The Daily Gardener

Today we celebrate a botanist and orchidologist who saved Kew, We'll also learn about an orchid hunter who collected plants on behalf of the London Horticultural Society. We hear some words about the challenging experience of a botanist in 1874. We Grow That Garden Library™ with a book about one of America's earliest botanists and the father of America's first female botanist. And then we'll wrap things up with a story of a plant that Joseph Dalton Hooker described as "The ugliest yet [most] botanically magnificent plant in the world." 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 Carnation – A Little History and Some Growing Instructions | Harvesting History 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 February 5, 1799 Today is the birthday of the British botanist, pomologist, pioneer orchidologist, and flower show organizer, John Lindley. John's dad was a nurseryman, and he ran a commercial nursery in England. Despite his array of botanical talents and knowledge, the family was always under financial duress. Growing up in his father's nursery helped John acquire the knowledge to land his first job as a seed merchant. This position led to a chain of events that would shape John's life. First, he met the botanist William Jackson Hooker. And, second, Hooker introduced him to Sir Joseph Banks. As a result of these connections, John ended up working as an assistant in Bank's herbarium. In 1838 after Banks died, when the fate of Kew Gardens hung in the balance, John recommended that the gardens belonged to the people and that they should become the botanical headquarters for England. The government rejected John's proposal and decided to close the garden. But, on February 11, 1840, John ingeniously demanded that the issue be put before the Parliament. His advocacy brought the matter to the people; the garden-loving public was not about to lose the Royal Botanic. And, so, John saved Kew Gardens, and William Hooker was chosen as the new director. From his humble beginnings to his incredible standing in English Botanical History, John is remembered fondly for so many accomplishments. For 43 years, John served as secretary to the Royal Horticultural Society, which is why the RHS Library is called the Lindley Library. And, there are over 200 plant species named for John Lindley. There is "lindleyi," "lindleyana," "lindleya," "lindleyoides," etc., and they all pay homage to John. John once told his friend, the botanist Ludwig Reichenbach, "I am a dandy in my herbarium." John did love his plants. But, without question, John's favorite plants were orchids. Before John, not much was known about orchids. Thanks to John, the genus Orchidaceae was shortened to orchid – which is much more friendly to pronounce. And, when he died, John's massive orchid collection was moved to a new home at Kew. John's friend, the botanist Ludwig Reichenbach, wrote a touching tribute after John died. He wrote, "We cannot tell how long Botany, how long science, will be pursued; but we may affirm that so long as a knowledge of plants is considered necessary, so long will Lindley's name be remembered with gratitude." And here's a little-remembered factoid about John - he was blind in one eye. February 5, 1848 It was on this day, the botanist Karl Theodor Hartweg boarded a Hawaiian ship on his way back to England. The London Horticultural Society had hired Karl to collect plants in California. Yet when he reached London, the Hort Society was a little frustrated with Karl because he hadn't secured something they really wanted: Bristlecone Fir seeds. A short while later, Karl severed ties with London, and he ended up south of Frankfurt tending gardens for the Duke of Baden for thirty years until he died in 1871. Karl's journey as a plant collector began in the botanical garden in Paris. After working for the Chiswick garden in London, Karl began to turn his attention to plant exploration. Eager to travel and explore, Karl left for America in 1836. Although Karl was only supposed to stay for a three-year project, he actually ended up staying for over seven years. During the early to mid-1800s, native plants from Mexico, like dahlias and cacti, were all the rage. As for Karl, he became a noted orchid hunter. According to Merle Reinkka, the author of A History of the Orchid, Karl's work was significant, and he contributed, "The most variable and comprehensive collection of New World Orchids made by a single individual in the first half of the [19th] century." A man of the world, Karl himself once dryly remarked, "All the way from London just to look after weeds." Unearthed Words In 1874, the English botanist WEP Giles (William Ernest Powell) explored the vast deserts of central Australia. Setting out with his hunting partner from a base camp at Fort McKellar, he discovered a leak in one of his large water bags. The two men decided to continue, even though the temperature had already climbed to 96 degrees Fahrenheit. Camping that night, they hung their remaining bags of water in a tree to protect them. But one of their horses attacked a bag with her teeth— spraying the water all over the ground. Now neither the men nor the animals had enough water. — Anita Silvey, American children's author, The Plant Hunters, Bringing Themselves Home Alive Grow That Garden Library Cadwallader Colden by Seymour Schwartz This book came out in 2013, and the subtitle is A Biography. In this book, Seymour gives us the first complete biography of the American botanist Cadwallader Colden. Cadwallader was the longest-serving Lieutenant Governor of New York. He was incredibly intelligent and multi-talented - a true Renaissance man of America's colonial times. A trained physician, Cadwallader improved public health, and he wrote the first scientific paper published in the colonies, as well as the first map of New York. Cadwallader was also the father of America's first female botanist: Jane Colden. This book is 230 pages of the life of a multifaceted colonial Renaissance man: Cadwallader Colden. You can get a copy of Cadwallader Colden by Seymour Schwartz and support the show using the Amazon Link in today's Show Notes for around $4 Today's Botanic Spark Reviving the little botanic spark in your heart February 5, 1806 Today is the birthday of the Austrian botanist and explorer Friedrich Welwitsch. Friedrich found a second home in the country of Portugal, where he served as the director of the Botanic Gardens in Lisbon. Friedrich had some fantastic experiences during his lifetime, but the pinnacle was clearly the day he discovered the Welwitschia mirabilis. The mirabilis refers to its unusual form. Portugal had to send him to Africa to collect plants - which he did for seven years. In 1860, Friedrich discovered a strange-looking plant that is actually a tree - a conifer and a gymnosperm - in terms of botanical classification. The Africans called it "Mr. Big." Now the Welwitschia is endemic to Namibian deserts, and it's also present on the country's coat of arms. When Friedrich discovered this unique plant, which can live for more than 1500 years and bears only two leaves in its entire lifecycle, he was so astonished that he, "could do nothing but kneel down and gaze at it, half in fear lest a touch should prove it a figment of the imagination." Imagine a two-tentacled octopus with very long arms and a red floral bouquet for a head, and you have the Welwitschia mirabilis. Welwitschia's two leaves grow continuously throughout the life of a plant. The pair of leaves are broad, leathery, and belt-shaped. Incredibly, some specimens, tested with carbon 14, are over 2000 years old. Today, if you search online, there is a spectacular photo of Friedrich seated behind a large welwitschia mirabilis. He's wearing a pith helmet, and the plant's leaves are clearly many times longer than Friedrich's arms and legs, which are mostly obscured by the plant. In 1862, Joseph Dalton Hooker described the plant in The Gardener's Chronicle as, "The ugliest yet [most] botanically magnificent plant in the world." Thanks for listening to The Daily Gardener. And remember: "For a happy, healthy life, garden every day."

Today we celebrate a botanist who helped us understand why plants are green: chlorophyll. We'll also learn about the dedicated Landscape Architect who was a protégé of Beatrix Farrand. We hear some tips for keeping a well-stocked winter larder. We Grow That Garden Library™ with a 2021 journal that you can use to keep track of your year - and it has some fantastic original sketches from a garden great on nearly every page. And then we'll wrap things up with a story that helps us see weedy plants through a different lens - and we're fools if we can't be more balanced in our perspective on these plants. 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 Starting Your Seeds for the First Time | That Bloomin' Garden | Kristin Crouch 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 February 4, 1847 Today is the anniversary of the death of the French botanist and physiologist Henri Dutrochet. After studying the movement of sap in plants in his home laboratory, Henri discovered and named osmosis. Henri shared his discovery with the Paris Academy of Sciences on October 30th, 1826. Like the cells in our own human bodies, plants don't drink water; they absorb it by osmosis. Henri also figured out that the green pigment, chlorophyll, in a plant is essential to how plants take up carbon dioxide. Hence, photosynthesis could not happen without chlorophyll. It turns out chlorophyll actually helps plants gather energy from light. And if you've ever asked yourself why plants are green, the answer is chlorophyll. Since it reflects green light, the chlorophyll makes the plant appear green. As for Henri, he was a true pioneer in plant research. He was the first to examine plant respiration, light sensitivity, and geotropism (How the plant responds to gravity, i.e., roots grow down to the ground.) Geotropism can be confusing at first, but I just think of it this way: The upward growth of plants - fighting against gravity - is called negative geotropism, and downward growth of roots, growing with gravity, is called positive geotropism. And there's a little part of the plant at the very end of the root that responds to positive geotropism, and it's called the root cap. So, what makes the roots grow downward? The small but mighty root cap - responding to positive geotropism. February 4, 1899 Today is the birthday of the Beatrix Farrand protégé, the American Landscape Architect Ruth Harvey. After graduating from Smith College, Ruth attended the first landscape architecture school to allow women: the Cambridge School of Domestic Architecture and Landscape Architecture. Before she earned her Master's degree in Architecture, Ruth had already started working for Beatrix Farrand - and it was this relationship that would lead Ruth to her professional destiny: Dumbarton Oaks. Dumbarton Oaks was a farm that was purchased by Robert and Mildred Bliss in 1920. A creative visionary, Mildred immediately had big plans for the property, and she hired the great Landscape Architect Beatrix Farrand to help with the transformation. And while Mildred had bargained for creating a magnificent garden property, she ended up with so much more: a very dear friendship with Beatrix. As for Ruth, after she was hired, she joined a small team of women, spearheaded by Beatrix, to design the magnificent gardens and Landscape at Dumbarton. But in a few years, after the project was underway, it was Ruth who took point on the work at Dumbarton. Ruth's leadership happened organically after she proved herself by working on various projects. Ruth's first major project at Dumbarton was something called the Green Garden Inscription to Beatrix Farrand. The inscribed stone tablet was something special that Mildred wanted to be added to the Green Terrace; she was looking for a permanent way to honor her dear friend Beatrix, and she wanted it set in stone. And so, Ruth designed a plaque that was placed within a balustrade - the stone railing of the terrace. Written in Latin, ("Somnia sub patulis videant nascentia ramis sidera fausa ferant omnia et usque bona. Testimonio amicitiae Beatricis Farrand nec illorum immemores qui postero aevo vitas veritati erunendae impenderint. Hanc tabellam posuerunt Robertus Woods Bliss uxorque Mildred") the inscription has two lines of elegy that read: "May they see their dreams springing to life under the spreading boughs; May lucky stars bring them every continuous good." And the inscription reads: "A testimony to the friendship of Beatrix Farrand. Robert Bliss and his wife, Mildred, remembering those who have spent their lives bringing truth forth for a later age, set this plaque here." The Green Terrace was designed to be an extension of the Bliss home. The patio area served as an outdoor dining room and a space for entertaining, and the Blisses hosted large parties and events there. Set on the highest part of the property, the Green Terrace offers the best views of Dumbarton and the spot where Mildred purposefully chose the inscription; it's the very best spot to stand to view the garden and the landscape beyond. Over Ruth Havey's long career, she took on additional projects out of her office in New York, and she was part of the first generation of working female Landscape Architects in the country. And with every project she completed, Ruth honed her superpower: tying the landscape to buildings on the property - making the garden a cohesive part of the whole. And although she had many impressive clients and gardens through the years, Ruth always felt a special bond to Dumbarton - a place she helped to mold and shape for over thirty years. And it's fitting that her best work - her masterpiece - was a Dumbarton project called the Pebble Garden. Initially, the Pebble Garden space was a tennis court, and Beatrix Farrand had actually installed it. Most gardeners can relate to tearing out a garden feature that no longer suits their needs. But the task of replacing a tennis court - a 60 by 120-foot flat space - with an intricate pebble mosaic must have felt like an enormous undertaking. The area was a clean slate. After a fateful trip to Florence, Italy, Mildred discovered a muse for the space. She had gone to see the Villa I Tatti, and Mildred's imagination lighted up when she saw an intricate mosaic of pebbles - a pebble garden - that made the walkways look like they were covered with an intricately patterned stone carpet. Now Villa I Tatti's elaborate pebble pathways were designed by the great Uruguayan-British garden designer and architect Cecil Ross Pinsent. Visiting elite gardens was not at all intimidating or overwhelming to Mildred. Instead, Mildred was invigorated by the practice of benchmarking the very best gardens in the world so that Dumbarton, too, could be extraordinary. Imagine being in Ruth's shoes as Mildred tells her she wants a pebble mosaic to replace the tennis court. Imagine sourcing images for inspiration, finding the perfect pebbles, and establishing a design that would likely inspire for centuries. This redesign was a massive challenge for Ruth Havey, and in the end, she nailed it, and the pride that she felt must have been very gratifying. Today when you view Ruth's pebble mosaic, I want you to imagine what it would look like with water above it - because that was what she originally intended. Sadly, the cement bedding below the mosaic had some flaws, and those cracks meant the mosaic would always be fully exposed, and I suspect that this development has actually prolonged the life of the mosaic. Anyone with a water feature knows how water degrades the structures beneath the water. Finally, the pebble garden features two cornucopias on either side of a large sheaf of grain. This harvest image of the two cornucopias and the grain is a visual reminder of the Bliss family motto: "Quod Severis Metes: You reap what you sow." Unearthed Words Harvested fruits and vegetables can be stored over winter in a number of ways. Perishable summer stone fruits can be dried, packed into sweetened alcohol syrups, or cooked into preserves or jellies. The pom fruits — apples, pears, and quinces — from late summer and early fall harvest will keep for several months in a cool, dark, well-ventilated place, as will hard squashes and winter roots. Brine- or salt-cured olives and a variety of nuts and dried beans make up the remainder of a traditional winter larder. Salty anchovies and olives from the larder go surprisingly well with winter's starchy potatoes and storage onions. All kinds of dried beans are good in slow-simmered dishes, especially if the beans were harvested the preceding fall and still retain their fresh flavor. — Georgeanne Brennan, author and co-founder Le Marche Seed Company, Potager, Winter Grow That Garden Library Bunny Mellon Garden Journal by Linda Holden This journal came out in 2020, and it is absolutely gorgeous. In this journal, Linda added many lovely little Bunny Mellon touches. There are Bunny's wonderful sketches along with quotes about gardening and life. Linda thoughtfully alternated blank and lined pages, honoring every gardener's need to draw and write. This journal is perfect for the garden designer, as well as the gardener. And I think that the sweet little sketches throughout the journal are incredibly inspiring. Each drawing and doodle is taken from notes and letters that Bunny wrote to her friends and family. Linda's journal features an elastic band closure, an inside pocket, and a ribbon bookmark, making this journal a lovely keepsake and handy reference for wherever you like to journal. You can get a copy of Bunny Mellon Garden Journal by Linda Holden and support the show using the Amazon Link in today's Show Notes for around $7 Today's Botanic Spark Reviving the little botanic spark in your heart February 4, 1995 On this day, the North County Times ran a little article about weeds. It started out with this question: "What do Yarrow, Chicory, Horsetail, Shepherd's Purse, and Ground Ivy have in common?" Well, in case you haven't guessed, the answer is that they are all considered weeds. Yet the author of Just Weeds, Pamela Jones, countered "I would like to see the word weed abolished altogether for being one of the most intolerant, negative words in the English language." Pamela's book features insights on the uses (medicinal and otherwise) of 30 different weeds - and she also shares the lore and history of each plant. The part of the Yarrow that grows above ground has been used to tree everything from fever and cold to tummy troubles and toothaches. Chicory is known as the herb for perseverance. I always think of the little Chicory flower I once say blooming happily through a crack along the side of a highway - such a great example of determination! And all the parts of the Chicory are useful for both medicine and food. And Horsetail or Milkweed (Asclepias) was a valued medicinal plant to Native Americans who used it for snakebites and increased lactation. Meanwhile, Shepherd's Purse has been called the most essential plant in all of the Cruciferous family for its ability to stop bleeding. Finally, Ground Ivy or Creeping Charlie helps stop headaches, earaches, sinusitis, and it also moves the lymph system, which is why it is known for it's drying and draining abilities. Thanks for listening to The Daily Gardener. And remember: "For a happy, healthy life, garden every day."

Today we celebrate a man with, perhaps, the perfect last name for a botanist: Blume. We'll also learn about a wild berry that is a sister to the blueberry and the cranberry. We hear some words about the devastating impact of the poisonous White Snakeroot on the family of one of our American Presidents. We Grow That Garden Library™ with a book about the story of two botanists with different fates - yet both made their mark in horticulture. And then we'll wrap things up with the story of a Southern poet born on this 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 Drawing On History, Philosophy, Psychology & Art, The Gardens Of Shute House Are Sir Geoffrey Jellicoe's Masterpiece | House & Garden 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 February 3, 1862 Today is the anniversary of the death of the German-Dutch botanist with the perfect last name - Carl Ludwig Blume. Born in Germany and orphaned by the age of five, Carl proved to be a bright little boy and a successful student. He studied at the University of Leiden in the Netherlands - a place that would become his Northstar. When he died in Leiden, on this day in 1862, he had become a naturalized Dutch citizen. Scholastically, Carl went the path of most botanists. He first became a physician, and he ran an apothecary. In short order, he started botanizing in the Dutch East Indies, specifically on the island of Java, where he was the Botanic Garden director. Carl wrote a spectacular book on the collection of orchids that were available on the island. The title page is stunning, and it features three native women from Java performing a ceremonial dance. The mountains of Java in the village are in the background, and a garland of orchids frames the stunning portrait. This publication is considered one of the finest works of scientific literature during the early 1800s. In 1825, Carl established the Dendrobium genus of orchids. The genus name is derived from the Greek; "dendron" for tree and "bios" meaning life. The two terms, tree and life, refer to orchids' epiphytic habit of growing on trees. And, here's a great story about Carl. During his time in Java, Carl saw what he thought was a group of moths flying in a motionless fashion by a tree. It was a strange vision. But, when he got closer, Carl realized what he thought were moths were actually orchid flowers. Carl named the species Phalaenopsis amabilis (fayl-eh-NOP-sis ah-MA-bo-lis). In nature, the phalaenopsis orchid stems are not clipped to a bamboo pole like they are when we buy them in the supermarket. Instead, they arch away from the tree they are attached to and sway easily with the Wind. It was the motion of the Orchid flowers swaying in the wind that lead Carl to believe he saw an insect and not a blossom. The etymology of the word phalaenopsis comes from the Latin word "phal," which means moth - which is why this Orchid is commonly referred to as the Moth Orchid. Phalaenopsis orchids are native to Southeast Asia. Their popularity has steadily grown because they are so easy to grow and because they bloom indoors all year round. This makes them one of the most popular house plants in the world. Now, should you be tempted this summer to move your phalaenopsis orchid outside, think twice. Just because they are a tropical plant doesn't mean they want full sun. Phalaenopsis orchids grow in the shade of trees under the tree canopy. They like indirect light, and if you put them in full sun, they will get sunburned. If you are going to move them outside, make sure to put them in a place where they will not get direct sunlight. Sometimes I'll put mine onto my north-facing covered porch. In 1853, Carl Ludwig Blume discovered another popular plant in the mountains of Java: coleus. Coleus bluemei was named in Carl's honor until it was changed in 2006 to Coleux x Hybridus in recognition of all the new hybrid variations. As of 2012, the botanical name for coleus is Plectranthus scutellarioides (Plek-TRAN-thus SKOO-til-air-ee-OY-deez). And Coleus is in the Mint or Lamiaceae family. They have that signature square stem and opposite leaves - along with other famous members of the Mint family: Basil, Peppermint, Oregano, Salvia, Swedish Ivy, and Thyme. An early nickname for Coleus was painted nettle or flame nettle. Coleus is easy to propagate from cuttings. You can simply pop them in a glass of water, and in a few days, roots will start to form. To encourage your Coleus to grow more compactly, keep pruning them before they bloom. You might remember that the National Garden Bureau made 2015 the year of the coleus. February 3, 1941 On this day, The Daily Republican out of Monongahela, Pennsylvania, published a tiny snippet about the Box Huckleberry (Gaylussacia brachycera). "In Tuscarora Forest, Perry county, there is a large box huckleberry bush considered the largest on earth. In 1846, Dr. Asa Gray, the famous Harvard botanist, wrote the first description of the bush, which covers hundreds of square feet of earth. Experts estimate its age to be about 12,000 years, five times as old as the big California trees." Today, that massive colony of Box Huckleberry still lives in the Tuscarora Forest (I checked). In fact, it's listed on the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources website. And they thoughtfully include a Hoverter and Sholl Box Huckleberry Natural Area Trail Guide (PDF) right on their website. Speaking of websites, I love what Zoe Bommarito wrote about the western Huckleberry species in a post on the National Forest Foundation website: "Coming from the Midwest, I heard about huckleberries as a child – but I had never eaten one, or even seen a huckleberry for that matter. They don't grow in Michigan. When I moved to Missoula, Montana, I began to hear about these iconic berries. People are obsessed. Driving through Montana, I guarantee you'll see at least a couple of roadside signs advertising huckleberry milkshakes. I thought everyone was crazy. I soon learned that huckleberries are in my own backyard — they're abundant in our National Forests. These delicious, sought-after, and magical berries are available to you on our public lands. Huckleberries are small red and purple berries related to both blueberries and cranberries. Smaller than a blueberry and sweeter than a cranberry, many believe that huckleberries are the best of both worlds. Huckleberries come from a shrub-like plant that grows in the underbrush of forests. More than twelve species of huckleberries are found throughout Pacific Northwest forests." And here are a few additional points about the Huckleberry. Many gardeners think blueberries and huckleberries are interchangeable - but this is not the case. Although you can't tell by color alone, since some huckleberries are blue and some blueberries are almost purple, you can distinguish them by the seeds. Blueberries have lots of itty-bitty seeds in their pulp, while Huckleberries have exactly ten small seeds. The etymology of the word Huckle is a reference to an old word for joint or hip because of the Huckleberry plant's joined stems. In fact, the handles on a coffin are often called Huckles - so when you carry a coffin, you are a Hucklebearer - or pallbearer. And the phrase, "I'm your Huckleberry," is a way of letting someone know you're just the person for the job. And don't forget that Tom Sawyer's trusted friend was Huckleberry Finn. Huckleberries love to grow on the forest floor in acidic soil - they feel right at home under a fir or pine canopy. And although plenty of gardeners have tried to grow Huckleberries from seed, their attempts didn't yield fruit. To this day, Huckleberry plants have never been reliably cultivated. Thus, Huckleberries are still harvested the old fashioned way: foragers pick them. And the laborious foraging is precisely why Huckleberries are so expensive; they sell for double-digits - over $10 a pound. Unearthed Words One of the most famous victims of milk sickness was Nancy Hanks Lincoln, mother of Abraham Lincoln. She fought the disease for a week but finally succumbed, as did her aunt and uncle and several other people in the small town of Little Pigeon Creek, Indiana. She died in 1818 at the age of thirty-four, leaving behind nine-year-old Abraham Lincoln and his sister, Sarah. Lincoln's father built the coffins himself; young Abraham helped by carving the pegs for his mother's casket. — Amy Stewart, gardener and garden writer, Wicked Plants, White Snakeroot Grow That Garden Library Both by Douglas Crase This book came out in 2004, and the subtitle is A Portrait in Two Parts. In this book, we learn about a fascinating fifty-year relationship between Dwight Ripley (the heir to an American railroad fortune and a polymath who excelled in horticulture, music, language, and painting) and Rupert Barneby (the son of an aristocratic English family and one of the greatest botanists of the 20th Century). After meeting at Harrow, an exclusive boarding school in England, Dwight and Rupert discovered a shared obsession for botany and love for each other. Ultimately, the two would go on many botanizing trips before settling in Los Angeles in the 1930s. In addition to regular botanizing trips in the American Southwest, Dwight and Rupert were part of a lively social circle among the artistic élite of New York that included W. H. Auden, Peggy Guggenheim, and Jackson Pollock. This book features the incredible life stories of Dwight and Rupert, and gardeners will thrill to learn more about their botanical mania and exploits through their "exquisite prose on plants, snatches of Barneby's witty poetry, and reproductions of drawings in each of their distinctive styles." This book is 320 pages of the extraordinary lives of two immensely talented men and their impact on botany, horticulture, and American art in the 20th Century. You can get a copy of Both by Douglas Crase 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 February 3, 1842 Today is the birthday of the American poet, musician, and author, Sidney Lanier. Born in Macon, Georgia, Sidney rose to fame after writing a poem about, of all things, corn. He had been visiting friends when he was immediately struck by the "beauty of cornfields and the pathos of deserted farms." Sidney is one of our under-appreciated 19th-century poets. Music and nature were endless wells of inspiration for Sidney's work. After fighting in the civil war, he wrote a book about his experience called Tiger Lilies. He could be light-hearted: I am but a small-winged bird: But I will conquer the big world As the bee-martin beats the crow, By attacking it always from above. And Sidney was also spiritual - as in his poem A Ballad of Trees and the Master about the story of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, with a compelling first verse that ends: But the olives they were not blind to Him, The little gray leaves were kind to Him: The thorn-tree had a mind to Him When into the woods He came. Today gardeners can visit the Sidney Lanier Cottage in Macon, Georgia. And if you go, there is a marvelous little herb garden with cobblestone paths and a sundial in the center. The little cottage gets high marks on Trip Advisor, where one reviewer wrote, "From the moment we walked in and breathed in the scent of the old building, to the end of the (extra good) tour, we enjoyed everything we learned." And there is a school called the Sidney Lanier Center in northeast Gainesville, Florida, which offers education to elementary and secondary students with disabilities. In 2015, students created the Sidney Lanier Community Garden with the help of a master gardener named Susan Lucas. Today, the whole school enjoys the garden, which grows herbs (for cooking and sensory therapy), carrots, kale, as well as blueberries, and strawberries. Sidney's dream was to teach at a new University called Johns Hopkins. Three years after the University opened, Sidney was invited to teach. He became an instant sensation with the students, but his body was failing him. In 1880, after battling years of poor health due to tuberculosis contracted during his time in the Civil War, Sidney wrote his final poem, "Sunrise," After lecturing for a little over a year, Sidney had to teach sitting down. He was 39 years old. When the school year ended, Sidney and his family went to North Carolina to reset his failing health. Instead, he died with his family around him in a home in Tryon, just a few blocks west of where the musician Nina Simone would grow up. Fittingly, Sidney's grave in Baltimore is inscribed with words from his final poem, "Sunrise," "I am lit with the Sun." Thanks for listening to The Daily Gardener. And remember: "For a happy, healthy life, garden every day."

Today we celebrate a star from the silent film age, whose best movie featured a blind woman selling flowers. We'll also learn about Candlemas - the ancient celebration of the quickening of the year. Candlemas is associated with the snowdrop, candles, and predicting just how much longer winter will last…. We hear a passage about a wonderful mini-farm - an inspiring example of the Nature Principle at home. We Grow That Garden Library™ with a book that teaches how to propagate almost 400 plants - and if you get it, I see many baby plants in your future... And then we'll wrap things up with a little story about the Snowdrop Fairy. 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 5 Tips to Help Your Garden Now | Fine Gardening 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 February 2, 1914 On this day, the English comic actor, filmmaker, and composer Charlie Chaplin made his film debut in Making a Living. With regard to his enormous catalog of work, Charlie's onscreen persona, The Tramp, is considered iconic, and it brought him wealth and fame. In 1931, Charlie created the silent film that Roger Ebert regarded as his best: City Lights. In the film, Charlie, as The Tramp, falls in love with a blind flower girl. And here's some incredible movie trivia about City Lights: The scene where The Tramp bought a flower from the blind girl had 342 takes. Charlie could not figure out how to convey a key plot point: the blind woman needed to know that The Tramp - who didn't speak - was wealthy. So, until he got it just right, the actress, Virginia Cherrill, had to say, "Flower Sir?" 342 times. February 2, 2021 Today is Candlemas - a celebration of the quickening of the year. While today we might say we're half-way between Christmas and spring, this Celtic tradition honored the midpoint between the winter solstice and the spring equinox and was a forerunner to Groundhog Day. Like Groundhog Day, Candlemas was all about predicting when winter would come to an end. This is why there are so many verses for Candlemas: If Candlemas Day be mild and gay Go saddle your horses, and buy them hay But if Candlemas Day be stormy and black, It carries the winter away on its back. If Candlemas be fair and clear, there'll be two winters in the year. If Candlemas Day be fair and bright Winter will have another flight. If Candlemas Day be cloud and rain, Then Winter will not come again As for the garden, in the middle ages, your Christmas greenery could be left up until Candlemas - but then it needed to come down. And in England, the Snowdrop blooms in February, and this is reflected in the common names "Fair Maid of February" and "Candlemas Bells." Hence the verse: The snowdrop, in purest white array, First rears it head on Candlemas Day. And, if you were tempted to bring some cut snowdrops in the House before Candlemas, you probably wouldn't have - because that was considered bad luck. And it should be noted that snowdrops are stronger than we give them credit for; they contain a natural antifreeze, which helps them survive in freezing weather. Over the centuries, the forecast of Candlemas was shared differently across Europe. In France and England, a bear would tell the forecast, and the Germans look to the badger for signs of spring. When German immigrants in Pennsylvania were looking to maintain the custom, they turned to the groundhog - a creature (unlike the badger) that was relatively easy to find and easy to catch. In the United States, the first Groundhog Day was celebrated in Gobbler's Knob, Pennsylvania, on this day in 1887. Today the mother of all Groundhog Celebrations is held in Punxsutawney with the groundhog Punxsutawney Phil the star attraction. If you're looking to celebrate Candlemas, you can always light a candle in your garden tonight and invite spring and the sunshine back into your life. Unearthed Words The yard surrounding Karen Harwell's home is only six hundred square feet, yet it harbors ducks, a beehive, eighteen semi-dwarf fruit trees, an organic vegetable garden, calming places to sit and read and think, and neighborhood teenagers. The teens visit summer, the dog, and sit in the rabbit hutch, hold the baby rabbits, and conduct that archaic form of social networking: talk. "I wake up in the morning and I throw on my vest over my nightgown and then summer and I head out the front door and we just walk around the garden noticing things. It's just a wonderful way to start the day," Harwell said, as she escorted me around her minifarm. — Richard Louv, American author and Audubon Medal Winner, The Nature Principle, The Nature Principle at Home Grow That Garden Library How to Propagate 375 Plants by Richard Rosenfeld This book came out in 2018, and the subtitle is A Practical Guide to Propagating Your Own Flowers, Foliage Plants, Trees, Shrubs, Climbers, Wet-Loving Plants, Bog and Water Plants, Vegetables and Herbs. In this book, Richard gives us a masterclass in propagation. In addition to covering seed planting basics, Richard shows the proper way to take cuttings, so you don't hurt the parent plant and have a cutting that gives you the best chance at propagation success. Then Richard guides you through dividing plants as well as layering and grafting methods. Best of all, everything is thoroughly explained with step-by-step instructions and photographs. The directory of 375 plants includes growing tips for each species. This book is 256 pages of a propagation masterclass with sound advice, beautiful photography, and best of all, these propagation skills can be put to use right away in your garden this year. You can get a copy of How to Propagate 375 Plants by Richard Rosenfeld and support the show using the Amazon Link in today's Show Notes for around $18 Today's Botanic Spark Reviving the little botanic spark in your heart Today I thought I'd end the show with a little whimsy. The English illustrator Cicely Mary Barker painted a flower fairy for the fair maids of February, the snowdrops, and she called it the Snowdrop Fairy. Cicely loved wildflowers, but she didn't believe in fairies. In the foreword to Flower Fairies of the Wayside, Barker wrote: "I have drawn all the plants and flowers carefully, from real ones, but I have never seen a fairy..." Today, Cicely is remembered for her depictions of fairies and flowers. In Cicely's fabulous fantasy world, every flower was granted its particular Fairy to protect it from harm. Cicely would draw the flowers and the fairies and then write poetry about them. There's a lovely website called Flower Fairies, which has organized Cicely's fairies by season. For winter, there are fairies for these plants: Snowdrop, Groundsel, Dead Nettle, Shepherd's Purse Spindle Berry Old Man's Beard, Yew, Lords-and-Ladies, Holly, Blackthorne, Pine Tree, Box Tree, Rush Grass And Cotton Grass, The Plane Tree, Burdock, Winter Jasmine, The Hazel-Catkin, Totter Grass, Winter Aconite, And The Christmas Tree. In any case, here's what Cicely wrote about the Snowdrop Fairy. Deep sleeps the Winter, Cold, wet, and grey; Surely all the world is dead; Spring is far away. Wait! the world shall waken; It is not dead, for lo, The Fair Maids of February Stand in the snow! Thanks for listening to The Daily Gardener. And remember: "For a happy, healthy life, garden every day."

Today we celebrate a Harlem poet who loved children and flowers. We'll also learn about a newspaperman who wrote a fantastic essay about a harbinger of spring: the skunk cabbage. We'll hear some thoughts on how to start a garden. We Grow That Garden Library™ with an extraordinary book that takes us on a tour of brilliantly curated plant life. And then we'll wrap things up with a little obscure verse about the language of trees. 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 Removing Deadwood Makes For Happier, Healthier Shrubs And Trees — Here's How To Know If Branches Are Still Alive | The Chicago Tribune | Beth Botts 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 February 1, 1902 Today is the birthday of the American poet, social activist, novelist, playwright, and columnist Langston Hughes. Langston was one of the leading voices of the 1920s. He was also part of the Harlem Renaissance Cultural Movement, and for the last twenty years of his life, Langston lived on the top floor of a Brownstone on 127th Street. And when Langston lived in Harlem, everyone knew which house was his - because it was the one covered in Boston Ivy. Langston loved the look of the Ivy, and it was planted at his request. Langston was just 5 feet and 4 inches tall, and he reportedly saw the world through the wonder-filled eyes of a child. Langston's outlook no doubt helped him relate to kids, and he loved being around children. One of the most charming details I learned about Langston was the little garden that he kept near the front steps of his home. Langston called the garden "Our Block's Children's Garden," and with the neighborhood kids there to help, he filled it with nasturtiums, asters, and marigolds. And all the neighbor kids were in charge of the watering and weeding. And if you search for Langston's garden online, you'll find an adorable photo of Langston from 1955 - he's surrounded by kids (one of them is holding a watering can), and they are kneeling behind a white picket fence. On the fence pickets is a round sign that says, "Our Block's Children's Garden," along with the names of 26 children. As for his writing, Langston always said that Harlem was his muse. Langston's poem, Poet to a Bigot, is still timely, and the last line will find purchase with gardeners. I have done so little For you, And you have done so little For me, That we have good reason Never to agree. I, however, Have such meager Power, Clutching at a Moment, While you control An hour. But your hour is A stone. My moment is A flower. February 1, 1916 On this day, the American newspaper editor, essayist, short story writer, and poet, Ben Hur Lampman, moved to Portland and began working for The Oregonian. On March 2, 1942, Ben wrote an article defending a harbinger of spring, the Skunkweed or Eastern Skunk Cabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus), that appeared in the Medford, Oregon newspaper. In this magnificent piece, Ben compares the yellow bloom of the Skunk Cabbage to a candle. "What a flower [the Skunk Cabbage] is, to be sure. When it lifts to burn coolly in the swampy wayside, there are few wayfarers who do not exclaim to see it. There seems to be something votive about it, as perhaps there is. The reason one is sure that people care about it... is simply because they must. There is no other choice; for the elder law is that people must always care about beauty. A Skunk Cabbage [is a] kind of calla lily, and though its odor is faintly mephitic, you don't have to sniff it. It may be supposed that the farmer who tends the cattle thinks he has little use for a Skunk Cabbage if he meditates in the least on its utility - but if ever the year should come when the golden, cool candles were not kindled, the farmer would be first to remark this and worry about it. For a farmer can't plow, and a farmer can't plant until the Skunk Cabbage is up everywhere." Unearthed Words As with most occupations, there are different ways to approach the garden. The absolutely right way to start a garden, for instance, is to bulldoze your whole yard, then, according to a friend of mine, a brilliant (if obsessive gardener), spend some time in it naked in the middle of the night, wandering around looking for microclimates — those slightly warmer or slightly cooler pockets of air that hover over even a tiny tract of land. After that, you start measuring and marking with stakes and string the beds and borders, and enrich the soil with different things depending on what you're going to plant where, after installing a complicated and expensive underground sprinkling system. Meanwhile, months ago, you made careful lists of new and replacement plants you needed and ordered them all from the catalogs, early enough to make sure you got what you wanted. You've also been germinating and grafting plants for weeks in your greenhouse or electrically heated cold frames so that everything will be ready at the right moment, gauging by the last frost date plus a few extra days to be on the safe side, to plant outside in an orderly blooming sequence. You are armed and ready for spring. Perhaps a less desirable but still reasonably effective, way to start a garden is to notice one day that the weather is sunny and fine and to think that it might be fun to plant a few things and see what happens. — Cheryl Merser, American gardener and author, A Starter Garden, How to Start a Garden Grow That Garden Library Botanicum by Kathy Willis This book came out in 2017, and the subtitle is Welcome to the Museum. Designed to teach students, this oversized coffee-table book offers the chance to walk through a curated guide to plant life - and the entire experience is stunning. Katie Scott of Animalium fame provides the extraordinary artwork, which you can see even on the cover of the book - which is why it has a standing spot on the coffee table in my botanical library. The author, Kathy Willis, is the director of science at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew, England. And so, Kathy had the perfect background to create Botanicum, which shares a worldwide collection of diverse plant life - from perennials to exotics. In addition to the artwork, Botanicum reviews botanical scientific knowledge, including cross-sections of how plants work. As a virtual museum in book form, Botanicum features more than 160 captivating exhibits. This book is 112 pages of botanical knowledge brought to life in a virtual museum - complete with cross-sections - called Botanicum. You can get a copy of Botanicum by Kathy Willis and support the show using the Amazon Link in today's Show Notes for around $21 Today's Botanic Spark Reviving the little botanic spark in your heart We're in the grips of winter now, and the trees dominate the landscape. I thought I'd close today's show with a little poem about trees that I stumbled upon doing some tree research. We're learning more and more about trees thanks to folks like the great German forester and author Peter Wollhenben and his book The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate―Discoveries from A Secret World. Anyway, this little obscure poem is from the Scottish poet Charles MacKay, and it seemed like an excellent way to end the show for this first day of February. I heard the language of the trees, In the noons of the early summer, As the leaves were moved like rippling seas By the wind - a constant comer. It came and it went at its wanton will, And evermore loved to dally With branch and flower, from the cope of the hill To the warm depths of the valley. The sunlight glowed; the waters flowed; The birds their music chanted, And the words of the trees on my senses fell, By a Spirit of Beauty haunted: Said each to each, in mystic speech, The skies our branches nourish; The world is good — the world is fair, Let us enjoy and flourish! Again I heard the steadfast trees; The wintry winds were blowing; There seemed a roar as of stormy seas, And of ships to the depths down-going. And ever a moan through the woods was blown, As the branches snapped asunder, And the long boughs swung like the frantic arms Of a crowd in affright and wonder. Heavily rattled the driving hail; And storm and flood combining, Laid bare the roots of mighty oaks Under the shingle twining. Said tree to tree, "These tempests free Our sap and strength shall nourish; Though the world be hard, though the world be cold, We can endure and flourish." — Charles MacKay, Scottish poet, The Language of the Trees Thanks for listening to The Daily Gardener. And remember: "For a happy, healthy life, garden every day."

Today we celebrate a woman who helped change the way pesticides were used in the United States. We'll also learn about the man who taught thousands of people how to prune and graft fruit trees and also founded the Home Orchard Society. We'll hear about how to prune Willow (Salix) trees with one of my favorite gardeners. We Grow That Garden Library™ with a lovely set of postcards - they're so pretty - you may just want to display them. And then we'll wrap things up with a marvelous article about a source of winter joy for gardeners: scented houseplants. 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 Eight Steps to Create a Stunning Winter Garden | Stihl 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 January 29, 1958 On this day, a letter to the editor appeared in the Boston Herald in Section 3 on Page 14 and was titled "Evidence of Havoc by DDT." It was written by a Duxbury resident, journalist, and nature-lover: Olga Owens Huckins. Olga and her husband, Stuart, had created a little bird sanctuary around two kettle ponds on their property. It was a place, "where songbirds sang, ducks swam, and great blue herons nested." When the Massachusetts State Mosquito control program began spraying in their area, Olga observed birds and insects dropping dead in her garden. During that time, the DDT was sprayed at a rate of two pounds per acre. The day Olga's property was sprayed, the pilot had extra DDT in his tank, and he decided to dump it - right over Olga's land. As a former Boston newspaper reporter, Olga voiced her anger and frustration in the best way she knew how; she wrote about it. Olga wrote, "The 'harmless' shower-bath killed seven of our lovely songbirds outright. We picked up three dead bodies the next morning right by the door. They were birds that had lived close to us, trusted us, and built their nests in our trees year after year." After writing the paper, Olga wrote another letter to an old friend named Rachel Carson. Olga wanted Rachel to help her find people in Washington who could provide more information about the aerial spraying of DDT. Olga's letter sparked four years of research for Rachel. She put it all together in a book called Silent Spring. Rachel's book opened people's eyes to the hazards of DDT, and public opinion eventually forced the banning of DDT in 1972. Today, Olga & Stuart's property has new owners, and they continue to preserve the site as a bird sanctuary - and also as a way to honor the two brave women who stepped forward when it was put in harm's way: Olga Huckins and Rachel Carson. January 29, 2005 Today is the anniversary of the death of the founder of Home Orchard Society, Larry L. McGraw. Larry's obituary stated that pomology was his passion for more than 50 years. Pomology is the science of growing fruit. In an effort to preserve fruit trees in the Northwest, Larry began collecting scion wood specimens in his twenties, and he founded the Northwest Fruit Explorers - an organization and clearinghouse for fruit information and fruit growers. During his retirement, Larry worked as a horticulturist for the Oregon Historical Society. One day, Larry discovered an envelope that contained apple seeds that were a hundred years old. The letter inside the envelope referenced Marcus Whitman and his orchard. Marcus Whitman was a doctor who led a group of settlers West to Washington State by Wagon Train. His wife was named Narcissa, and she was very bright, a teacher of physics and chemistry. Marcus and Narcissa were part of a group of missionaries. They settled in an area now known as Walla Walla, Washington, and apparently, the Whitman's had an orchard. Beyond that, Marcus and Narcissa's time in Washington was not fruitful. They attempted to convert the local Native Americans to Christianity but were unsuccessful mainly because they didn't bother to get to know or understand them. Sadly, their only daughter drowned when she was two years old. After that, Narcissa's eyesight began to fail. When the Native Americans came down with measles, they blamed the settlers; but they specifically blamed Marcus since he was the town doctor. After almost all of the Native American children died, the surviving Native Americans launched an attack on the settlers. The Native Americans killed Marcus and Narcissa in their home on November 29, 1847, and this event became known as the Whitman Massacre. The seeds that Larry found at the Historical Society were one of the last pieces of the Whitman legacy. Larry's attempts to germinate the Whitman apple seeds were unsuccessful. However, Larry did successfully obtain apple trees from Russia for his Portland Orchard. By 1973, Larry had over 300 varieties of apples growing in his garden. Two years later, in May of 1975, Larry hosted a meeting with a group of other orchard growers. It was the official first meeting of the Home Orchard Society. During his lifetime, Larry taught thousands of people how to prune and graft fruit trees. And during his 50 years of researching apples, Larry estimated he had come across over 2,000 different apple varieties from all over the world. Unearthed Words 'How often do you prune your willows?' you may ask. It varies. We have to consider the vigor of different varieties and also, of course, the amount of time we have to spare. We do not always do what is ideal. If you can manage it, I think it is probably best to prune every year in February, removing about half the shoots, leaving the youngest, brightest looking stems. Some we prune every two years, others we leave longer, but not too long. I once left [the rosemary willow] Salix elaeagnos ""SAY-lix el-ee-ag-nus"(rosmarinifolia "rose-mah-ren-uh-FOE-lee-uh") for several years. With long, fluttering, grey leaves, white-backed on purple stems, they made superb specimens. I was loath to touch them but eventually found we had to restrain them from smothering other good things. Faced with the huge framework in winter how hard dare I cut? Gingerly I went round, saw in hand, cutting off vast pieces but leaving, to my mind, an acceptable framework. Along came a young member of staff who, not before consultation, confidently took the saw and slaughtered my framework almost to the ground. I knew, in theory, he was right, but I just hadn't the courage. Would it be too great a shock to the system? Well, they were slow to start, but by the end of the season, they looked magnificent. — Beth Chatto, garden writer and gardener, Beth Chatto's Garden Notebook, January Grow That Garden Library Botanicals: 100 Postcards This wonderful postcard set came out in 2017, and the subtitle is 100 Postcards from the Archives of the New York Botanical Garden. "This box set contains 100 rare and brilliantly colored botanical art selections from the New York Botanical Garden archives. The images include portraits of exotic flowers, cacti, and succulents from the New York Botanical Garden collections. Each image is printed on lush, uncoated stock to mimic the original paintings. These postcards are perfect for mailing, framing, or using as gift tags." You can get a copy of Botanicals: 100 Postcards from the New York Botanical Garden (NYBG) and support the show using the Amazon Link in today's Show Notes for around $15 Today's Botanic Spark Reviving the little botanic spark in your heart January 29, 1998 On this day The Courier-Journal out of Louisville, Kentucky ran an article by Tovah Martin called "Winter is the Best Time for Scented Plants." Here's an excerpt: "In spring, there are violets, but who wants to crawl around sniffing flowers 2 inches above the ground? In summer, roses abound, but close encounters with rosebuds can be thorny. No, winter is when scents are sampled to the best advantage. With a horde of houseplants huddled on the windowsill, nostrils can have a field day. Fragrant plants, however, have one slight drawback: They're not very showy. The blooms of most fragrant flowering plants are a subdued cream, white, or yellow in color and rather diminutive in size. Take heliotrope, for example. It smells like a comforting combination of baby powder, mulled cider, and vanilla. The flowers are white or purple in dense clusters, and they bloom lustily in any bright, south-facing window, if you can keep the white fly at bay. Or try a hoya in an east or west window; the blossom umbels smell something like freshly baked croissants. If you prefer something along the line of apricots warm from the oven, try Osmanthus fragrans, the sweet olive. If you crave the citrus scent but don't have a sizable south window, consider a mock orange, Pittosporum tobira, instead. It tolerates low light and produces nosegays of creamy flowers amid laurel-like leaves. Several jasmines (especially Jasminum sambac Maid of Orleans, J. nitidum, and J. tortuosum) are easy houseplants. They exude deep, romantic, come-hither-type perfumes with a hint of musk thrown in after dark. If you like the idea but not the musky note, go for a jasmine imitator. Trachelospermum asiaticum is known as pinwheel jasmine but bears no kinship to jasmine whatsoever. It looks like jasmine with vining branches studded by umbels of star-shaped blossoms with twisted petals. And it smells like jasmine, without the questionable undertones. One word of caution before you delve into the realms of fragrant plants: If you can, try to sample potential perfumed roommates before adopting them. One person's perfume is another's stench. Even certain jasmines can rub some people the wrong way. British garden designer Gertrude Jekyll spent a night abroad and sent her lady's maid searching for a dead rat. It turned out to be Jasminum polyanthum, growing by the window." Thanks for listening to The Daily Gardener. And remember: "For a happy, healthy life, garden every day."

Today we celebrate a colonial botanist who introduced nearly 200 plants to British horticulture after sourcing them from his good friend John Bartram in America. We'll also learn about the man who mastered growing the Poinsettia and established it as the official plant of Christmas. We'll hear some wonderful thoughts on the Common Daisy (Bellis perennis) from one of my favorite writers. We Grow That Garden Library™ with a book about styling your home with botanicals - making your own horticultural haven. And then we'll wrap things up with the story of a woman who found her way to the best job ever: creating herb gardens. 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 New Year Plant Hunt 2021: Day One | BSBI: Botanical Society of Britain & Ireland | Louise Marsh 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 January 28, 1694 Today is the birthday of a Fellow of the Royal Society, an avid gardener, and a friend to many scientific leaders in London in the mid-18th century, Peter Collinson. Peter Collinson introduced nearly 200 species of plants to British horticulture - importing many from his friend John Bartram in America. And when the American gardener John Custis learned that Peter was looking for the mountain cowslip (Primula auricula), he happily sent him a sample. Auricula means ear-shaped, and the mountain cowslip is commonly known as a bear's ear - from the shape of its leaves. And the cowslip is a spring-flowering plant, and it is native to the mountains of Europe. Custis also sent Peter a Virginia Bluebell Or Virginia cowslip (Mertensia virginica). This plant is another spring beauty that can be found in woodlands. And I have to say that the blue about Virginia Bluebell is so striking - it's an old fashioned favorite for many gardeners. The Virginia Bluebell is known as lungwort or oyster wort. And it got those rather unattractive common names because people believed the plant could treat lung disorders, and also, the leaves taste like oysters. Virginia bluebells bloom alongside daffodils, so you end up with a beautiful yellow and blue combination in the spring garden - something highly desired and gorgeous. Peter was not the only gardener in search of Virginia bluebells. Thomas Jefferson grew them at Monticello ("MontiCHELLo") and loved them so much that they were often referred to as Jefferson's blue funnel flowers. As for Peter, he once wrote, "Forget not me and my garden." Given Peter's influence on English gardens, he would be pleased to know that, after all these years, he has not been forgotten. In fact, in 2010, the author Andrea Wulf wrote about Peter in her book The Brother Gardeners: A Generation of Gentlemen Naturalists and the Birth of an Obsession - one of my favorite books by one of my favorite authors. January 28, 1895 Today is the birthday of the nurseryman known as "Mr. Poinsettia," Paul Ecke Sr. ("Eck-EE"), and he was born in Magdeburg, Germany. Paul and his family immigrated to the United States in 1906. And when Paul took over his father's nursery business located on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood in the early 1920s, the Poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima) was a fragile, outdoor, wild plant. And Paul fell in love with the Poinsettia immediately. And Paul felt that the Poinsettia was perfectly created for the holiday season because the bloom occurred naturally during that time of year. By 1924, Paul was forced out of Hollywood by the movie business, and that's when he brought his family and the nursery to San Diego County. Paul and his wife Magdalena had four children, and they purchased 40 acres of land in Encinitas("en-sin-EE-tis"). It was here that Paul would turn his passion for Poinsettias into a powerhouse. And at one point, his nursery controlled 90% of the Poinsettia market in the United States. At first, Paul raised Poinsettias in the fields on his ranch. Each spring, the plants were harvested and then loaded onto two railroad cars and sent to greenhouse growers all along the east coast. And when Paul wasn't growing Poinsettias, he was talking Poinsettias. It wasn't too long before Paul started calling Poinsettias "The Christmas Flower"; Paul was endlessly marketing Poinsettias and praising their attributes as a harbinger of Christmas. Initially, Paul worked to decrease the growing time of the Poinsettia. By getting the time to bloom down from 18 months to 8 months, Paul made it possible for the Poinsettia to be grown indoors. And after figuring out how to propagate the plant through cuttings indoors, Paul was soon able to ship Poinsettias around the world by plane. In the 1960s, Paul's son, Paul Jr., took over the business, and he cleverly sent Poinsettias to all the major television shows. When the holiday programs aired, there were the Poinsettias - in their glory - decorating the sets and stages of all the most popular TV shows. When Paul Junior learned that women's magazines did their photoshoots for the holidays over the summer, he began growing a Poinsettia crop that peaked in July. Magazines like Women's Day and Sunset were thrilled to feature the Poinsettia in their Christmas magazines - alongside Christmas Trees and Mistletoe. This venture was regarded as the Ecke family's most significant marketing success and made the Poinsettia synonymous with Christmas. Today gardeners will be fascinated to learn that the Ecke family distinguished themselves as a superior grower of Poinsettias by using a secret technique to keep their plants compact and hardy. Their solution was simple: they grafted two varieties of Poinsettias together, causing every seedling to branch and become bushy. Competitor Poinsettias were leggy and prone to falling open. Not so, with the Ecke Poinsettia. By the 1990s, the Ecke growing secret was out of the bag, and competitors began grafting Poinsettias together to compete. Today the Ecke family does not grow a single Poinsettia on their farm in San Diego County. Finally, one of Paul's Poinsettia pet peeves is the commonly-held belief that Poinsettias are poisonous. Over the years, sometimes that fear would prevent a pet owner or a young mother from buying a Poinsettia. Paul Ecke recognized the threat posed by this false belief. And so, Paul fought to reveal the truth one interview at a time. It turns out that a 50-pound child would have to eat roughly 500 Poinsettia leaves before they would even begin to have a stomach ache. Furthermore, the plant is not dangerous to pets. And here's where things get crayze: Paul would regularly eat Poinsettia leaves on camera during interviews over the holiday season to prove his point. When the Ecke nursery sold in 2012, it still controlled over half the Poinsettia market in the world. During the holiday season, roughly seventy-five million Poinsettia plants are sold - most to women over 40. Unearthed Words The daisy's genus name, Belis (martial or warlike), refers to its use by Roman doctors as a common treatment for battlefield wounds. John Gerard, the sixteenth-century herbalist and author of the first important herbal in English, wrote: "The leaves stamped take away bruises and swellings ... whereupon it was called in old time Bruisewort." But daisies weren't just popular medicine. They were also popular for making prophecies. You've certainly learned the most famous one: "He loves me, he loves me not." The last petal decides the question—but its unreliability is unfortunately notorious. You can, however, tell the seasons by the coming of daisies: It's spring in the English Midlands, and people say when you can put your foot on nine daisies. But be careful: Dreaming of daisies in spring or summer brings good luck; If you dream of them in fall or winter, however, bad luck is on the way. — Susan Wittig Albert, author, China Bayles Book of Days, January 38 Grow That Garden Library Botanical Style by Selina Lake This book came out in 2016, and the subtitle is Inspirational decorating with nature, plants, and florals. In this book, stylist Selina Lake shows, "how to tap into the current trend for bringing nature, plants, and florals into the heart of the home." Selina reviews the ingredients she uses to achieve her signature look—antique botanical prints and artworks, flower stalls, potting sheds, and houseplants. Then she shares how these items can be used to transform your home into a botanical paradise. Next, Selina shares five aspects of her botanical styling, from Vintage Botanicals and Boho Botanicals to Natural Botanicals and Tropical specimens. This book is 160 pages of Selina's innovative style tips for working with botanicals to create a modern garden ambiance in your home. You can get a copy of Botanical Style by Selina Lake and support the show using the Amazon Link in today's Show Notes for around $4 Today's Botanic Spark Reviving the little botanic spark in your heart January 28, 1983 On this day, The Charlotte News shared an article by Edie Lowe called "Herb Garden Just Like Artwork." Here's an excerpt: "To Deborah Zimmerman designing an herb garden is like painting a picture or composing a song. "You have to orchestrate a harmonious blend of textures and colors and heights. When designing a garden, my canvas is the ground. My picture is of the finished garden. My song is the finished garden." Deborah's latest design is a formal Elizabethan herb garden in the backyard of the restored Blair-Bowden House on Poplar Street. Deborah became interested in herbs and spices about 12 years ago. "I started a little business called Helping Hand Services… planting herbs and spices in people's gardens. It started out as a means of supporting myself in school. It grew so quickly, and I enjoyed it so much. I found myself feeling here I am being creative, and I'm getting paid for it. I'm spreading beauty in yards working with plants and soil - which I love - and I'm getting paid to learn and create." Deborah is continually studying herbs and spices. She is particularly fond of designing gardens like those from the Elizabethan era in the 16th and 17th centuries. "There is not much difference in the Elizabethan gardens of the 18th century and Victorian gardens. The (main) difference is the type of herbs they favored in their gardens. The Elizabethan Gardens were more apt to have highly scented plants because of the period's sanitation problems. They would pick herbs and spread them on the walks and floors. As company came and walked on the herbs, they'd be crushed, releasing the scents. Herbs were the air fresheners of the day." Because people seldom bathed, scented herbs and spices were also worn in pomanders around their necks. The Victorian era was more sophisticated. Baths became popular. Perfumes and scented water made from herbs and spices were used. "Victorian people loved rose water. The damask rose was the popular flower then. It is the most highly scented rose there is." Deborah's 4th Ward garden, covering a 10-by-10-foot space, is fashioned with circles and diamonds inside a square. Each of the four points of the square is finished in a fleur-de-lis pattern. Deborah used creeping thyme and candytuft as a border hedge for the garden. The rest of the pattern is carried out with lavender, rosemary, lemon, verbena, aromatic herbs, clove pinks, rose geranium, basil, sage, savory, chives, coriander, and camomile. The 100-square-foot garden… will cost between $250 and $600. "The most important thing is to like what you are doing… If you are happy in your work, you tend to grow." Thanks for listening to The Daily Gardener. And remember: "For a happy, healthy life, garden every day."

Today we celebrate the writer inspired by the Oxford Botanic Garden - a place he saw every day. We'll also learn about medicine with roots in the soil in Indiana. We'll hear a lovely excerpt about a harbinger of spring: Skunk Cabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus) We Grow That Garden Library™ with a fantastic book about botanical baking with a master baker. And then we'll wrap things up with the story of a surprise found in a botanist's 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 Predicting the New Year's 2021 Garden Trends | Ag Week | Don Kinzler 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 January 27, 1832 Today is the birthday of the English mathematician and writer Charles Lutwidge Dodgson - also known as Lewis Carroll. Lewis had worked as a librarian at Christ Church College in Oxford. His office window had a view of the Dean's Garden. Lewis wrote in his diary on the 25th of April in 1856 that he had visited the Deanery Garden, where he was planning to take pictures of the cathedral. Instead, he ended up taking pictures of children in the garden. The children were allowed in the Deanery Garden, but not in the Cathedral Garden, which was connected to the Deanery Garden by a little door. And so, it was the Oxford Botanic Garden that inspired Lewis Carroll to write Alice in Wonderland. The same garden also inspired the authors, JRR Tolkien and Philip Pullman. In Lewis Caroll's Through the Looking-Glass is this favorite passage among gardeners: "In most gardens," the Tiger-lily said, "they make the beds too soft-so that the flowers are always asleep." January 27, 1950 On this day, Science Magazine announced a brand new antibiotic made by Charles Pfizer & Company, and it was called Terramycin. Last year, when I shared this item, I don't think many of us were as familiar with the word Pfizer as we are today - living through the COVID-19 pandemic. In the 1950s, Pfizer was a small chemical company based in Brooklyn, New York. And it turns out that Pfizer had developed an expertise in fermentation with citric acid, and this process allowed them to mass-produce drugs. When Pfizer scientists discovered an antibiotic in a soil sample from Indiana, their deep-tank fermentation method allowed them to mass-produce Terramycin. Now, Pfizer had been searching through soil samples from around the world - isolating bacteria-fighting organisms when they stumbled on Terramycin. Effective against pneumonia, dysentery, and other infections, Terramycin was approved by the USDA. And the word Terramycin is created from the two Latin words: terra for earth and mycin, which means fungus - thus, earth fungus. And Terramycin made history: Terramycin was the very first mass-marketed product by a pharmaceutical company. Pfizer spent twice as much marketing Terramycin as it did on R&D for Terramycin. The gamble paid off; Terramycin, earth fungus, is what made Pfizer a pharmaceutical powerhouse. And so, there's a throughline from the vaccine we are using today, all the way back to that bacteria found in the soil in Indiana that ultimately became Terramycin. Unearthed Words In much of North America, skunk cabbage has earned the widespread reputation as the first flower of spring. It might be more accurate, however, to call it the first flower of winter. "The skunk cabbage may be found with its round green spear-point an inch or two above the mold in December," reported naturalist John Burroughs. "It is ready to welcome and make the most of the first fitful March warmth." Henry David Thoreau observed that new buds begin pushing upward almost as soon as the leaves wither and die in the fall. In fact, he counseled those afflicted with the melancholy of late autumn to go to the swamps "and see the brave spears of skunk cabbage buds already advanced toward the new year." People living in colder parts of North America have long watched for skunk cabbage as a sign of spring. The tip of the plant's spathe or sheath begins to push through the still-frosty earth and to stand tall when the first faint breaths of warmer air begin blowing. This process can occur in January with an unusually long January thaw—a "goose haw," as some New Englanders call it—or it can happen as late as March. — Jack Sanders, Hedgemaids and Fairy Candles, The First Flower of Winter Grow That Garden Library Botanical Baking by Juliet Sear This book came out in 2019, and the subtitle is Contemporary baking and cake decorating with edible flowers and herbs. In this book, celebrity baker Julia teaches how to make and decorate the most beautiful botanical cakes – using edible flowers and herbs to decorate your cakes and bakes. After working in the baking industry for two decades, Julia knows what flowers are edible and what flowers have great flavor. She also shares everything you need to do to work with edible flowers: "how to use, preserve, store and apply them, including pressing, drying and crystallizing flowers and petals." Julia shares 20 botanical cakes that feature edible flowers and herbs. Her creations include a confetti cake, a wreath cake, a gin and tonic cake, floral chocolate bark, a naked cake, a jelly cake, a letter cake, and more. Known in the U.K. for her beautiful bloom-covered cakes, Julia counts royalty and celebrities among her many clients. This book is 144 pages of botanical baking with edible flowers and herbs. You can get a copy of Botanical Baking by Juliet Sear and support the show using the Amazon Link in today's Show Notes for around $13 Today's Botanic Spark Reviving the little botanic spark in your heart January 27, 1994 On this day, The South Bend Tribune out of South Bend, Indiana, shared an article by Doug Glass called, "Botanist Finds Endangered Plant in His Garden." "For someone who makes his living studying plants, George Yatskievych is an indifferent gardener. It took [him] several months to notice that a load of topsoil delivered to his home in St. Louis was sprouting several clusters of trifolium stoloniferum, also known as Running Buffalo Clover. This native plant had all but vanished in Missouri. "I was out weeding a flower bed near this topsoil, down on my knees, when I sort of came nose to nose with these things," said George, who works at the Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis. "You spend all this time and effort looking for this in nature. . . . (The discovery) was so unexpected." Yatskievych and other botanists took the six clovers found in his topsoil and began a project to reintroduce the plant to Missouri. Now, some five years after his discovery, the Missouri Department of Conservation oversees some 700 seedlings in 25 experimental plots statewide." Thanks for listening to The Daily Gardener. And remember: "For a happy, healthy life, garden every day."

Today we celebrate the Russian botanist who sought to end world hunger and created a seed bank. We'll also learn about a Landscape Architect known for her delicate illustrations and her love of realistic sculpture. We'll hear some thoughts on growing bulbs in pots by one of my favorite gardeners. We Grow That Garden Library™ with a book that proves anyone can draw botanical illustrations - even me. And then we'll wrap things up with a National Seed Swap Day the Pandemic Way. 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 5 Front-Yard Landscaping Secrets | Better Homes & Gardens 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 January 26, 1943 Today is the anniversary of the tragic death of the Russian botanist and plant geneticist Nikolai Vavilov. Regarded as one of the giants of plant science, Nikolai established over 400 research institutes, and he brought Russian plant explorers on expeditions to more than 50 countries around the globe. Worried about genetic erosion and destruction, Nikolai marshaled his resources toward preserving plant genetic diversity at every turn. To that end, Nikolai hoped that seed banking and his St. Petersburg seed vault would prove invaluable. The goal of ending hunger drove Nikolai, and to that end, he worked to collect specimens and run experiments in order to increase crop yields. After concluding that genetic diversity was the key to his mission, Nikoli realized that most of the world's agriculture came from eight specific regions - places with ancient roots where plants were first cultivated. Nikolai got caught up in the politics of communism when a fanatical Soviet agronomist and geneticist, Trofim Lysenko, denounced Nikolai's work as anti-communist. After being arrested in 1940, Nikolai was sent to a concentration camp at Saratov, where he eventually died of starvation on this day in 1943. He was 55 years old. Meanwhile, Nikolai's loyal team of seed collectors also faced starvation - and some starved to death - as they held up in the Russian seed bank. Despite being surrounded by many edible seeds, these valiant botanists successfully protected seeds from all over the world during the 900-day siege of St. Petersburg by German and Finish forces. Today this seed genebank is known as the Vavilov Institute of Plant Genetic Resources. January 26, 1905 Today is the birthday of the Connecticut landscape architect Eloise Ray. In Ruth Harley's book Pest-Proofing Your Garden, we get a little glimpse into Eloise's approach to gardening: "Eloise confesses that she long ago gave up her battle with the local groundhog. Over the years, she determined which plants appeal to him. Now she limits her crops to the plants the groundhog doesn't eat — tomatoes, eggplants, red and green peppers, chives, all kinds of onions and, perhaps, parsley." As a Landscape Architect, Eloise often worked with her husband, Jo Ray, who was also a Landscape Architect. Eloise was a marvelous artist, and she was known for her delicate illustrations, and she was exceptionally fond of realistic sculpture. Eloise is remembered through her gardens and estate work throughout Fairfield County, Connecticut. In 1978, the New York Times featured an interview with a 60-year-old Eloise at her Westport Home. Eloise reflected on her career, "[I started] in the heyday of the large estates of the late '20s, when we would put in gatehouses, decorative brick walls, dramatic driveways, servants' driveways, formal gardens, walks, greenhouses, and shrubs designed for intricate topiary. We would estimate the need for at least eight full‐time gardeners for most of our estates." Unearthed Words I shall never desert the bulbs, though, and last winter, I think I got more pleasure from a pot of February Gold daffodils than from anything else I raised unless it was my pots of freesias. February Gold, which is a medium-small, all-yellow narcissus of the cyclamen type, for me proved to be January Gold; it opened its first flowers on New Year's Day. That was the miracle. There is no trick to growing it in pots if one has a cool cellar, and Wayside Gardens, where I got my bulbs, says it can also be grown in bowls, like the paper-whites. — Katharine S. White, gardener and garden writer, Onward and Upward in the Garden Grow That Garden Library The Joy of Botanical Drawing by Wendy Hollender This book came out in 2020, and the subtitle is A Step-by-Step Guide to Drawing and Painting Flowers, Leaves, Fruit, and More. In this book, Wendy shows you how to, "achieve amazingly realistic and vibrant botanical illustrations, from flowers so dazzling you feel as if you might be able to smell them, to tomatoes that look as if they've just been picked from the garden." Known for her incredible botanical illustrations, Wendy shares her honed techniques through little lessons that build as your skills grow. Using colored pencils and watercolor pencils, Wendy specifically shows you how to draw a spiraling pine cone, a spiky chestnut, a fuchsia-tined radish, a graceful morning glory, and many more. Wendy writes, "I first learned botanical-illustration techniques twenty years ago. The moment I understood these techniques, a door opened for me, and I immediately fell in love with the practice of botanical drawing. Since that day, it feels like the plants are leading me along a path that I steadily follow." This book is 192 pages of inspiring botanical illustration how-to from an artist that practices with botanical subjects every single day. You can get a copy of The Joy of Botanical Drawing by Wendy Hollender and support the show using the Amazon Link in today's Show Notes for around $17 Today's Botanic Spark Reviving the little botanic spark in your heart Today is National Seed Swap Day - the first one we've had during a global pandemic. This year, instead of a traditional in-person seed swap, many of us will need to consider sending seeds in the mail or dropping them on the porch of a garden friend. Earlier this summer, I saw an excellent idea. A woman transformed her Little Free Book Library into a place where you can swap out seeds - a Little Seed Library. This year, if you have leftover seed after planting or when your flowers are producing seed, you can always share them in a Little Seed Library, or with a garden friend - or you can even share them with people you don't know thanks to neighborhood apps like NextDoor. And, if you feel so inclined, consider building a Little Seed Library for your front yard. I think it's such a sweet idea. I love the idea of Little Seed Libraries popping up all over the country. Thanks for listening to The Daily Gardener. And remember: "For a happy, healthy life, garden every day."

Today we celebrate a poet who loved flowers and became the beloved poet-son of a country that celebrates him still today. We'll also learn about an orchid that inspired a fabled true story about Charles Darwin. We'll hear about some fascinating vegetable history that is celebrated every year on this day. We Grow That Garden Library™ with some incredible exotic flower photography. And then we'll wrap things up with the garden and the Three R's of Renovation. 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 Grow Chillies | Gardener's World 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 January 25, 1759 Today is the birthday of the Scottish poet and lyricist Robert Burns. Widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland and celebrated worldwide, tonight is Burns Night. Each year Burns Night commemorates Robert, the beloved poet born into a poor Scottish family of farmers. A typical Burns Night includes live music, poetry readings of Burns masterpieces, and a traditional Scottish meal of Haggis, Neeps, and Tatties. Now, gardeners have a soft spot for Robert Burns. His 1794 poem 'Red Red Rose' starts out with the familiar verse: "O my Luve's like a red, red rose..." And gardeners have always loved Robert's poem "To a Mountain Daisy." with the line, "Sweet floweret of the rural shade! By love's simplicity betrayed" Of course, the way to end a fantastic Burns Night Celebration is to sing Robert's most famous poem, which has now been set to music: Auld Lang Syne. January 25, 1862 On this day, the English naturalist, geologist, and biologist Charles Darwin received a box of Orchids. Now after sorting through all of the flowers, one Orchid, in particular, caught Charles' attention: the Angraecum sesquipedale ("ang-GRAY-kum ses-kwah-puh-doll-lee"), commonly called Darwin's Orchid, the Christmas Orchid, the Star of Bethlehem Orchid, or the King of the Angraecums. An epiphyte (meaning a plant that grows on other plants), the Darwin Orchid, was initially discovered by the French botanist Louis-Marie Aubert du Petit-Thouars in 1798. When Charles first laid eyes on this Orchid, he suspected that a then-unknown moth with an almost 14-inch long proboscis must have co-evolved with the Orchid to pollinate it. Many people scoffed at this - a moth with a 14-inch tongue?! Sadly, Charles didn't live long enough to see his prediction come true. It wasn't until 21 years after his death, in 1903, that a moth was discovered with a proboscis that could perfectly reach the 13.5-inch nectary, and Charles's prediction was proved to be correct. Once the moth was officially discovered it was named predicata for "the predicted one" Incredibly, it took nine more decades for scientists to observe the moth pollinating the orchid. In 1992, a German entomologist named Lutz Thilo Wasserthal traveled to Madagascar, where he captured two moths. After placing the moths in a cage with the orchid, Lutz photographed them pollinating the flower - and it happened just as Charles Darwin imagined it would, after receiving the orchid on this day, over a century earlier. Unearthed Words "Neep" is the Scots term for the rutabaga, the root vegetable known as swede in Britain. Neeps and tatties (dialect for mashed potatoes) are the traditional accompaniment to haggis, served on Burns Night (January 25). Recipes vary, but butter and a little spice such as nutmeg or powdered ginger are common additions. All, of course, must be washed down with a glass of whiskey. — Lorraine Harrison, garden writer, A Potted History of Vegetables Grow That Garden Library Botanica Magnifica by Jonathan Singer This book came out in 2009, and the subtitle is Portraits of the World's Most Extraordinary Flowers and Plants. In this out-of-print book, Jonathan Singer shares 250 of his stunning photographs of rare and exotic plants and flowers "in large scale and exquisite detail, in a manner evocative of Old Master paintings." "The original edition of Botanica Magnifica, consisting of five lavishly hand-bound volumes, was limited to just ten copies, the first of which was donated to the Smithsonian Institution. Botanica Magnifica is one of the few natural history works ever to rival Audubon's magnum opus in its scope and artistry. Singer's remarkable images are bound together in this beautiful hardcover with slipcase, baby-elephant folio of Botanica Magnifica. This volume is organized into five alphabetically arranged sections, each introduced by a gatefold page that displays one extraordinary plant at a luxurious size. Each pictured plant is accompanied by a clear and accessible description of its botany, geography, folklore, history, and conservation." This book is 356 pages of one of the most impressive volumes of botanical photography ever printed. You can get a copy of Botanica Magnifica by Jonathan Singer and support the show using the Amazon Link in today's Show Notes for around $62 Today's Botanic Spark Reviving the little botanic spark in your heart January 25, 2002 On this day, the Vancouver Sun shared an article by Steve Whysall called Three R's Hold the Key to Garden Renovation. The three R's are: Restore, Renovate, and Revitalize. Here's an excerpt: "To pull it off, you have got to be honest. You need to look at your garden without sentiment or romanticism and admit (painful as this may be) that things have not worked out as planned and that changes are needed. For help, you could call in an expert. Someone like Nenagh McCutcheon, of Langley, is now a specialist at renovating and upgrading gardens that have gone astray. At one time, Nenagh was a copywriter in advertising… She is now one of Vancouver's ace garden designers. For example, in West Vancouver, she came to the rescue of a waterfront garden grossly overgrown by red roses and mugo pines. "Most of it had to go," says Nenagh. "To renovate, it's usually a case of digging up 80 percent of what's there, everything that can be lifted and turfing what you don't want, replanting what is worth recycling, and then bringing in new stuff." What are the signs that a garden needs a makeover? Loss of structure is the most obvious, Nenagh says. "It's a sign things are wrong when trees and shrubs are too big for their location. Or paths are overgrown. Or arbors and arches are lost under mounds of foliage. All these are symptoms that a garden has lost its identity." Loss of color is another clue. "Perhaps a tree that once had a small canopy now casts so much shade that instead of growing roses, you have to start planting hostas." Or perhaps plants that were once a comfortable distance apart have grown too close, and the effect is jarring, she says. The loss of a sense of peace and tranquility is another sign. "And, of course, there is always the fact that you may be simply bored with how your garden looks." Step one is to evaluate what plants are worth keeping. Some will be too big to move. Some can be "shovel pruned" dug up and tossed out. The next step is to prune. Intelligent pruning can change things dramatically. Not only can you end up with a more attractive plant, but the pruning will also let in more light and air so other plants can thrive. [Another step is to remove old or unwanted plants.] "When you lift plants, it gives you the opportunity to revitalize the soil. Over time old soil can become sour and compact. When you renovate, you empty the border and can bring in new soil." Thanks for listening to The Daily Gardener. And remember: "For a happy, healthy life, garden every day."