & Garden | Isabel Bannerman Facebook Group If you'd like to check out my curated news articles and original blog posts for yourself, you're in luck. I share all of it with the Listener Community in the Free Facebook Group - The Daily Gardener Community. So, there's no need to take notes or search for links. The next time you're on Facebook, search for Daily Gardener Community, where you'd search for a friend... and request to join. I'd love to meet you in the group. Important Events April 23, 1564 Today is the birthday of the English author, poet, and playwright William Shakespeare. A lover of gardens and the science of botany, William Shakespeare included hundreds of references to flora and fauna in his plays and sonnets. And each flower would have conveyed symbolic meaning to his audiences. In addition, William was a master of metaphor. Since William's death, there have been many books written on the elements of nature mentioned in Shakespeare's works. In 1906, the garden author and illustrator Walter Crane created beautiful anthropomorphized plants mentioned in Shakespeare's plays as people in his 1906 book, "Flowers from Shakespeare's Garden." In 2017, a book called Botanical Shakespeare by the Shakespeare historian Gerit Quealy was published. The subtitle for the book is An Illustrated Compendium of All the Flowers, Fruits, Herbs, Trees, Seeds, and Grasses Cited by the World's Greatest Playwright. And, by the way, this book is gorgeous - the watercolor illustrations are incredible, and I love all the quotes and insights provided by Gerit. Helen Mirren wrote the forward. Today, Shakespeare fans and gardeners delight in Shakespeare Gardens, and there are roughly 50 of these specialty gardens around the world that only cultivate plants mentioned in William's work. There's a lovely semi-hidden Shakespeare Garden in Golden Gate Park, in San Francisco. There's another Shakespeare Garden with over 50 flowers on the Evanston campus of Northwestern. Central Park has a little Shakespeare Garden located between 79th and 80th Streets. And in 1914, the Dunedin Botanic Garden in New Zealand established a Shakespeare Garden, including a replica of Shakespeare's Boxwood Knot Garden in Stratford on Avon. Here are some favorite flower quotes from Shakespeare: Sweet flowers are slow, and weeds make haste. — William Shakespeare, Richard III There's rosemary, that's for remembrance pray, love, remember: and there is pansies. That's for thoughts... – William Shakespeare, Hamlet I know a bank where the wild thyme grows, Where oxlips and the nodding violet grows, Quite over-canopied with luscious woodbine, With sweet musk-roses and with eglantine... – William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night's Dream April 23, 1770 Today is the anniversary of the death of one of the founders of English Romanticism, the poet William Wordsworth. A lover of nature, William wrote about our relationship with the natural world. Although William is best known for his poem about Daffodils that starts, "I wandered lonely as a cloud," William's favorite flower was the spring-blooming Lesser Celandine (Ficaria Verna), and he wrote three poems about it. He wrote: There is a flower, the lesser celandine That shrinks, like many more, from cold and rain And, the first moment that the sun may shine Bright as the sun himself, 'tis out again!' Lesser celandine is a yellow buttercup or Ranunculus. It's a woodland star-shaped flower that loves wet areas, and when it is happy, it spreads everywhere. In fact, many places now label Lesser Celandine as an invasive plant. Lesser Celandine also has the unfortunate common name pilewort - since it was used to treat hemorrhoids. William loved Lesser Celandine so much that he asked that his tombstone be carved with the flower. But, in a twist of fate, Thomas Woolner, the British sculptor, and poet carved a poppy flower known as greater celandine - a flower that looks nothing like Wordsworth's favorite blossom. The marble Wordsworth memorial was described by the Oxford University Press this way: "The memorial, erected in August 1851, is a white memorial tablet in the shape of a squat, stylized obelisk, with the poet's profile in relief on the base section, against a panel of grey marble… In two narrow squares on each side of [Wordsworth's] head are... the daffodil, the celandine, the snowdrop, and violet." Unearthed Words The arbutus is now open everywhere in the woods and groves. How pleasant it is to meet the same flowers year after year! If the blossoms were liable to change – if they were to become capricious and irregular – they might excite more surprise, more curiosity, but we should love them less; they might be just as bright, and gay, and fragrant under other forms, but they would not be the violets and squirrel-cups, and ground laurels we loved last year. Whatever your roving fancies may say, there is a virtue in constancy which has a reward above all that fickle change can bestow, giving strength and purity to every affection of life and even throwing additional grace about the flowers which bloom in our native fields. We admire the strange and brilliant plant of the green-house, but we love most the simple flowers we have loved of old, which have bloomed many a spring, through rain and sunshine, on our native soil. ― Susan Fenimore Cooper, American writer, and amateur naturalist Grow That Garden Library Kitchen Garden Revival by Nicole Johnsey Burke This book came out in 2020, and the subtitle is A modern guide to creating a stylish, small-scale, low-maintenance, edible garden. In this book, Nicole shares everything you need to know to set up and establish a functional and beautiful kitchen garden. Nicole sees the potential for kitchen gardens in any and all outdoor spaces. A fan of raised beds, smart crop selection, gorgeous design, attentive care, and harvesting your favorite garden-fresh edibles, Nicole's season-by-season guide helps you create the kitchen or food garden of your dreams. This book is 208 pages of growing your own delicious organic food in a beautiful, low-maintenance raised garden right outside your door. You can get a copy of Kitchen Garden Revival by Nicole Johnsey Burke and support the show using the Amazon Link in today's Show Notes for around $11 Today's Botanic Spark Reviving the little botanic spark in your heart Today, April 23, is St George's Day - the feast day of the patron saint of England, St. George. Known as the dragon slayer, St. George was partial to the color blue, and he is remembered with the English bluebell (Hyacinthoides non-scripta) - a flower that blooms around this time each year. Cicely Mary Barker created a Blue Bell Fairy poem along with a beautiful watercolor. The first verse goes like this: My hundred thousand bells of blue, The splendor of the Spring, They carpet all the woods anew With royalty of sapphire hue; The Primrose is the Queen, 'tis true. But surely I am King! And in her book, The Brief Life of Flowers, Fiona Stafford writes, "Bluebells are reminders of the very origins of 'spring,' the great gush of life." English bluebells are simpler and less floriferous than the invasive Spanish variety. Anne Brontë recognized the simplicity of the bluebell in her poem about the blossom. She wrote, But when I looked upon the bank My wandering glances fell Upon a little trembling flower, A single sweet bluebell. Today a modern bluebell poem from Stella Williams addresses the damage humans can do to natural areas - like the woodlands where bluebells like to grow. In 2018, The Woodland Trust featured verses the poem along woodland paths to remind people that traipsing through nature areas can cause long-term damage. Here's The Bluebell Blues by Stella Williams, a content manager at The Woodlands Trust. Help us beat the bluebell blues, a problem caused by paws and shoes. Keep to the path, enjoy the view and let the new green leaves push through. As leaves unfurl and buds hang free, they hint at beauty we'll soon see; but if dogs or walkers go off track, we may never get that beauty back. Now the flowery bells unfold and violet carpets are unrolled, to delight you and all who follow. Let's ensure they're here tomorrow. When the bluebells fade and die beneath the soil, their bulbs still lie. If damaged, they could disappear; protect them, and they'll grow next year. Thanks for listening to The Daily Gardener. And remember: "For a happy, healthy life, garden every day."

Today we celebrate the man who conceived of a new holiday that became Arbor Day. We'll also learn about the man who developed the first classification system for plants based on evolution. We'll hear some grateful words about spring from the author Barbara Kingsolver. We Grow That Garden Library™ with a garden cookbook that is a total gem for the gardener-cook. And then we'll wrap things up with a look back at the dedication of the Jacqueline Kennedy Garden. Subscribe Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart To listen to the show while you're at home, just ask Alexa or Google to "Play the latest episode of The Daily Gardener Podcast." And she will. It's just that easy. The Daily Gardener Friday Newsletter Sign up for the FREE Friday Newsletter featuring:

• A personal update from me
• Garden-related items for your calendar
• The Grow That Garden Library™ featured books for the week
• Gardener gift ideas
• Garden-inspired recipes
• Exclusive updates regarding the show

Plus, each week, one lucky subscriber wins a book from the Grow That Garden Library™ bookshelf. Gardener Greetings Send your garden pics, stories, birthday wishes, and so forth to [email protected] Curated News Plants and People of Vanuatu ("vah-new-AH-too") | The New York Botanical Garden | Earth Day Documentary Premiere Facebook Group If you'd like to check out my curated news articles and original blog posts for yourself, you're in luck. I share all of it with the Listener Community in the Free Facebook Group - The Daily Gardener Community. So, there's no need to take notes or search for links. The next time you're on Facebook, search for Daily Gardener Community, where you'd search for a friend... and request to join. I'd love to meet you in the group. Important Events April 22, 1832 Today is the birthday of a Nebraska newspaper editor, Secretary of Agriculture, and father of Arbor Day, Julius Sterling Morton. In 1867, after moving west to Nebraska from Detroit, J. Sterling and his wife Caroline were shocked by the treeless landscape. Together, they conceived of a day to promote tree planting. The original proposal to the agricultural board of Nebraska was for a "Sylvan Day" - to promote forest trees. In Latin, "sylva" means "wood" or "forest." And Sylvanus was the Roman god of woods and fields. J. Sterling decided that a broader celebration of all trees was in order. He proposed "Arbor Day." The first Arbor Day on April 10, 1872, was an overwhelming success - with over a million trees planted in frontier Nebraska. Arbor Day quickly became a yearly national holiday - celebrated on April 22 to honor J. Sterling Morton's birthday. Despite his many professional and honorable appointments at the state and federal level, J. Sterling considered Arbor Day to be the ultimate accomplishment of his life. In 1923, the beautiful Morton family home, known as Arbor Lodge, and the surrounding property were gifted to Nebraska. Today Arbor Lodge is a historic state park. Nowadays, Arbor Day is generally celebrated on the last Friday in April in the United States. Arbor Day 2021 will occur on Friday, April 30th. It was J. Sterling Morton who said, Other holidays repose upon the past; Arbor Day proposes for the future. April 22, 1839 Today is the birthday of the German botanist August Wilhelm Eichler. Wilhelm developed one of the first widely used natural systems of plant classification. Most importantly, it was the first classification system based on evolution. In addition, Wilhelm divided the plant kingdom into non-floral plants and floral plants. Wilhelm spent many years working tirelessly as a private assistant to the naturalist Karl Friedrich Philipp von Martinus. Karl had traveled to Brazil and collected over 20,000 specimens. He spent the final three decades of his life documenting his findings in a book called Flora Brasiliensis, which Wilhelm helped edit. Generally speaking, a Flora is a book describing all plants from a set geographic area. When Karl died in 1868, Wilhelm carried on the work of Flora Brasiliensis unassisted. It was a labor of love. After Wilhelm died, botanist Ignatius Urban continued with the project until its completion. Today, Wilhelm Eichler Strasse (Street) in Dresden is named in Wilhelm's honor. Wilhelm Eichler who said, "The felling of the first tree is the beginning of human civilization. The felling of the last is his end." Unearthed Words Spring is made of solid, fourteen-karat gratitude, the reward for the long wait. Every religious tradition from the northern hemisphere honors some form of April hallelujah, for this is the season of exquisite redemption, a slam-bang return to joy after a season of cold second thoughts. ― Barbara Kingsolver, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life Grow That Garden Library Kitchen Garden Cookbook by Jeanne Kelley This book came out in 2013, and the subtitle is Celebrating the homegrown & homemade. Jeanne is also the author of the acclaimed Blue Eggs and Yellow Tomatoes: Recipes from a Modern Kitchen Garden and Williams-Sonoma Kitchen Library Holiday Baking. In this cookbook, Jeanne shares the recipes she developed to feature the fruits, vegetables, herbs, eggs, and even honey harvested from your own garden. Jeanne's simple recipes are inspiring and delicious. Whether you have a large garden, a small kitchen garden, or simply enjoy shopping for fresh ingredients from the farmer's market, Jeanne's cookbook will give you plenty of new ideas for every season in the garden. Jeanne's cookbook is cleverly divided into four main sections, spring, summer, fall & winter, and the coop & the hive. What I love about Jeanne's cookbook is her focus on the "greatest hits" of a traditional kitchen garden - like tomatoes, zucchini, and berries. Jeanne also shares her tips for planting a well-thought-out kitchen garden. Jeanne offers more than 100 recipes featuring the fresh and natural flavors of whatever is in season. Some of my favorites include her shaved zucchini salad with almonds, ricotta & pea crostini, grilled ham and cheese with herb pesto, cherry tomato and thyme frittata, lettuce, butter & Radish Salad, and her summer herb drizzle with sliced tomatoes and mozzarella. This book is 224 pages of beautiful photography, quaint illustrations of Jeanne's garden, and a fabulous go-to cookbook for the gardener-cook. You can get a copy of the Kitchen Garden Cookbook by Jeanne Kelley and support the show using the Amazon Link in today's Show Notes for around $2. Today's Botanic Spark Reviving the little botanic spark in your heart April 22, 1965 On this day, the Jacqueline Kennedy Garden was dedicated. Jackie did not attend the dedication. Her mother attended in her place. The dedication brought tears and smiles. Jackie had helped design the garden - which was to be called the White House East Garden - along with her friend, the horticulturist and gardener Rachel Lambert Mellon, who always went by "Bunny." After the assassination of President Kennedy, the first lady, Lady Bird Johnson, reached out to Bunny to complete the East garden. Bunny agreed to do the work on one condition: that the garden be named the Jacqueline Kennedy Garden in honor of her friend, the former First Lady. The dedication ceremony for the garden was bathed in sunlight. First Lady Johnson gave a speech, saying: "There could be only one name for this garden." Jackie was not keen to have the garden named in her honor. Both the Rose Garden and the East Garden had been John's ideas. After Lady Bird persisted, Jackie finally relented but asked that the naming be downplayed and placed inconspicuously on a bench in the garden. In fact, there is a bench in the garden - a Lutyens bench - designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens ("Lutchins"). This bench is an iconic feature of many gardens. The bench was placed next to the grape arbor, and on one of the posts for the grape arbor, there is an elegant, small, silver plaque - 2.5 inches square. The font for the plaque is Bunny's own handwriting - and it says, "This garden is dedicated to Jacqueline Kennedy with great affection by those who worked with her in the White House, April 22, 1965." In appreciation for Bunny's work, Jackie gifted Bunny a large folio-sized scrapbook tracing the work on both the Rose Garden and the Jacqueline Kennedy Garden. A self-taught gardener and designer, Bunny kept the book in her magnificent personal garden Library at her Oak Hill estate in Upperville, Virginia. In fact, the basketweave brick hardscaping in the Jacqueline Kennedy Garden is a replica of Bunny's paving at Oak Spring. To make the surface permeable, Bunny made sure there was no mortar between the bricks. In the weeks following the dedication, a little story about Bunny's time designing the White House gardens began circulating through newspapers. The Morning Call out of Paterson, New Jersey reported that, "Robert Kennedy… recalled the day that Bunny Mellon's garden hoe cut the White House communication link with the outside world. Mrs. Mellon did a lot of the actual spading and planting herself, Senator Kennedy noted, "Often, during Cabinet meetings, we would see her out there in the rose garden - a little figure with a bandana around her head," he said. One day, he recalled, there was complete consternation. Mrs. Mellon's hoe had cut right through a buried cable that connected the President of the United States with key spots around the world. Immediately after that, a long-planned improvement and modernization of White House communication equipment was hastily commenced... Cables were moved out of the Rose garden, into another area of the grounds, and deeply buried in a vault-like structure, secure from any future woman with a hoe. President Kennedy, who had not previously paid much attention to yards and gardens, became intensely interested in the appearance of the White House grounds and devoted a lot of thought to improving them, Robert Kennedy recalls, even in times of great crisis, "John Kennedy found time for his gardens." JFK learned the names of most of the species and proudly reeled them off to visitors as he showed them around. President Kennedy actually had a lot more to do with the Jacqueline Kennedy Garden, which is to be used by First Ladies and their children, than did Mrs. Kennedy. It was a consciousness of this that made the gentle Jacqueline Kennedy very reluctant to have the garden bear her name. The new garden is an interesting contrast to the rose garden. Whereas the latter is strong and bold, with large clusters of brilliantly hued tulips, marching lines of flowering crabapple trees, and beds laid out in strong diagonal lines. The Jacqueline Kennedy Garden was deliberately planned by Mrs. Mellon to be a gentle garden. Tulips are widely scattered and are in shades of white, yellow, and soft orange. Bed outlines are circular rather than diagonal. This is the first time, incidentally, that an area in or around the White House ever has been named for a First Lady. The White House curator office says it can find no record that any other First Lady was so honored. There are not many things around the mansion named after Presidents, in fact. The only present exception is the Lincoln Room." Thanks for listening to The Daily Gardener. And remember: "For a happy, healthy life, garden every day."

Today we celebrate a man who found all the answers to life in nature, and we still learn from his profound observations today. We'll also learn about a botanist and publisher who found fame and forged meaningful connections with top botanical illustrators and horticulturists of his time. We'll hear an excerpt about spring in Paris from an American author and journalist who lives in France. We Grow That Garden Library™ with a fun fiction book about a botany major who feels a kinship with plants on the brink of extinction. And then we'll wrap things up with a little article published on this day in 1985 about ferns from the great garden writer Frances Perry. Subscribe Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart To listen to the show while you're at home, just ask Alexa or Google to "Play the latest episode of The Daily Gardener Podcast." And she will. It's just that easy. The Daily Gardener Friday Newsletter Sign up for the FREE Friday Newsletter featuring:

• A personal update from me
• Garden-related items for your calendar
• The Grow That Garden Library™ featured books for the week
• Gardener gift ideas
• Garden-inspired recipes
• Exclusive updates regarding the show

Plus, each week, one lucky subscriber wins a book from the Grow That Garden Library™ bookshelf. Gardener Greetings Send your garden pics, stories, birthday wishes, and so forth to [email protected] Curated News The 7 Best Indoor Herb Gardens | Bustle | Scarlett James Facebook Group If you'd like to check out my curated news articles and original blog posts for yourself, you're in luck. I share all of it with the Listener Community in the Free Facebook Group - The Daily Gardener Community. So, there's no need to take notes or search for links. The next time you're on Facebook, search for Daily Gardener Community, where you'd search for a friend... and request to join. I'd love to meet you in the group. Important Events April 21, 1838 Today is the birthday of the Scottish-American naturalist, conservationist, and author John Muir. Muir was known by many names: "John of the Mountains," "Father of Yosemite," and "Father of the National Parks." In particular, John's work to preserve Yosemite resulted in a famous picture of Muir posing with President Teddy Roosevelt on Overhanging Rock at the top of Glacier Point in Yosemite in 1903. And, when I was researching Charles Sprague Sargent (the first director of Harvard University's Arnold Arboretum in Boston), I stumbled on a fun little story about John and Charles that was featured in a 1915 article. It's a favorite of mine because it highlights the personality differences between the extroverted John Muir and the very serious Charles Sargent. It turns out that the two men had gone on a trip one fall to hike the mountains in North Carolina. John wrote, "The autumn frosts were just beginning, and the mountains and higher hilltops were gorgeous. We climbed slope after slope through the trees till we came out on the bare top of Grandfather Mountain. There it all lay in the sun below us, ridge beyond ridge, each with its typical tree-covering and color, all blended with the darker shades of the pines and the green of the deep valleys. . . . I couldn't hold in and began to jump about and sing and glory in it all. Then I happened to look round and catch sight of [Charles Sargent] standing there as cool as a rock, with a half-amused look on his face at me but never saying a word. "Why don't you let yourself out at a sight like that?" I said. "I don't wear my heart upon my sleeve," he retorted. "Who cares where you wear your little heart, man?" I cried. "There you stand in the face of all Heaven come down on earth, like a critic of the universe, as if to say, Come, Nature, bring on the best you have: I'm from BOSTON!" It was John Muir who said these wonderful quotes: The mountains are calling, and I must go. In every walk with nature, one receives far more than he seeks. Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul. Between every two pines is a doorway to a new world. April 21, 1864 Today is the anniversary of the death of the English bookseller, printer, publisher, pharmacist, and botanist, Benjamin Maund. Benjamin had a large garden where he enjoyed cultivating seeds from around the world. He had a special curiosity about wheat and was interested in crossing and growing different wheat cultivars. He even exhibited wheat and gave talks on it when he had time. In 1846, an English newspaper reported that Benjamin was the first botanist to attempt to improve wheat through hybridization. On Christmas day in 1813, after his father died, Benjamin bought a bookstore and publishing house. The entrepreneurial move would set the stage for his greatest work - a monthly publication designed to be both useful and affordable called, The Botanic Garden. Despite the publication's London imprint, Benjamin lived and worked in the small market town of Bromsgrove all of his life. Published between 1825 and 1850, The Botanic Garden brought Benjamin notoriety and authority. Benjamin became a Fellow of the Linnean Society, and he even corresponded with other top botanists like Darwin's mentor, John Stevens Henslow of Cambridge University. Benjamin's main goal was to share "hardy ornamental flowering plants, cultivated in Great Britain." Each monthly edition of The Botanic Garden featured a colored illustration of four different flowers, along with four pages of descriptive text. As a result, Benjamin worked with some of the best botanical artists of his time, including Augusta Withers, Priscilla Bury, and Edwin Smith. In fact, Benjamin's own daughters, Eliza and Sarah, experimented with botanical illustration, and their work was also featured in the publication. Today, all of the issues of The Botanic Garden, along with over 1200 pieces of original botanical art produced for publication, are preserved at the Natural History Museum in London. Benjamin also introduced a biennial to Britain - the Spiny Plumeless Thistle or Welted Thistle (Carduus acanthoides "KARD-ew-us "ah-kan-THOY-deez"). As with most thistles, the Welted Thistle is an invasive herb that can grow one to four feet tall. It has a thick taproot that can grow to a foot long, and the purple to pink flower can appear individually or in clusters. Although it is a thistle, the Welted Thistle bloom is really quite pretty. Poignantly, sixty-four years after his death, Benjamin's hometown memorialized him with a tablet showing his head surrounded by a wreath of Carduus acanthoides.

Unearthed Words Spring had come to the market as well. Everywhere there were young green things, the tips of asparagus, young leeks no bigger than scallions. There was crisp arugula, curled and tangled, and fresh green peas, plump in their pods. I had no idea what I wanted to make for dinner. This didn't pose a problem; on the contrary, it was an opportunity, a mini-adventure. The season's new ingredients brought new ideas. The first baby tomatoes were coming in from Sicily. I bought a box of small red globes still on the vine and a red onion in my favorite childhood shade of royal purple. Maybe I would make a salsa for the dorade (do-rahd) I'd picked up at the fishmonger. I imagined a bright confetti, the tomatoes mixed with freshly chopped coriander, maybe a sunny mango. ― Elizabeth Bard, American author, Lunch in Paris: A Love Story, with Recipes Grow That Garden Library Kinship of Clover by Ellen Meeropol This botany-inspired fiction book came out in 2017 with a theme centered around endangered plants and a premise that examines how to stay true to the people you care about while trying to change the world. In this book, Ellen Meeropol tells the story of a botany major at the University of Massachusetts, named Jeremy who feels a kinship with plants that are nearing or have become extinct. Jeremy first appeared in Ellen's book House Arrest as a nine-year-old child who had survived family trauma and found safety in the family greenhouse where he loved to draw plants. This book is 248 pages of one young man's struggle to fight for the environment and climate justice without losing the people he loves. You can get a copy of Kinship of Clover by Ellen Meeropol and support the show using the Amazon Link in today's Show Notes for around $5 Today's Botanic Spark Reviving the little botanic spark in your heart April 21, 1985 On this day, the garden writer, Frances Perry, shared a charming article in her regular gardening column in The Observer about how to grow a fern spore. She wrote: My father-in-law, Amos Perry, once told me that if I pushed a stopperless bottle upside down in moist shady soil, a fern would grow inside it. So I did just that and then forgot it. Two years later, while separating some large hellebore plants, we came across the old bottle. Sure enough, there was a baby fern growing inside. The spores; can survive in their millions until conditions for growth are right. Next, Frances shared how to propagate ferns: The best way to propagate [ferns] is by division. This is a good time both to plant and divide. Propagation by means of spores is more laborious. Towards the end of summer, the spores are found on the backs of mature fronds. When ripe, they can be shaken off, then sown on fine soil in a pot or pan. Do not cover with soil, but lay a pane of glass over the top to maintain humidity. Stand the pot in a saucer with a little rainwater at its base. Keep the temperature at about 65 degrees Fahrenheit, and remove the glass for about an hour daily to change the air. Wipe it dry before returning. Eventually, green cushion-like bodies will appear… Later, first tiny green leaves... It will be at least another 12 months before good plants are produced. Finally, Frances highlights a variety of ferns. Regarding Queen Victoria's fern, she wrote, Queen Victoria's Fern, Athyrium filix-femina 'Victoriae' ("ah-THEER-ee-um FY-lix--FEM-in-uh"), which has its 3-foot fronds and all their pinnae (segments) crossed to form V's as well as boasting crested edges, was found near a Scottish cart track more than a century ago. Regarding the Royal Fern, Frances said, No waterside fern is more regal than the Royal Fern, Osmunda regalis ("oz-MUN-duh ray-GAH-lis"), the 8- to10-foot fronds once sheltered an ancient British king, Osmund, from marauding Danes. Then Frances shared her favorite ferns for wet gardens and indoor spaces. She wrote: Good ferns for soggy spots include all of the Heart's Tongues; the Netted Chain Fern, Woodwardia areolata ("wood-WAR-dee-ah arr-ee-oh-LAY-ta"), a creeping plant for swampy ground, and the Dwarf Oak Fern, Gymnocarpium dryopteris 'Plumosum' ("jim-n-oh-KAR-pi-um dry-OP-ter-is ploom-oh-sim"). Ferns suitable for indoor culture include most Maidenhairs, Adiantums ("AYE-dee-ANT-ums") — which incidentally loathe tobacco smoke — the Hare's Foot [or the Squirrel's Foot fern], Davallia fejeensis, ("duh-vall-ee-uh fee-jay-en-sis") — ideal for hanging baskets with its brown exposed tubers like animal paws, the long-fronded aptly-named Ladder Ferns (Nephrolepis "nef-ro-LEP-iss" varieties - like the sword fern or Boston fern) and the Bird's Nest Fern, Asplenium nidus "as-PLEE-nee-um Nye-dis"; which produces 24-inch fronds shuttlecock fashion in a wide circle. In nature, Asplenium perches on trees, but our 20-year-old does very well in a large flower pot. I only water into the center of the plant, not into the soil. Thanks for listening to The Daily Gardener. And remember: "For a happy, healthy life, garden every day.

Today we celebrate the botanist who named the fuchsia plant. We'll also learn about the first American to become a full-time naturalist. We'll hear some charming thoughts on April and May from a Scottish author who mentored Lewis Carroll. We Grow That Garden Library™ with a 25-year-old garden classic written to help gardeners in the Big Apple - New York City. And then we'll wrap things up with the story of the Daffodil King, Peter Barr, on his 195th birthday today. Subscribe Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart To listen to the show while you're at home, just ask Alexa or Google to "Play the latest episode of The Daily Gardener Podcast." And she will. It's just that easy. The Daily Gardener Friday Newsletter Sign up for the FREE Friday Newsletter featuring:

• A personal update from me
• Garden-related items for your calendar
• The Grow That Garden Library™ featured books for the week
• Gardener gift ideas
• Garden-inspired recipes
• Exclusive updates regarding the show

Plus, each week, one lucky subscriber wins a book from the Grow That Garden Library™ bookshelf. Gardener Greetings Send your garden pics, stories, birthday wishes, and so forth to [email protected]. Curated News Garden Blogger's Bloom Day For April | Phillip Oliver Facebook Group If you'd like to check out my curated news articles and original blog posts for yourself, you're in luck. I share all of it with the Listener Community in the Free Facebook Group - The Daily Gardener Community. So, there's no need to take notes or search for links. The next time you're on Facebook, search for Daily Gardener Community, where you'd search for a friend... and request to join. I'd love to meet you in the group. Important Events April 20, 1646 Today is the birthday of the French priest and botanist Charles Plumier. He was born in Marseille. Regarded as one of the most important botanical explorers of his time, Charles served as a botanist to King Louis XIV of France. He traveled many times to the New World, documenting plant and animal species. During his third expedition to the Greater Antilles, Charles discovered the Fuchsia triphylla on the Caribbean island of Hispaniola (modern-day Haiti and the Dominican Republic). Charles named the fuchsia plant after the 16th-century German botanist Leonhart Fuchs. And because he named the Fuschia, Charles is sometimes referred to as the Father of the Fuchsia. Now, the Fuchsia has colorful upside-down blossoms that hang from the stems. This is how Fuchsias get the common name ladies eardrops. And that drooping habit is reflected in the Irish name for Fuchsia - Deora Dé - which translates to "God's Tears." And it's worth noting that the fruit of all the species of Fuchsia is edible. However, many Fuschia fruits are bland and have a bad aftertaste. But the Fuschia variety Splendens has flavorful fruit and can be used to make jam. Now, in addition to the Fuchsia, Charles discovered and named both the Begonia and the Magnolia. Charles named the Begonia after Michel Begon, who was the governor of the French Antilles for three years from 1682 to 1685. In fact, it was Begon who recommended Charles for the position of plant collector in the Caribbean to King Louis XIV. So this naming of the Begonia was a little payback by Charles to Michel Begon. On the other hand, the naming of the Magnolia was in recognition of the great botanist Pierre Magnol - who introduced the concept of plant families. Now the plant names Fuschia, Begonia, and Magnolia first debuted in Charles Plumier's 1703 book called New Plants of the Americas. Charles drew the plants and animals that he discovered — and his drawings were actually quite good. In fact, Charles's illustrations of fish were featured in a 2018 book by Professor Ted Pietsch called Charles Plumier and His Drawings of French Caribbean Fishes. And Carl Linnaeus and his wife were huge Plumier fans. They used Charles's artwork to make wallpaper for their home. Today, Charles is remembered by the genus Plumeria. A tropical, the Plumeria grows in shrubs and trees. Plumeria is sometimes called the common name Frangipani. This is because an Italian Marquis named Frangipani used Plumeria blossoms to create a perfume used to scent gloves during the 16th century. April 20, 1739 Today is the birthday of the American botanist, artist, and naturalist known as The Flower Hunter, William Bartram. The son of the Quaker botanist John Bartram, William - or Billy (as he was known to his family) - was the first American to pursue a life devoted to the study of nature. Together, William and his father were the leading American plant collectors and horticulturists of their time. The two explored colonial Pennsylvania and New York. In his heart, William was an artist, and his nature art was widely acclaimed. But before William's notoriety for his art was established, his father, John, worried that Billy would end up a starving artist. He attempted many times to steer his son toward other more lucrative endeavors. Ultimately, William's father came around, and he and William went on their final adventure together in Florida. While John collected specimens, William sketched and wrote. During this trip, John and William came upon a unique tree, a tree that John named the Franklin tree after his dear friend Benjamin Franklin. The botanical name for the tree is Franklinia alatamaha, "frank-LIN-ee-ah ah-lah-tah-MAH-hah." William returned to the spot later in life and collected seeds for propagation — and thank goodness he did. By 1803, the Franklin Tree had gone extinct in the wild. And so, all Franklin trees cultivated and prized in gardens and arboretums around the world are descended from the seeds William Bartram collected and cultivated over two hundred years ago. William was also the first person to describe and name the Oakleaf hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia "kwer-sih-FOE-lee-ah"). After his trip with his father, William returned to Florida to farm, another career move that worried his dad. In 1791, his book about his 2,400-mile exploration of the American South, Travels, was published. The book became an immediate sensation in Europe, where people were curious about the flora and fauna of the New World. In BJ Healey's book, The Plant Hunters, he presents a charming summation of William's story. He wrote, "Through his [book] Travels — one of the earliest and certainly the most finest record of American experience, landscape, and people in the eighteenth century; a book that achieved world-wide recognition and profoundly influenced Wordsworth, Coleridge, and many later writers — [William] more than proved himself a worthy son of the Old Quaker pioneer. John Bartram need not have been troubled in his later years, he would have been proud of Billy in the end." Unearthed Words May had now set in, but up here among the hills, she was May by courtesy only; or if she was May, she would never be might. She was, indeed, only April with her showers and sunshine, her tearful, childish laughter, and again the frown and the despair irremediable. Nay, as if she still kept up a secret correspondence with her cousin March, banished for his rudeness, she would not very seldom shake from her skirts a snowstorm and oftener the dancing hail. Then out would come the sun behind her, and laugh, and say — "I could not help THAT; but here I am all the same, coming to you as fast as I can!" ― George MacDonald, Scottish author, and mentor to Lewis Carroll, Sir Gibbie Grow That Garden Library Ken Druse's New York City Gardener by Ken Druse This book came out in 1996, and the subtitle is A How-To and Source Book for Gardening in the Big Apple. In this book, one of America's top horticulturists, Ken Druse, shares his top tips for New York City's urban gardeners as well as his favorite haunts for resources. When he wrote this book, Ken gardened in a tiny, shady, 21x50-foot space behind his Brooklyn townhouse. When this book came out, Ken had just bought a two-and-a-half acre plot of land on an island in the middle of a small New Jersey river. And although some things have changed over the years, much of what Ken shares - in this 25-year-old how-to garden classic - remains relevant. This book is 221 pages of gardening goodness in the Big Apple and timeless inspiration for urban or small-space gardeners. You can get a copy of Ken Druse's New York City Gardener by Ken Druse and support the show using the Amazon Link in today's Show Notes for around $5 Note: When this post was published, out-of-print hardcover copies of this book start at $700. Today's Botanic Spark Reviving the little botanic spark in your heart April 20, 1826 Today is the birthday of the Scottish nurseryman and merchant, Peter Barr. After learning that work remained incomplete for cataloging daffadowndillies (as they were called at the time) - or daffodils as we now know them, Peter became inspired to collect, breed, and study them. Today, Peter is credited as the man who popularized the daffodil. In America, Peter's promotion of daffodils inspired a daffodil craze after the Civil War ended. Over his lifetime, Peter bred over two million daffodils in his Surrey nursery, which earned him the moniker "The Daffodil King." At one point, the Peter Barr daffodil - a white trumpet variety - commanded $250 per bulb. And as you can imagine, each spring, people would travel from all around to see thousands of daffodils representing over a hundred unique daffodil varieties blooming at Peter's nursery. During his seventies, Peter traveled the world, collecting daffs in Asia and South America. When Peter finally retired, he went home to Scotland, and once there, he pivoted - and began cultivatingPrimroses. Two years before his death, Peter famously mused, "I wonder who will plant my grave with primroses?" When Peter died, his obituary hailed that Peter was known from "one end of Great Britain to the other." Today the Peter Barr Memorial Cup is awarded by the Royal Horticultural Society for excellence in daffodils. And in 2019, there was a Grand Blue Plaque Unveiling at Peter's English nursery along Garratt Lane. Thanks for listening to The Daily Gardener. And remember: "For a happy, healthy life, garden every day."

Today we celebrate a botanist remembered with the Haworthia ("how-wurth-EE-ah") genus. We'll also learn about a botanist who spent 25 years researching the forests of the Eastern United States. We'll hear about the Greek goddess of spring from author Jen Calonita. We Grow That Garden Library™ with a book about flower arranging. And then we'll wrap things up with National Garlic Day. Subscribe Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart To listen to the show while you're at home, just ask Alexa or Google to "Play the latest episode of The Daily Gardener Podcast." And she will. It's just that easy. The Daily Gardener Friday Newsletter Sign up for the FREE Friday Newsletter featuring:

• A personal update from me
• Garden-related items for your calendar
• The Grow That Garden Library™ featured books for the week
• Gardener gift ideas
• Garden-inspired recipes
• Exclusive updates regarding the show

Plus, each week, one lucky subscriber wins a book from the Grow That Garden Library™ bookshelf. Gardener Greetings Send your garden pics, stories, birthday wishes, and so forth to [email protected] Curated News Recipes from the gardens of Great Dixter | House & Garden | Aaron Bertelsen Facebook Group If you'd like to check out my curated news articles and original blog posts for yourself, you're in luck. I share all of it with the Listener Community in the Free Facebook Group - The Daily Gardener Community. So, there's no need to take notes or search for links. The next time you're on Facebook, search for Daily Gardener Community where you'd search for a friend... and request to join. I'd love to meet you in the group.

Today we celebrate a botanical artist who learned to paint from her famous younger brother. We'll also learn about a botanist who was fascinated with seed dispersion and weeds. We'll hear a little snippet about spring from an author and ecologist. We Grow That Garden Library™ with a book about the cultural significance behind Japanese Gardens. And then we'll wrap things up with National Orchid Day. Subscribe Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart To listen to the show while you're at home, just ask Alexa or Google to "Play the latest episode of The Daily Gardener Podcast." And she will. It's just that easy. The Daily Gardener Friday Newsletter Sign up for the FREE Friday Newsletter featuring:

• A personal update from me
• Garden-related items for your calendar
• The Grow That Garden Library™ featured books for the week
• Gardener gift ideas
• Garden-inspired recipes
• Exclusive updates regarding the show

Plus, each week, one lucky subscriber wins a book from the Grow That Garden Library™ bookshelf. Gardener Greetings Send your garden pics, stories, birthday wishes, and so forth to [email protected] Curated News Missouri Botanical Garden's Robbie Hart finds his passion in the Himalayas | St. Louis Business Journal | Nathan Rubbelke Facebook Group If you'd like to check out my curated news articles and original blog posts for yourself, you're in luck. I share all of it with the Listener Community in the Free Facebook Group - The Daily Gardener Community. So, there's no need to take notes or search for links. The next time you're on Facebook, search for Daily Gardener Community, where you'd search for a friend... and request to join. I'd love to meet you in the group. Important Events April 16, 1847 Today is the birthday of the American botanical illustrator Ellen Thayer Fisher. Born in Boston, Ellen's family eventually moved to Brooklyn, New York. The daughter of a Civil War surgeon and doctor, Ellen's younger brother Abbott became a famous American painter and naturalist. When Abbott attended the Brooklyn Art School and the Academy of Design, he would come back home and share with Ellen what he was learning about drawing and painting. When she was 22, Ellen married Edward Thornton Fisher, and together they had seven children. In her spare time, Ellen focused on the subject of botanicals - painting mainly floral still lifes. Sometimes her brother, Abbott, would assist with the final touches of her work - which is why some of her paintings are also signed by her brother. Abbott always called her "Nellie," and Ellen always signed her paintings with this family endearment. To help with her family's finances, Ellen painted for exhibitions - likely using her brother's connections, but she also gave "lessons by letter" to aspiring artists. By 1884, Ellen began producing art for the Boston publisher, Louis Prang - the man known as the father of the American Christmas card. Louis turned Ellen's art into beautiful greeting cards. Some of Ellen's more popular pieces feature Blackberries, Poppies, and a there's one with a Thistle that's visited by a bumblebee. April 16, 1886 Today is the birthday of the English botanist and ecologist, Sir Edward Salisbury. The youngest of nine children, Edward's passion for plants started as a young boy. Edward loved to go out into the countryside to dig up plants to grow in his own garden patch at home. Once he identified the plant, he attached a label with the Latin name. His older brothers teased him by calling his garden 'The Graveyard.' Edward grew up to become one of the leading British botanists of the twentieth century. During World War II, he was the director of Kew - a position he held for thirteen years. During the war, Edward wrote a paper called "The Flora of Bombed Areas." Bomb sites were fascinating to Edward. What drew his attention was the way that seeds were dispersed in the aftermath of bombing. Edward immersed himself in the subject of seeds and how they traveled - whether by human shoes, bird droppings, animal feed bags, or wind. Edward wrote many books, but he is best known for his classic garden book called, Weeds and Aliens. In the book, Edward tells the story of going for a walk in the countryside. When he got home, he discovered that the cuffs of his wool trousers were full of seeds. In a moment of inspiration, Edward decided to try to grow them. The net result was that Edward grew more than 300 plants, "comprising over 20 different species of weeds." Indeed, Edward loved plants, and he was especially interested in their native habitats and how they grew in the wild. Edward had strong opinions about plants. He once said, "The double lily was and is a crime against God and man." Edward died in 1978. He lived to be 92. Unearthed Words The world is exploding in emerald, sage, and lusty chartreuse - neon green with so much yellow in it. It is an explosive green that, if one could watch it moment by moment throughout the day, would grow in every dimension. ― Amy Seidl, ecologist, writer, and teacher, Early Spring: An Ecologist and Her Children Wake to a Warming World Grow That Garden Library Japanese Garden Design by Marc Peter Keane This book came out in 2017. In this book, the landscape architect Marc Peter Keane shares how gardens are designed in Japan. Marc moved to Japan in 1985, where he's been teaching garden design and designing gardens. Marc does a masterful job of conveying the intentions and motivations for some of Japan's most beautiful gardens. Now intentions and motivations are two important aspects of Japanese gardens that often go unnoticed since Japanese gardens look so natural and wild. Yet, these peaceful places are man-made. Japanese gardens tell stories - and those stories, according to Marc, are very controlled and intentional. Marc helps translate these stories along with helping us to appreciate the metaphors the gardens represent. In the forward to Marc's book, is this charming anecdote: At the end of his life, American poet Ezra Pound, wrote: "Let the wind speak. That is paradise." The Japanese garden designer, like the poet, creates a theater for the wind to speak, and to our delight, we find that the wind has words. With Japanese Garden Design, Mr. Keane provides an etymology, grammar, and lexicon for deciphering, just what the wind has to say." This book is 192 pages of beautiful Japanese gardens along with cultural and historical insights that make the beauty of these gardens even more meaningful. You can get a copy of Japanese Garden Design by Marc Peter Keane and support the show using the Amazon Link in today's Show Notes for around $12 Today's Botanic Spark Reviving the little botanic spark in your heart Today is National Orchid Day. It has been observed annually on April 16th since 2015. Now, Orchids are my new go-to order from the florist. If I need to give a gift, I'll send an orchid because they are so long-lived and they are simply spectacular. Orchids have been an obsession for many gardeners. The great Enid Haupt, also known as "the fairy godmother of American horticulture," fell immediately in love with orchids when her future husband, Ira Haupt, gifted her with a Cymbidium Orchid. Enid was immediately enthralled by it, and she began a life-long love affair with orchids. And I love what the American paleontologist, evolutionary biologist, and science historian Stephen Jay Gould, once wrote about Orchids: "Orchids manufacture their intricate devices from the common components of ordinary flowers, parts usually fitted for very different functions. Orchids were not made by an ideal engineer; they are jury-rigged from a limited set of available components. Thus, they must have evolved from ordinary flowers." Thanks for listening to The Daily Gardener. And remember: "For a happy, healthy life, garden every day."

Today we celebrate a Swedish botanist with a famous father who observed flashes of light emitting from her nasturtiums. We'll also learn about a modern-day forest advocate and conservationist on a mission to create something he calls a primary forest in France. We'll hear a poem about spring from the charming Christina Georgina Rossetti. We Grow That Garden Library™ with a book that calls us to lead a wilder life - connecting with nature to find balance, energy, and restoration. And then we'll wrap things up with the story of a botanist who was the inspiration for the term that I use to describe the sweet little stories I end the show with every day - botanic sparks. Subscribe Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart To listen to the show while you're at home, just ask Alexa or Google to "Play the latest episode of The Daily Gardener Podcast." And she will. It's just that easy. The Daily Gardener Friday Newsletter Sign up for the FREE Friday Newsletter featuring:

• A personal update from me
• Garden-related items for your calendar
• The Grow That Garden Library™ featured books for the week
• Gardener gift ideas
• Garden-inspired recipes
• Exclusive updates regarding the show

Plus, each week, one lucky subscriber wins a book from the Grow That Garden Library™ bookshelf. Gardener Greetings Send your garden pics, stories, birthday wishes, and so forth to [email protected] Curated News How to Propagate Your Favorite Herbs, Such as Rosemary, Mint, Basil, and More | MARTHASTEWART.COM | Caroline Biggs Facebook Group If you'd like to check out my curated news articles and original blog posts for yourself, you're in luck. I share all of it with the Listener Community in the Free Facebook Group - The Daily Gardener Community. So, there's no need to take notes or search for links. The next time you're on Facebook, search for Daily Gardener Community, where you'd search for a friend... and request to join. I'd love to meet you in the group. Important Events April 15, 1782 Today is the anniversary of the death of the Swedish botanist and the daughter of Carl Linnaeus, Elisabeth Christina von Linné, known to her family as Lisa Stina. Lisa Stina fell in love with one of her father's star pupils, Daniel Solander. Linnaeus himself approved of the relationship. He had high hopes that Daniel might become not only his future son-in-law but also his backfill as the Professor of Botany at Uppsala. Yet after spending time in England, Daniel elected not to return to Sweden. He would never again return to his home country. Despite sending letters referring to Lisa Stina as his "sweetest mamselle," London was too exciting, and Daniel informed Linnaeus by post that he would not be coming back. In the ensuing years, Linnaeus would often refer to Daniel, the pupil that got away, as "the ungrateful Solander." Daniel would go on to travel with Joseph Banks in Captain James Cook's first circumnavigation of the globe on the Endeavor. Back home in England, Daniel became Joseph Banks' personal secretary and librarian. But his work was cut short when he died from a brain aneurysm at the age of 46. As for Lisa Stina, she ended up unhappily married to a grandson of Rudbeck - the man for whom the Rudbeckia or Black-Eyed Susans are named. But when she was 19 (and in love with Daniel Solander), Lisa Stina published a paper about a little-known occurrence that came to be known as the "Elizabeth Linnaeus Phenomenon." Lisa Stina had been in her family's garden at twilight, and she had observed flashes of light coming from nasturtium flowers. She told her father that the brighter reddish blossoms were the main source of the light. In her paper, she questioned whether the light came from the flowers themselves or if the flashing was an illusion. At the time, scientists could not discern the validity of her observations, and some even dismissed her observation altogether - assuming she'd imagined it. But 150 years later, a German professor would uncover the mystery of the flashing flowers, which turns out to be an optical illusion that occurs at twilight. When the light bounces off the red color of the nasturtiums in contrast to the green leaves, the eye perceives it as a flash of light. The same effect can happen with other bright-colored flowers, like Sunflowers, Calendulas, and African Marigolds. If you want to try to replicate it, you need to try to view the blooms at sunset using your peripheral vision. The poet, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, wrote about the Elizabeth Linnaeus Phenomenon in one of his verses: 'Tis said, in summer's evening hour Flashes the golden-colored flower A fair electric flame... The etymology of Nasturtium is Latin 'nasus torsus' and means 'nose twist or nose torment.' The word "nose" is found in many common names like the Nose Tickler due to the peppery sinus-clearing taste of the leaves. The flower tastes a bit sweeter. April 15, 1938 Today is the birthday of the French botanist, biologist, and conservationist Francis Hallé. Francis has spent over forty years studying the ecology of tropical forests and the architecture of their trees. These scientific areas of study have shaped how Francis views not only trees and forests but also our planet and the future. Atlas Obscura wrote an excellent feature article about Francis called "The Botanist Who Made Fantastical Sketches of Rain Forest Flora." Francis's book, The Atlas of Poetic Botany, is one of my favorites - it offers a Seussical charm thanks to Francis's whimsical artwork. In 2018, Francis wrote, "I draw mainly to get around language difficulties. The French language is made for humans and, in a pinch, for animals, but not at all for plants. Leaving the Latin that we use to name these [plants], we lack the vocabulary to describe their way of life." As Francis likes to say, he respects the poetry of all living things - and this is a clue to the etymology of the title of Francis's book, The Atlas of Poetic Botany. In The Atlas, Francis gives us a tour of the rainforest and the rare plant life that can be found only under the canopy of the forest's magnificent trees. Francis introduces us to a plant with a single, enormous leaf, an invasive hyacinth, a walking tree, and a dancing vine - just to name a few. Francis also shares the history and lore of the many plants he profiles - like Queen Victoria's rubber tree and the moabi tree (the bark is believed to give the power of invisibility). Francis celebrates the wonders of the plant kingdom by sharing specimens with incredible characteristics: a flower that draws energy from trees; plants that can imitate other plants; a fern with cloning power; and a tree creates rain. And all this biodiversity is impossible without the protective covering of the rainforest. Today Francis is passionate about forests. In a recent interview this winter, Francis said, "Plants are much smarter than us... They improve their environment while we destroy ours. Humans are trees' greatest enemy. Of course… parasites kill some, that storms bring down those with weak roots and [stunted] fibers, but all this serves to improve the species, according to the laws of evolution. While we… deprive the equatorial forests of their tallest, upright trees, the most beautiful, leaving the lower trees. This madness will continue as long as there is a tree left to make money; I have no illusions." In 2019, Francis started an 800-year rewilding project - an initiative called the Association for Primary Forest. This project aims to create a primary forest in Europe in an area that would encompass 70,000 hectares. Francis said, "I dream of a forest with zero management, like those I've had the privilege to see in the tropics. For me, a primary forest offers the ultimate biological diversity, as well as the best in planetary aesthetics." A primary forest is a forest that has not been cleared, exploited or modified in any way by man. Primary forests differ from plantation forests because plantation trees are planted to be used or harvested. In contrast, a primary forest would be planted to allow it to develop freely over millennia. Primary forests are precious spaces. According to Francis, they offer much more carbon capture than secondary forests. And Francis calls primary forests summits of biodiversity. Primary forests also offer climate regulation and replenishment of water resources - along with countless other benefits. In 2021, when Elon Musk announced his $100 million award for the best ideas to capture carbon, Francis Hallé quickly responded that his primary forest initiative was the ultimate carbon capture solution. We'll see if Elon agrees. It was Francis Hallé who said, "I wonder if our initial relationship to trees is aesthetic rather than scientific. When we come across a beautiful #tree, it is an extraordinary thing." Unearthed Words A Robin said: The Spring will never come, And I shall never care to build again. A Rosebush said: These frosts are wearisome, My sap will never stir for sun or rain. The half Moon said: These nights are fogged and slow, I neither care to wax nor care to wane. The Ocean said: I thirst from long ago, Because earth's rivers cannot fill the main. — When Springtime came, red Robin built a nest, And trilled a lover's song in sheer delight. Grey hoarfrost vanished, and the Rose with might Clothed her in leaves and buds of crimson core. The dim Moon brightened. Ocean sunned his crest, Dimpled his blue, yet thirsted evermore. ― Christina Rossetti, English poet, A Winter Sonnet Grow That Garden Library A Wilder Life by Celestine Maddy ("Cell-ah-steen") This book came out in 2016, and the subtitle is A Season-by-Season Guide to Getting in Touch with Nature In this book, Celestine urges us to garden with a greater purpose than simply growing plants for food and beauty. She wants us to connect with our gardens and refresh our spirits. Celestine was the founder of Wilder Quarterly - A magazine for people enthralled by the natural world. The magazine ran from 2011 to 2013. A Wilder Life is a beautiful coffee table book that offers tips for connecting with nature. Celestine's ideas include planting a night-blooming Garden, learning to read the Stars, creating a habitat for butterflies, dying your clothes with natural dyes, building an outdoor shelter, and learning to identify insects - just to name a few. Celestine's book and projects embraced the simple life trend that started after the year 2000. Celestine's book is divided into seasons and within each season are five main sections: growing (which covers suggested plants), cooking (a fantastic section with seasonal recipes), Home & Self Reliance, Beauty & Healing, and Wilderness (a guide to appreciating all that nature offers in the season). This book is 272 pages of restoration and connection with nature by living a wilder life. You can get a copy of A Wilder Life by Celestine Maddy and support the show using the Amazon Link in today's Show Notes for around $3 Today's Botanic Spark Reviving the little botanic spark in your heart April 15, 1791 Today is the anniversary of the death of the English botanist Alexander Garden. Alexander's story is a fascinating one - starting with the fact that he had the perfect last name for a botanist: Garden. The Gardenia flower is named for him. After immigrating from England, Alexander had settled in Charleston, South Carolina. Now, if you've ever wondered how I came up with the term botanic spark to describe the sweet stories that I ended the show with, it was a term I read in a letter written by Alexander Garden. One summer, Alexander found himself stuck in Charleston - while many of his botanist friends were off exploring and botanizing. In a letter to the botanist, John Bartram, Alexander wrote, "Think that I am here, confined to the sandy streets of Charleston, where the ox, where the ass, and where man, as stupid as either, fill up the vacant space while you range the green fields of Florida." And to John Ellis, who sent Alexander detailed accounts of his botanizing, Alexander wrote: "I know that every letter which I receive not only revives the little botanic spark in my breast but even increases its quantity and flaming force." When the Revolutionary War began, Alexander sided with the British, even though he sympathized with the colonists. Alexander's son, Alex Jr., fought against the British. As a consequence, Alexander and his son became permanently estranged. They never forgave each other. A biographical sketch of Alexander sadly reported that Alexander's son had a little girl he had named Gardenia. But after the two men became estranged, Alexander never met his little granddaughter with the flower name that honored the botanical work of her grandfather. When the war was over, Alexander and other British sympathizers were punished. In Alexander's case, his property was confiscated, and he was forced to leave South Carolina. After losing everything, Alexander and his wife and two daughters went to live in London, where he became vice-president of the Royal Society. He died of tuberculosis, at age 61, on this day in 1791. Thanks for listening to The Daily Gardener. And remember: "For a happy, healthy life, garden every day."

Today we celebrate a German landscape and flower painter who was forbidden to paint by her father. We'll also learn about a self-taught botanist who spent nearly a dozen years in the Amazon rainforest. We hear an excerpt about spring from the man who wrote A Farewell to Arms. We Grow That Garden Library™ with a book about one of the 19th-century's top botanical illustrators. And then we'll wrap things up with a little story from the 2017 Beijing Crabapple Conference. Subscribe Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart To listen to the show while you're at home, just ask Alexa or Google to "Play the latest episode of The Daily Gardener Podcast." And she will. It's just that easy. The Daily Gardener Friday Newsletter Sign up for the FREE Friday Newsletter featuring:

• A personal update from me
• Garden-related items for your calendar
• The Grow That Garden Library™ featured books for the week
• Gardener gift ideas
• Garden-inspired recipes
• Exclusive updates regarding the show

Plus, each week, one lucky subscriber wins a book from the Grow That Garden Library™ bookshelf. Gardener Greetings Send your garden pics, stories, birthday wishes, and so forth to [email protected] Curated News My Trees: Alive, Dead, or In-Between? Evaluating Plants 2 Months After Texas Freeze | Pam Penick Facebook Group If you'd like to check out my curated news articles and original blog posts for yourself, you're in luck. I share all of it with the Listener Community in the Free Facebook Group - The Daily Gardener Community. So, there's no need to take notes or search for links. The next time you're on Facebook, search for Daily Gardener Community, where you'd search for a friend... and request to join. I'd love to meet you in the group. Important Events April 14, 1844 Today is the birthday of the German landscape and flower painter Helene Cramer who was born on this day in 1844. Helen and her sister Molly were both painters in Hamburg, Germany. Their father, Cesar, forbade his daughters to become painters. And so, the two sisters didn't start painting until middle age. Helen was 38 when she first picked up a brush. Her primary subject with flowers. After studying with other artists and painters, Helen and Molly exhibited their art throughout Germany and at the 1883 World's Fair in Chicago. Most gardeners say that their favorite painting of Helene's is her work called "Marsh Marigolds and Crown Imperials." When Helen died in 1916, she was 72 years old. Both she and her sister are buried in Plot 27 of the "Garten der Frauen," Or the garden of women at the Hamburg Ohlsdorf cemetery. April 14, 2020 On this day the book, A Naturalist in the Amazon: The Journals & Writings of Henry Walter Bates was published. Unlike many of his scientist friends and peers, Henry was entirely self-taught. Early in his career, Henry met the great English naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace. By 1848, Henry and Alfred left England to explore the Amazon Rainforest. While Henry stayed in the Rainforest for eleven years, Alfred returned to England after four years- though all of Alfred's specimens and notes were lost at sea on his voyage home. After the ship he was on caught fire and sank, Alfred and the crew were rescued after ten days adrift in the Atlantic. During his eleven years in the Rainforest in Brazil, Henry collected butterflies, and he sent back a whopping 15,000 insect specimens - with over half of his collection listed as brand new discoveries. As Henry wrapped up his time in the Rainforest, he had survived both yellow fever and malaria in addition to many other uncomfortable maladies. Toward the end, it's not surprising to read that Henry had grown weary of the enormous challenges of life as an explorer. He wrote, "I suffered most inconvenience from the difficulty of getting news from the civilized world down river, from the irregularity of receipt of letters, parcels of books and periodicals, and towards the latter part of my residence from ill-health arising from bad and insufficient food." In the end - after a dozen years away from family, friends, and civilization - Henry Bates, the great Naturalist, could not ignore what had been building in his heart: he was lonely. He wrote, "I was obliged, at last, to come to the conclusion that the contemplation of nature alone is not sufficient to fill the human heart and mind." In 2014, Henry's Amazon notebooks were digitized, and they are now online to view from the Natural History Museum Library. And in 2018, Henry's remarkable story was shared in an IMAX film called Amazon Adventure. Unearthed Words "With so many trees in the city, you could see the spring coming each day until a night of warm wind would bring it suddenly in one morning. Sometimes the heavy cold rains would beat it back so that it would seem that it would never come and that you were losing a season out of your life. This was the only truly sad time in Paris because it was unnatural. You expected to be sad in the fall. Part of you died each year when the leaves fell from the trees, and their branches were bare against the wind and the cold, wintry light. But you knew there would always be the spring, as you knew the river would flow again after it was frozen. When the cold rains kept on and killed the spring, it was as though a young person had died for no reason. In those days, though, the spring always came finally, but it was frightening that it had nearly failed." ― Ernest Hemingway, A Moveable Feast Grow That Garden Library James Sowerby by Paul Henderson This book came out in 2016, and the subtitle is The Enlightenment's Natural Historian. In this book, Paul Henderson introduces us to James Sowerby - arguably one of the best botanical illustrators during the mid-18th to mid-19th centuries. One of the reasons James was such a successful artist, was no doubt due to his extremely high intellect. He was also one of the period's most knowledgeable natural historians. Paul introduces James this way: "This book is the story of a remarkable man. Unusual and his breath of scientific interest which he applied successfully; unusual in his desire to learn throughout his life and to impart his knowledge widely; unusual and going against the current practices by being at one - at the same time his own researcher, writer, illustrator, teacher, publisher and bookseller; unusual in his considerable output of innovative, high-quality and influential works; and unusual in becoming the patriarch of a successful line of natural historians." I've talked about James numerous times on the show. He teamed up with numerous botanists during his lifetime, and his illustrations Grace the pages of many of their books. As for James, his Masterpiece was called Sowerby's Botany - a detailed 36-volume reference on the plants of England. Of course, the book also included over 2,500 hand-colored illustrations. This book is 336 pages of the first-time biography of an incredible artist and scientist: James Sowerby. You can get a copy of James Sowerby by Paul Henderson and support the show using the Amazon Link in today's Show Notes for around $40 Today's Botanic Spark Reviving the little botanic spark in your heart April 14, 2017 On this day, the Beijing Crabapple Conference began. Visitors toured the Crabapple Garden during the conference, which featured many new American cultivars of crabapples like Brandywine, Cinderella, Molten Lava, Lollipop, and Madonna - all of which were created by the respected and admired nurseryman from Lake County, Ohio, Jim Zampini. During the conference, attendees were sad to learn that Jim had passed away at the age of 85. Today, Jim's legacy lives on in his fantastic crabapple varieties like Centurion, Harvest Gold, Lancelot Dwarf, Sugar Tyme, and the Weeping Candied Apple. Crabapples are small, deciduous trees with densely woven branches that feature fragrant and beautiful white, pink, or red petals when they bloom in the spring. Self-sterile crabapples rely on bees and other insects for pollination. The trees rarely grow taller than 25 feet high. Generally speaking, it takes two to five years for a crabapple tree to bear fruit. Crabapples differ from standard apple trees in that they offer smaller fruit. Apples that are less than 2 inches in diameter are considered crabapples. If you want to plant a mini-orchard of Crabapple trees, space the saplings 6 to 15 feet apart. Group them on the closer end of the range if you are planting dwarf or more upright varieties. Crabapple trees are just beginning to come into bloom in our 2021 gardens. When they are in flower, few flowering trees can rival their charm. In Polish folklore, apple trees were considered dream trees. Sleeping under apple trees was thought to create a dream-filled sleep. And, placing an apple under a maiden's pillow could induce a dream of her future husband. In English folklore, crabapple seeds or pips were thrown into the fire on Valentine's Eve while chanting the name of your true love. If the pips explode, your love will be true and will last forever. Thanks for listening to The Daily Gardener. And remember: "For a happy, healthy life, garden every day."

Today we celebrate a writer and avid gardener who, as an adult, gardened beside her mother for decades. We'll also learn about a botanist and prolific plant collector who traveled along with her minister husband as he worked in the Philippines. We hear some thoughts about how quickly spring goes by. We Grow That Garden Library™ with a book about Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker. And then we'll wrap things up with International Plant Appreciation Day. Subscribe Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart To listen to the show while you're at home, just ask Alexa or Google to "Play the latest episode of The Daily Gardener Podcast." And she will. It's just that easy. The Daily Gardener Friday Newsletter Sign up for the FREE Friday Newsletter featuring:

• A personal update from me
• Garden-related items for your calendar
• The Grow That Garden Library™ featured books for the week
• Gardener gift ideas
• Garden-inspired recipes
• Exclusive updates regarding the show

Plus, each week, one lucky subscriber wins a book from the Grow That Garden Library™ bookshelf. Gardener Greetings Send your garden pics, stories, birthday wishes, and so forth to [email protected] Curated News An introduction to the gardens of the Arts and Crafts Movement | House & Garden | Judith B. Tankard Facebook Group If you'd like to check out my curated news articles and original blog posts for yourself, you're in luck. I share all of it with the Listener Community in the Free Facebook Group - The Daily Gardener Community. So, there's no need to take notes or search for links. The next time you're on Facebook, search for Daily Gardener Community, where you'd search for a friend... and request to join. I'd love to meet you in the group.

Today we celebrate the American doctor and amateur botanist who left a legacy in Michigan. We'll also learn about the first botanist to explore Michigan. We'll recognize the man who started the California Botanical Society. We hear a quick thought on spring from Ellis Peters. We Grow That Garden Library™ with a beautiful book about Hydrangea. And then we'll wrap things up with National Licorice Day Subscribe Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart To listen to the show while you're at home, just ask Alexa or Google to "Play the latest episode of The Daily Gardener Podcast." And she will. It's just that easy. The Daily Gardener Friday Newsletter Sign up for the FREE Friday Newsletter featuring:

• A personal update from me
• Garden-related items for your calendar
• The Grow That Garden Library™ featured books for the week
• Gardener gift ideas
• Garden-inspired recipes
• Exclusive updates regarding the show

Plus, each week, one lucky subscriber wins a book from the Grow That Garden Library™ bookshelf. Gardener Greetings Send your garden pics, stories, birthday wishes, and so forth to [email protected] Curated News North Facing Garden Ideas | Ideal Home | Tamara Kelly Facebook Group If you'd like to check out my curated news articles and original blog posts for yourself, you're in luck. I share all of it with the Listener Community in the Free Facebook Group - The Daily Gardener Community. So, there's no need to take notes or search for links. The next time you're on Facebook, search for Daily Gardener Community where you'd search for a friend... and request to join. I'd love to meet you in the group.