The Daily Gardener

Today we celebrate one of the world's best composers and his intense appreciation of nature. We'll also learn about the botanist who cracked the code on pollinating vanilla and came up with a new word for the cyclical nature of things. We'll recognize the incredible written work of a daughter of Indiana - and yes, she is famous. We Grow That Garden Library™ with something light and enjoyable - a New York Times Best Selling Fiction Novel from 2012. And then we'll wrap things up with a little mistletoe history that is sure to leave an impression - it's not about kissing - but it will definitely give you something to talk about around the dinner table over Christmas break. 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 Low-Maintenance Annuals For Your Garden | Gardening Etc | Sophie Warren-Smith 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 December 17, 1770 Today is the baptism day of the German composer and pianist Ludwig Van Beethoven. Beethoven grew up loving nature. Living along the Rhine, little Ludwig would take walks with his father. Beethoven turned to nature for inspiration when he wrote his sixth symphony - which is why the subtitle for the sixth symphony is called "Pastoral." After coming up with the idea that each movement would reflect a complete day in the country - from sunrise to sunset - Beethoven used music to imitate nature. In his music notes, Beethoven even added little headlines like "storm" or "scene at a brook" to make certain that the musicians understood the link between the notes they were playing and nature. Once, while walking with a friend, Beethoven pointed at the water and said, "Here I composed the 'Scene by the Brook,' and the yellowhammers up there - the quails, nightingales and cuckoos 'round about - composed with me." And Beethoven wanted listeners of his music to recognize the powerful link between nature and our feelings. As Beethoven sought out nature to inspire his 6th Symphony, at one point, he simply wrote: "effect on the soul" in his notes. And it was the manor house of Dolna Krupa where Beethoven is presumed to have written his Moonlight Sonata. A hundred years later, the Countess Maria-Henrieta Chotek, known as "The Countess of Roses," established Dolna Krupa as one of the world's top three rose gardens. And here's a fun side note: Beethoven's last name is a combination of "beet," which translates to beet (as in the vegetable), and "hoven," which means farm. So the blended meaning of his last name is beet farm. December 17, 1858 Today is the anniversary of the death of the Belgian botanist and horticulturist, and Director of the Jardin botanique de l'Université de Liège ("lee-EZH") Charles François Antoine Morren. Charles made some very significant contributions to botany. First, Charles discovered how vanilla was pollinated. Before Charles Morren, the pollination of vanilla was a mystery. Although Hernán Cortés brought vanilla to Europe for 300 years, no one knew how to pollinate the flower. Charles discovered that a Native bee of Mexico - the Melipone ("meh-lip-in-ah") bee, a social and stingless bee, was the only pollinator for vanilla. Like Monarchs and Milkweed (Asclepias), the Melipone bee and vanilla co-evolved. At the same time, Charles discovered the bee, the Museum of Paris came up with a way to pollinate Vanilla by hand using a blade of grass or a pointed stick (like a toothpick). Today almost all vanilla is pollinated by hand using this method. In addition to discovering how vanilla was pollinated, Charles Morren coined the term phenology. Derived from a Greek word that means "to show or make to appear," Phenology is the study of cyclic and seasonal natural phenomena, especially concerning climate and plant and animal life. Gardeners who keep phenological journals record the first and last days of events in the garden (i.e., the first snow, the first robin, the first frog, etc.) In 1849, Morren used the term during a lecture at the Academy of Brussels. Four years later, Belgium had an unseasonably warm winter, which prompted Morren to write a paper called Phenological Memories of the Winter 1852-1853. In the paper, Morren describes how plants responded to the unusual weather that winter. Finally, Charles and his son wrote 35 volumes of an exceptionally beautiful journal that shared the beauty of horticulture in Belgium. All the 35 volumes of "The Belgique Horticole" are available digitally for free at the Biodiversity Heritage Library. December 17, 1901 Today is the birthday of the Indiana environmentalist, newspaper columnist, and author Rachel Peden. Rachel was the wife of an Owen county cattle farmer named Dick. Her father, Benjamin Franklin Mason, was a fruit farmer, growing peaches, apples, and strawberries. Ben developed a reputation as a breeder when he created a peach called Shipper's Late Red. Rachel referred to her dad as "the orchardist" in her writing. A self-described Hoosier farmwife, Rachel's byline was "Mrs. RFD" (for "Rural Free Delivery"), and her longtime columns in The Indianapolis Star and The Muncie Evening News charmed her readers with stories about nature and farm life. And yes, Rachel loved to garden. Rachel wrote: "[I love] the therapy of working in [the garden], and the acquaintance of my neighbors from the natural world that I meet there." When I was researching Rachel, I stopped to read her memorial on Find a Grave. I'm not sure who wrote it, but I loved their appeal to the folks at Find A Grave. They wrote: "Find A Grave has determined that Rachel does not meet their criteria for being "famous", but they are wrong." The author of three books published by Knopf publishing, Rachel wrote: "Rural Free: A Farmwife's Almanac of Country Living" in 1961, "The Land, the People" in 1966 (which earned her the Indiana University Authors Award), and "Speak to the Earth" in 1974. Keep Rachel's love and awe for the natural world in mind as you listen to this excerpt from "The Land The People": "Snow was falling softly as if from a coarse sifter being turned from very high above the earth. It had been going on a long time; leafless trees were whitened, weeds and tangled raspberry canes in the garden had become a great heap of foamy white lace. A sparrow created a miniature snowstorm when he alighted on a delicate peach twig. The twig quivered under his weight, the sparrow rose, snowflakes sparkled and fell on the snow-toppled woodpile under the peach tree." And Rachel wrote one of my favorite quotes about summer and roses, "The serene philosophy of the pink rose is steadying. Its fragrant, delicate petals open fully and are ready to fall, without regret or disillusion, after only a day in the sun. It is so every summer. One can almost hear their pink, fragrant murmur as they settle down upon the grass: 'Summer, summer, it will always be summer." Unearthed Words The garden is completely winterized except for the roses, which need more hay, and the four small box yet to be covered with burlap. We have a sentimental feeling for these box. Once many years ago, on a holiday with the children, we were driving to North Carolina. We stopped at Mount Vernon and bought four seedlings, cuttings of George Washington's original box hedge. They were $0.25 each, and now they are nearly two feet tall. Every fall, Bob builds a little covered patio of burlap around each one. — Jean Hersey, American writer and author, The Shape of a Year, December Grow That Garden Library The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh This book came out in 2012, and this is a fictional novel. And Vanessa's book was a New York Times Best Seller, and it features the Victorian language of flowers. This is one of the books I always keep on the nightstand in our guest bedroom. The Amazon description of this book says: "The Victorian Language of Flowers was used to convey romantic expressions: honeysuckle for devotion, asters for patience, and red roses for love. But for Victoria Jones, it's been more useful in communicating mistrust and solitude. After a childhood spent in the foster-care system, she is unable to get close to anybody, and her only connection to the world is through flowers and their meanings. Now eighteen and emancipated from the system with nowhere to go, Victoria realizes she has a gift for helping others through the flowers she chooses for them. But an unexpected encounter with a mysterious stranger has her questioning what's been missing in her life. And when she's forced to confront a painful secret from her past, she must decide whether it's worth risking everything for a second chance at happiness." This book is 334 pages of garden-inspired fiction featuring newfound love as well as heartache. You can get a copy of The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh and support the show using the Amazon Link in today's Show Notes for around $1 Today's Botanic Spark Reviving the little botanic spark in your heart December 17, 1948 On this day, The Kansas City Times shared a story about Mistletoe. Mistletoe is the common name of hemiparasitic plants in the order Santalales. Mistletoe attaches to a host tree or shrub with a structure called the haustorium. Then, the Mistletoe extracts water and nutrients from the host plant. And, apparently, in 1948, young boys used to shoot it down from trees... "The Druids of early English history made a great ceremony of cutting the mistletoe. After a sacrifice, the Arch Druid cut the [Mistletoe] out of an oak tree with a golden knife, taking care that it did not touch the ground, and carried it away in a white cloth. The South Missouri youth uses a squirrel rifle instead of a golden knife and would as soon shoot [Mistletoe] garland out of a pecan tree as an oak. If he Is lucky enough to catch it before it hits the ground, his object is to keep the berries from shattering. [Why?] [Because] the spray with the most berries... will bring the greatest returns, either commercially at the florists or personally elsewhere. [There is] historical precedence for his method of gathering mistletoe. In Switzerland, it has been the custom to shoot [Mistletoe] down with bow and arrow catching it with the left hand as it falls. In Sweden, it must be shot out of a red oak. A similar custom prevailed in Wales until the early part of the nineteenth century." Thanks for listening to The Daily Gardener. And remember: "For a happy, healthy life, garden every day."

Today we celebrate a botanist remembered for his work with Pears and Camellias. We'll also learn about a botanist who specialized in grasses and traveled extensively to collect them. We'll learn about the work of a forensic botanist back in the early 1980s. We take a moment to savor December - courtesy of a verse from the American naturalist and writer Hal Borland. We Grow That Garden Library™ with a book that came out this summer, and it brings the goodness of the Catskills right to your table. And then we'll wrap things up with a cute little story about a plant name you won't soon forget. 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 Garden News How Did Madagascar Become the World's Biggest Producer of Vanilla? | Atlas Obscura | Dan Nosowitz 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 December 16, 1886 Today is the anniversary of the death of the Massachusetts merchant, amateur horticulturist, and politician Marshall Pinckney Wilder. When Marshall started out, his father gave him three options: attend college, start a farm, or work in the family store. Marshall elected to farm. But Marshall was unexpectedly pulled into the family business after his uncle died. In a twist of fate, Marshall was a natural businessman, and he helped take the family wholesale business to even more successful heights. With his financial success, Marshall bought an old farm in Dorchester, Massachusetts, for $5,500. Marshall called the property Hawthorn Grove. But shortly after moving into Hawthorn Grove, Marshall's young wife Eliza died. With four small children to raise, Marshall quickly married again. After his personal affairs were squared away, Marshall began designing ten acres worth of gardens on the property - complete with several large greenhouses. Marshall devoted all of his spare time to horticulture, and he loved to dabble in plant breeding. Historical records indicate that Marshall developed a double California Poppy. But without a doubt, Marshall's favorite pursuits were Pears and Camellias. Marshall successfully cultivated two European Pears - the Bartlett and the Anjou. In Pears alone, Marshall experimented with over 900 varieties. And Marshall's Camellia collection made him quite famous in certain botanical circles. In all, Marshall Wilder created over 300 Camellia varieties. And Marshall's top award-winning Camellias were all named after the women in his life: Mrs. Abby Wilder (named for his second wife), Mrs. Julia Wilder (named for his third wife - who was also Abby's sister), and Jenny Wilder (named for his granddaughter). In 1839 a greenhouse fire destroyed all but two of Marshall's beloved Camellias. Still, Marshall bounced back quickly the following year thanks to his success in the wholesale business. When Marshall wasn't gardening at Hawthorne Grove, he was active in horticulture organizations in and around Boston. In addition to serving as the third president of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society, Marshall was the founder and first president of the American Pomological Society. And on Google right now, it says, "The American Pomological Society was founded by Marshall Pinckney Wilder in 1848, to foster the growing of fruit and the development of new varieties, and is the oldest fruit organization in North America." When the great Landscape Architect Andrew Jackson Downing suddenly died, it was Marshall Wilder who delivered his eulogy before the Pomological Congress in Philadelphia in 1852. And, since 1873, the Pomological Society awards the "Wilder Medal" to pomologists who demonstrate outstanding service to horticulture in the broad area of pomology. During his lifetime, Marshall became quite famous for his horticultural activities. After his death, Marshall's private plant collection was used to create the Boston Public Garden. And here's a fun fact about Marshall Pinckney Wilder: He had a nephew who became a well-known American author and speaker with dwarfism and shared the same name as his uncle - Marshall Pinckney Wilder. And it was Marshall's nephew named Marshall who inspired the phrase, "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade." That phrase was written by Elbert Hubbard, who was inspired by the younger Marshall's passion, optimism, and innovation. December 16, 1935 Today is the anniversary of the death of the botanist and agrostologist Albert Spear Hitchcock. During a trip to Ecuador, Albert took a marvelous photo of an Espeletia with the common name Frailejones ("Fray-lay-HOE-ness") or Big Monks. These large plants are in the sunflower family, and they are reminiscent of mullein with their hairy leaves. But these plants are succulents, and at high altitudes, they can capture water vapor from passing clouds. Peter Rockstroh wrote this about Espeletia in a blog post a few years ago, "Of all the botanical oddities to be found in Colombia, Frailejones are probably one of the most striking. Their distinctive shape is unmistakable, and their image is iconic of the páramo ecosystem. Frailejones are members of the cosmopolitan sunflower family (Asteraceae), giant "daisies" in the genus Espeletia. They are the tallest plants in the family, with some reaching nearly 60'/18.5 m. When not in bloom, few people would even recognize them as members of this family. They can look quite spooky, as some populations retain their dead foliage folded over the stem, forming a thick coat to avoid water from freezing in the xylem. When these plants are standing in the mist, it is easy to understand how they could be mistaken for friars wearing thick, brown robes. Hence the name Frailejón in Spanish, a "Big Friar." Although the "Big Friar" or the "Big Monk" easily captures attention, Albert Hitchcock's name is synonymous with grasses. In the back half of his career, Albert joined the USDA, and from that point forward, his professional career was devoted to grasses. Albert helped to establish the nearly completely comprehensive grass collection at the National Herbarium in Washington. Albert's book called the Manual of Grasses remains a primary reference for the subject. In addition to his masterpiece on grasses, Albert wrote over 250 botanical works during his lifetime. A staunch conservationist, Albert was alarmed at the rapid rate of destruction of the world's tropical forests and jungles. Albert was also a tremendous mentor and colleague. Sadly, Albert suffered a heart attack while he was on his way home from a major Botanical conference in Amsterdam. Albert died on board the ship City of Norfolk. After Albert's death, the botanist Agnes Chase prepared his eulogy, and she recounted how Albert once walked nearly 250 miles over a three-week-long botanizing trip. And Agnes remembered that Albert had fashioned a special wheelbarrow to haul his specimens around - and she recalled this excerpt from Albert's writing about the experience, "I waded through water almost up to my knees, pushed my wheelbarrow, and still managed to keep my collection dry. The mosquitoes were very bad. I had to [wear] my coat, put cheesecloth around my head, and a pair of extra socks on my hands. My shoes had worn through, and my feet were blistered... But, for all the discomforts, the collecting was magnificent, and I felt fully repaid." Albert Hitchcock's massive private herbarium and library were donated to the Smithsonian in a fitting final gesture. December 16, 1982 On this day, the News-Press out of Fort Myers, Florida, shared a story called "Botanist Determines if the Gardener did it" by Walter Putnam. Here's an excerpt: "When police investigators are stumped by a thorny problem, they sometimes call in University of Florida scientist David Hall to help them nip a case in the bud. If the gardener did it, Hall is the one to help prove it. He could be considered a "Quincy" of the plant world. Unlike the television hero and real-life medical examiners who collect criminal evidence through autopsies, Hall gathers his from stems and twigs. David said, "I first got into forensic botany when Dr. Dan Ward and I were asked to help on a South Florida murder case. A guy was suspected of strangling a woman. He told police that she invited him in... But they found bits of bark on the windowsill and in his pants cuffs. We matched that bark to bark on the tree outside her window. He'd climbed in the window and attacked her." Hall's specialty is plant taxonomy or identifying plants. "When you deal with names of plants, you have to know a whole lot about other things about them: the ecology, their physiology, the morphology (shapes of plants)." Hall recalled one suit in which the family of a train accident victim claimed the crossing sign had been down long before the collision. The railroad maintained the victim's car had knocked it over. A type of fungus growing on the signpost proved it had been on the ground long before the accident. Hall said, "I've never been called to testify, not in a single [case]. They've all been settled out of court." Unearthed Words December is a blizzard in Wyoming and a gale on the lakes, and the Berkshires frosted like a plate of cupcakes. It is bare trees and evergreens. It is wrestling weed stems and a gleam of partridgeberry on the hillside, a cluster of checkerberries, and winter greens in the thin woodland. It is ground pine, older than the hills where it grows, and it is a seedling maple from two years ago clinging to one last scarlet leaf. It is a stiff-tailed young squirrel scrambling up an oak tree, and it is a mask-faced coon in the cornfield listening for the hounds. It is ice on the pond, lichen on the rock, a flock of chickadees at the dooryard feeder. – Hal Borland, American naturalist and writer, The Golden Circle, December Grow That Garden Library The Catskills Farm to Table Cookbook by Courtney Wade This book came out in 2020, and the subtitle is Over 75 Recipes. In this book, Courtney takes us to the Catskills, where she shows us that the food is centered around fresh vegetables and fruit, meat, dairy, wild game, and foraged produce. A chef, photographer, and graphic designer, Courtney lives on a farm in the Catskills in upstate New York. Her lovely cookbook is the perfect showcase for all of Courtney's strengths. Courtney's book is divided into seasons and shares recipes from favorite local hangouts. Along with excellent harvesting and growing advice, Courtney's recipes bring the goodness of the Catskills right to your table. This book is 240 pages of delicious recipes and inspiring photography that will transport you to upstate New York. You can get a copy of The Catskills Farm to Table Cookbook by Courtney Wade and support the show using the Amazon Link in today's Show Notes for around $5 Today's Botanic Spark Reviving the little botanic spark in your heart December 16, 1916 On this day, an adorable little story was shared in the Star Phoenix out of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. "A famous botanist was pacing slowly along a country road, his eyes, as usual, roaming from side to side for new plants to study. Suddenly an eager look swept across his futures, and he leaned over the low fence enclosing a cottage garden. He had found a plant he did not know. What could it be? If only he had a specimen of it to study! At that moment, a shock-headed lad strolled along the road and stopped to gaze open-mouthed at the botanist. "I say!" called the botanist, urgently. "See that there that pale pink one in the corner? Do you know it?" "Aye," said the country boy, briefly. "What's its name? Do you know what family it belongs to?" The lad jerked a grubby thumb over his shoulder toward the little cottage as he spoke more briefly still: "Higginses!" Note: Edited for readability. Thanks for listening to The Daily Gardener. And remember: "For a happy, healthy life, garden every day."

Today we celebrate the 17th-century philosopher and naturalist, who was the first woman to make a living from her writing. We'll also learn about the forensic botanist who solved the crime of the decade in the 1960s in Australia. We'll recognize the Herb Society's project that now occupies two and a half acres at the U.S. National Arboretum. We look back at an entry about winter from one of America's most beloved naturalists. We Grow That Garden Library™ with a book that Martin Crawford, author of Creating a Forest Garden, called a "must-read for anyone interested in agroforestry, forest gardening, or utilizing forests for specialty crops." And then we'll wrap things up with the story of a vine discovered by a Harvard botanist and his son as they were walking to a Red Sox game back in August 1988. 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 Garden News How a few plants in your front garden could boost your wellbeing | World Economic Forum | Victoria Masterson Facebook Group If you'd like to check out my curated news articles and blog posts for yourself, you're in luck because 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 December 15, 1673 Today is the anniversary of the death of the 17th-century philosopher, poet, scientist, fiction-writer, naturalist, and playwright Margaret Cavendish. Margaret's perspective on the natural world helped shape our modern viewpoint. And it should be noted that Margaret was the first woman to make a living from her writing. Yet Margaret has always been an easy target for ridicule; her points were often lost in confusing verse and the novelty of her ideas. In one of her poems, she compared the brain to a garden: The Brain a Garden seems, full of delight, Whereon the sun of knowledge shineth bright, Where fancy flows, and runs in bubbling streams, Where flowers grow upon the banks of dreams. There various thoughts as several flowers grow: Some milk-white innocence, as lilies, show, Fancies, as painted tulips' colors fixed, By Nature's pencil neatly intermixt; Some as sweet roses, which are newly blown, Others as tender buds, not yet full-grown; Some, as small violets, much sweetness bring. Thus many fancies from the brain still spring. — Margaret Cavendish, Similarizing the Brain to a Garden One of my favorite poems by Margaret is called The Duchess to Her Readers. In this poem, Margaret shares her appreciation for her husband; theirs was a love marriage, and William helped Margaret with her work. A Poet am I neither born nor bred, But to a witty poet married: Whose brain is fresh and pleasant as the Spring, Where Fancies grow and where the Muses sing. There oft I lean my head, and listening, hark, To catch his words and all his fancies mark: And from that garden show of beauties take Whereof a posy I in verse may make. Thus I, that have no gardens of my own, There gather flowers that are newly blown. — Margaret Cavendish, The Duchess to Her Readers Virginia Woolf was not a fan of Margaret. In "A Room of One's Own," Virginia wrote, "What a vision of loneliness and riot the thought of Margaret Cavendish brings to mind! As if some giant cucumber had spread itself over all the roses and carnations in the garden and choked them to death." December 15, 1908 Today is the birthday of the Australian botanist and forensic botanist Joyce Winifred Vickery. 1960 was a pivotal year in Joyce's career. In 1960, all of Australia was focused on the building of the now famous Sydney Opera House. And to pay for the construction, the government of Australia held a lottery. A man named Bazil Thorne spent three pounds - a quarter of his paycheck - to purchase the winning ticket. After Bazil's win of 100,000 pounds, his eight-year-old son Graeme was kidnapped and brutally murdered. The crime stunned the country. But ultimately, it was Joyce Vickery's forensic work that helped the police solve the case. In the Graeme Thorn kidnapping, Joyce had been tasked with identifying two plant particles from the boy's clothing. Vickery recognized them as parts of landscape or garden plants - distinctly out of place from the scrub area where Graeme's body had been found. Instead, Joyce matched the plant debris to a False Cypress and a Smooth Arizona Cypress outside the suspect's home. And soil scraping showed pink limestone mortar that ultimately matched the mortar on the suspect's brick home. Joyce's work and testimony helped prove that 34-year-old Stephen Bradley had committed the heinous crime. He was sentenced to life in prison. December 15, 1978 On this day, construction began on the National Herb Garden at the U.S. National Arboretum. Since 1965 a National Herb Garden was a dream of the Herb Society based in Kirtland, Ohio. After the Herb Society came up with $200,000 for the garden, Congress matched the funds. And so, the National Herb Garden was a gift from The Herb Society of America to the American people. Located in Washington D.C., the garden occupies two and a half acres of the over 400 acres in the U.S. National Arboretum. As the most extensive professionally-designed herb garden in North America, the garden was intended to inspire people to plant herbs in their own gardens and to use herbs in their cooking. The National Herb Garden comprises annual, perennial, and woody herbal plants situated in three sections: a knot garden, a rose garden, and specialty gardens. The knot garden is made up of Japanese holly, dwarf blue cypress, and dwarf arborvitae. The Rose Garden is a nod to the critical role of roses in herbalism. And finally, the ten specialty gardens are oval-shaped and have themes. There's the Dioscorides ("DEE-scor-ee-days") Garden. Dioscorides discovered an early version of aspirin when he found that sap from white willow tree bark and leaves helped with colds, body aches, and fevers. And so, the Dioscorides Garden grows the herbs described by Dioscorides. There is also a Colonial Garden and a Dye Garden that grows herbs to color fabric and textiles, and other fascinating gardens like the Native American Garden. There are even gardens devoted to Modern Botanicals, Culinary and Industrial plants, as well as Fragrance, Oriental, and Beverage Gardens. The National Herb Garden was dedicated on June 12, 1980, and celebrated its 40th Anniversary in 2020 during the pandemic. Unearthed Words Nature in winter is like a great toy shop at night. The doors are locked, and only at the mysterious depths of the shop does some cold light burn. If we press our noses on the pane, we can just make out the forms of bigger objects. All the tenderer delights have been taken from the window — flower and moth and bird. What is there left for us to play with? Winter is a study in halftones, and one must have an eye for them or go lonely. Trees, skies, and even the black, white and gray and rufous ("roo-fiss") colors of winter birds and little mammals are all subdued, modest, economical of a lofty beauty. Now one may make friends with owls and mice, with the different colored stems of willows and corner ("core-nul") and sassafras and spicebush, with winter buds in their furry scales, with the berries that the birds seek out, with the bark of trees and the prints of the four-footed. — Donald Culross Peattie, American naturalist, and writer Grow That Garden Library Farming the Woods by Ken Mudge and Steve Gabriel This book came out in 2014, and the subtitle is An Integrated Permaculture Approach to Growing Food and Medicinals in Temperate Forests. In this book, you're going to learn about Forest Farming. According to Ken and Steve, Forest Farming is one of many agroforestry practices that is specifically focused on growing crops underneath the forest canopy of an existing forest. I love Ken and Steve's book because they teach us new and exciting ways to relate to the forest. This book is an excellent resource for gardeners looking for something new and different to try, especially if they live near a forest or some woods. Ken and Steve share many examples of forest farming. You'll meet a couple who cultivate shiitake mushrooms alongside wild mushrooms in the cool shade of a Hemlock Forest. You'll visit a delightful forest in February and watch sap get collected from the sugar trees to make maple syrup. These are just a few of the ways that forestry and farming - and gardening - can go hand-in-hand; they are not at odds. Since the beginning of time, people have sustained themselves from tree-based systems, and Ken and Steve will help you learn how to return to the forest. Farming the Woods teaches gardeners how to maintain a healthy forest while growing a wide range of food, medicinal, and other non-timber products. This book was the first in-depth guide for farmers and gardeners who have access to an established woodland and are looking for productive ways to manage it. And in case you're wondering, forest crops include American ginseng, shiitake mushrooms, ramps (wild leeks), maple syrup, fruit and nut trees, ornamental ferns, and more. This book is 384 pages of must-read wisdom for gardeners looking to diversify their gardening practices and incorporate agroforestry, permaculture, forest gardening, and sustainable woodlot management. You can get a copy of Farming the Woods by Ken Mudge and Steve Gabriel and support the show using the Amazon Link in today's Show Notes for around $30 Today's Botanic Spark Reviving the little botanic spark in your heart The other day, I stumbled on this Q&A featured in The Arizona Daily Star: "Question: A recent gardening article referred to a form of Boston Ivy known as "Fenway Park." The writer described it as a sprout from the famed dark green vine that clings to the wall of Boston's baseball stadium. Can you clarify? Perhaps the Ivy came from Chicago's Wrigley Field... Answer: The ivy didn't come from Wrigley Field, but neither did it come from Fenway Park. Peter Del Tredici of the Arnold Arboretum in Boston said the ivy came from a building a block or two away from Fenway Park. Peter saw it when he and his son were walking to a Red Sox game in August 1988. Peter noticed that the top portion of some Boston ivy growing on a building near Fenway was bright yellow, instead of the normal darker green. Peter asked permission of the building's owner to take some cuttings from the yellow part and then propagated the plant at the arboretum's greenhouses. Later, Peter asked the Red Sox owners for permission to name the resulting ivy "Fenway Park." Peter's Boston Ivy species is now bred and sold as Parthenocissus tricuspidata ("parth-in-oh-SIS-us tri-cus-puh-DAY-tah" 'Fenway Park.' Thanks for listening to The Daily Gardener. And remember: "For a happy, healthy life, garden every day."

Today we celebrate the English garden writer who fell in love with one of the world's first science fiction writers - and she turned out to be a woman. We'll also learn about the Connecticut botanist and conservations who created a new undergraduate degree program he called Human Ecology. We'll hear a delightful interview with the month of December in today's poem. We Grow That Garden Library™ with a book that helps us turn our cupboards into our very own kitchen apothecary through recipes that help and heal us. And then we'll wrap things up with the state flower of Alabama - the Camellia. 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 variety of apple discovered by Wiltshire runner | The Guardian Archie Thomas stumbled across solitary windfall fruit that could be a cross between a cultivated apple and a European crab apple. Facebook Group If you'd like to check out my curated news articles and blog posts for yourself, you're in luck because 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 December 14, 1843 Today is the anniversary of the death of the Scottish botanist, garden designer, and author John Claudius Loudon. A prolific garden writer and publisher, John coined the term arboretum. There are two stories I love to tell about John. One is his love story with his wife Jane, and the other is a famous miscommunication he had over some beech trees. Well, John's love story with his wife was made for movies. The two met when John insisted on meeting the fantastic new sci-fi author of a book named The Mummy by Henry Colburn. When John went to meet with Henry, he discovered Henry was a nom de plume for Jane. The two fell in love and married a year later. Now the second story I like to tell about John is about his letter to the Duke of Wellington and what happened next is like a Shakespeare comedy. John had written the Duke to ask if he could inspect the Waterloo Beeches. These gorgeous beech trees had been planted as a memorial to the battle of Waterloo. Unfortunately, when the Duke got John's note, he misread the signature at the bottom of the letter. Instead of JC Louden, the Duke mistakenly believed the note was from CJ London or the Bishop of London. Compounding this problem, the Duke misread the word beeches as "BREECHES." And so, the Duke thought the Bishop of London wanted to inspect his pants. So, the Duke wrote the Bishop back, saying: "My dear Bishop of London, It will always give me great pleasure to see you… Pray whenever it suits your convenience, whether I am at home or not. My servant will receive orders to show you so many pairs of breeches of mine as you wish, but why you should wish to inspect those that I wore at the battle of Waterloo is quite beyond [my] comprehension." From that day forward, the incident became known as the story of the "Waterloo Breeches." And, we wouldn't have it - without John Claudius Louden. John and his wife Jane were considered high society, and their friends included Charles Dickens. As he grew older, John's arms stopped working after an attack of rheumatic fever. As a result, Jane became his arms, handling most of his writing. When his arms got so bad that surgeons needed to amputate his right arm, they found him in his garden, and he told his doctors he wanted to return to the garden immediately after the procedure. Two weeks before Christmas in 1843, John was dictating his final book called, A Self Instruction to Young Gardeners. Around midnight, he suddenly collapsed into Jane's arms and died. Jane completed the book on her own. December 14, 1910 Today is the birthday of the American botanist and conservationist Richard Hale "Dick" Goodwin. Reflecting on how he decided to pursue botany in college, Richard wrote, "I loved the outdoors and wild places and had the thought that by entering that field I might be able to contribute toward the rehabilitation of devastated country," A Harvard grad, Richard went to work at Connecticut College in 1944 as a professor of botany. The job intrigued Richard because it came with an additional role: serving as the Director of the College Arboretum. Together with a fellow professor named William Niering, Richard began a pioneering undergraduate program that brought together science and public policy, and he called it Human Ecology. Richard and his wife Esther bought a 100-acre farm in East Haddam, Connecticut. Over the years, they continued to add on to the property, and by the time they donated the land to the Nature Conservancy, their gift had encompassed 1,200 acres with an impressive ecosystem of diverse trees, plants, and wildlife. In a 1991 interview, Richard spoke about the preserve: "You hear about the enormous complexity of the tropical forest, but even this place in our backyard is highly complex." And, then right in the middle of his commentary, Richard spotted a new flower… "There it is," he said, "a ragged fringed lily." In 2002, Richard wrote his memoir and called it A Botanist's Window on the Twentieth Century. Unearthed Words I sat with chill December Beside the evening fire. "And what do you remember," I ventured to inquire, "Of seasons long forsaken?" He answered in amaze, "My age you have mistaken; I've lived but thirty days." — John Bannister Tabb, American poet, and priest, An Interview Grow That Garden Library Alchemy of Herbs by Rosalee De La Foret This book came out in 2017, and the subtitle is Transform Everyday Ingredients into Foods and Remedies That Heal. In this book, Rosalee teaches us how our cupboards can be a source of relief for that next cold, scrape, headache, digestive issue, stressful day, or sleepless night. Imagine purposefully making food and beverages to make yourself feel better. For example, make a Cinnamon Tea for a sore throat, eat Garlic Hummus to boost your natural immunity, and make a simple cayenne salve for body aches and soreness. An herbal consultant and educator, Rosalee teaches us how to see our pantries in a whole new light - transforming everyday ingredients into foods and remedies that heal. By turning your cupboards into your personal kitchen apothecary, Rosalee teaches us how to make remedies that are inexpensive and straightforward. While using herbs can often seem complicated or costly, Rosalee teaches us to learn about herbs in an affordable and straightforward way - it's just like cooking dinner. This book is 384 pages of taking off your chef hat and putting on the herbalist's mantle - making personalized food and drink to help you feel better and stay healthy. You can get a copy of Alchemy of Herbs by Rosalee De La Foret 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 December 14, 1819 On this day, Alabama became the 22nd state to join the Union. Forty years later, the Camellia ("kah-MEE-lee-ah") became the official state flower of Alabama. Before that, Alabama's state flower was the Goldenrod. Camellia is an evergreen plant in the tea family. The flower size of Camellias can range from 1 centimeter to dinner plate size. Camellias have made their way into stories in books and on the movie screen, symbolizing love, affection, and admiration. In Harper Lee's 1961 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, To Kill a Mockingbird (which is set in Alabama), Mrs. Dubose's Camellia is the 'Snow on the Mountain' Camellia, also known as the 'White Doves' or the 'Mine-No-Yuku' Camellia. Shallow-rooted, Camellias need well-drained, acid soil. The older the Camillia, the more water-wise and drought-tolerant the plant. Like peonies, Camellias are long-lived plants in terms of age, and they can easily live to be 100 years old or older. In mature forests, wild camellias can grow to be more than 50 feet tall. There are two small villages in Tuscany that host the Ancient Camellias festival. This part of Tuscany offers a perfect habitat for Camellias with cool, shady woodlands and flowing waters. Finally, the Camellia was the favorite flower of the French fashion designer and businesswoman Coco Chanel. Coco's favorite Camellia was the Alba Plena. Although she adored the bloom, she loved that the flower had no scent because it never competed with her trademark perfume - Channel No. 5. Thanks for listening to The Daily Gardener. And remember: "For a happy, healthy life, garden every day."

Today we celebrate the Indiana botanist remembered in a particular species of Red Oak (Quercus rubra). We'll also learn about the Red-Pole - one of the smallest birds in the finch family. We'll recognize the French flower breeder remembered for his work with the Lilac (Syringa vulgaris). We hear a poem about the Winter garden from a man known as The People's Poet. We Grow That Garden Library™ with a book about growing perennials - but not ornamentals. This book is all about perennial edibles for your garden. And then we'll wrap things up with the story of a man known as Little Flower. 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 Brazil's Amazon: Deforestation 'surges to 12-year high' | BBC News Facebook Group If you'd like to check out my curated news articles and blog posts for yourself, you're in luck because 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 December 11, 1843 Today is the birthday of the Indiana physician, naturalist, and botanist Jacob Schneck. Jacob loved plants. He had a special passion for trees, and he spent as much time as he could in the field botanizing. And for the 1893 Chicago World's Fair, Jacob put together a collection of various types of wood for an exhibition. Once while he was out botanizing, Jacob's observation and general cleverness allowed him to see a distinctive feature in a species of Red Oaks. To confirm his suspicions, Jacob shared his discovery with a fellow botanist named Nathaniel Lord Britton. Britton agreed with Jacob, and to recognize his discovery, Britton named the oak in Jacob's honor, calling it the Quercus Schneckii(ii = "ee-eye"). Today, most people just call it the Schneck Oak. Jacob died at the age of 63. Newspaper accounts indicated Jacob had been battling pneumonia but as a physician, he had still gone out on horseback to tend to his patients. Jacob's efforts probably cost him his life. It's no wonder that Jacob's funeral was reported to be the largest ever held in Mount Carmel, Illinois. Jacob's obituary said, "No man in Wabash county had endeared himself to so many people as had Dr. Schneck. Year after year he had gone about in our midst, quietly doing his great work for humanity, turning away now and then to investigate some scientific question, especially in the realm of botany, his favorite study, and one in which he had acquired a national reputation." After Jacob died, his collection of specimens, stones, shells, and fossils was displayed at the Carnegie public library in 1934. When he was alive, Jacob spent a great deal of time fashioning cases and containers to display his collection. Each specimen was labeled in Dr. Schneck's impeccable handwriting. December 11, 1855 On this day, Henry David Thoreau wrote about walking through a spruce swamp and stumbling on a flock of Lesser Redpolls ("Red-Poles"). These little birds are some of the smallest in the finch family. Lesser Redpolls are small and brown with red foreheads. If you've ever stumbled on a flock of birds enjoying berries during this time of year, you will be able to relate to Thoreau's wonder at birds in winter. To Holden Swamp… For the first time I wear gloves, but I have not walked early this season... I thread the tangle of the spruce swamp, admiring the leaflets of the swamp pyrus… the great yellow buds of the swamp pink, the round red buds of the high blueberry, and the firm sharp red ones of the panicled andromeda. Slowly I worm my way amid the snarl, the thicket of black alder, blueberry, etc., see the forms, apparently of rabbits, at the foot of maples, and cat-birds' nests now exposed in the leafless thicket. Standing there, though in this bare November landscape, I am reminded of the incredible phenomenon of small birds in winter, that erelong, amid the cold, powdery snow, as it were a fruit of the season, will come twittering a flock of delicate, crimson-tinged birds, lesser red-polls, to sport and feed on the seeds and buds just ripe for them on the sunny side of a wood, shaking down the powdery snow there in their cheerful social feeding, as if it were high midsummer to them. These crimson aerial creatures have wings which would bear them quickly to the regions of summer, but here is all the summer they want. What a rich contrast! tropical colors, crimson breasts, on cold white snow... I am struck by the perfect confidence and success of Nature... The winter with its snow and ice is not an evil to be corrected. It is as it was designed and made to be… December 11, 1911 Today is the anniversary of the death of the French flower breeder Victor Lemoine ("Loom-one"), who died on this day in 1911. Victor enhanced the beauty of so many flowers in our gardens: Lilacs, Mock-Oranges, Phlox, Peonies, Gladiolus, Tuberous Begonias, Geraniums, and Deutzias. Around the year 1850, Victor borrowed money from his gardener father and began a nursery that survived three generations thanks to his son Emile and his grandson Henri. The Lemoine nursery thrived on land bought in Nancy, France (pronounced "non-cee"). A few years after starting his nursery, Victor created his first double-flower on the Portulaca grandiflora or the Moss Rose. As with so many of Victor's creations, the double-flower created double the beauty. In 1854, Victor turned the original five-petaled single blossom of the geranium into a double-flowered stunner he named after his hometown, called "Gloire de Nancy" or "Glory of Nancy." And Northern gardeners owe Victor a debt of gratitude for his work with peonies. Victor crossed the Paeonia wittmanniana with the Siberian albaflora; creating a peony that could withstand a winter freeze. It was Victor Lemoine who created some of our most memorable heirlooms: the white Le Cygne or Swan peony, the Primevere with creamy white outer guard petals, and packed with canary yellow petals inside, the blush-colored Solange peony, the pink Sarah Bernhardt, La Fee the Fairy peony, and the creamy-white Alsace-Lorraine peony. But, it is the Lilac that will forever be associated with Victor Lemoine. Incredibly, Victor didn't start working on Lilacs until he was almost fifty. That said, Victor's wife, Marie Louise, was his tireless assistant when his eyes and fine-motor skills were failing. Marie Louise hand-pollinated the little lilac flowers, helping both her husband and her son with hybridizing. Victor worked magic with his Lilacs. He made them bloom earlier and later. Victor improved the quality of the bloom, and he expanded their color spectrum. And Victor Lemoine grew the very first double Lilac. By the time the Lemoine nursery closed its doors in 1968, Victor and his family had bred 214 new Lilac cultivars. Unearthed Words Gray skies above us, and the snow Blankets the frozen earth below. Where roses bloomed, the drifts lie deep. The hollyhocks are fast asleep. The cedars green are wearing white Like rich men's wives on opera night. The elm tree strangely seems to throw A lean, gaunt shadow on the snow. The last brown leaves of twig and stem Have found the storms too much for them. Winter, the tyrant of the land, Once more is in supreme command. — Edgar Albert Guest, British-American poet, Winter in the Garden Edgar was known as The People's Poet during the first half of the 20th century. Edgar's poems were happy and hopeful, which is why people liked them. Grow That Garden Library Growing Perennial Foods by Acadia Tucker This book came out in 2019, and the subtitle is A Field Guide to Raising Resilient Herbs, Fruits, and Vegetables. In this book, the regenerative farmer, climate activist, and organic market gardener Acadia Tucker shares her passion for growing perennial food crops. Inspired by farming pioneers like Eliot Coleman, Acadia has grown over 200 hardy food crops. And Acadia knows that perennials are an investment crop that yields dividends many times over in their resiliency, taste, nutrients, and maintenance. Besides sharing her ten steps for helping perennials thrive, Acadia's field guide is loaded with detailed profiles of popular perennial herbs, fruits, and vegetables. Each plant profile offers Acadia's specific directions regarding planting, growing, harvesting, storing, and preserving the harvest - in addition to recipes. This book is 280 pages of passion for perennial food crops from a woman with hands-on experience. It's like Acadia's right there with you - explaining, encouraging, and giving you all the information for investing in perennials in your own market garden. You can get a copy of Growing Perennial Foods by Acadia Tucker and support the show using the Amazon Link in today's Show Notes for around $10 Today's Botanic Spark Reviving the little botanic spark in your heart December 11, 1882 Happy birthday to the Little Flower, aka Fiorello LaGuardia, born on this day in 1882 on Sullivan Street in Greenwich Village. During his lifetime, Mayor LaGuardia was often referred to as the Little Flower (Fiorello means little flower in Italian). And although the reference could have been construed as a slight for LaGuardia's short stature (he was only 5'2"), it ultimately became an ironic endearment as LaGuardia had a larger than life, take-charge personality. Little Flower is remembered for his desire for justice and fairness; he was a champion of the working class and immigrants. Fiorello LaGuardia, Little Flower, died at age 64. Thanks for listening to The Daily Gardener. And remember: "For a happy, healthy life, garden every day."

Today we celebrate the birthday of a beloved American who, in her lifetime, was known more as a gardener than a poet. We'll also learn about the gift from Japan that resulted in the Plant Quarantine Act in the United States. We'll remember the botanist knighted for his incredible scientific services to the British Empire. We'll hear a poem about King Midas and his garden. We Grow That Garden Library™ with a book that reminds us of the importance of beauty in our garden harvest. And then we'll wrap things up with the story of the botanist known as "Mad Ridley"... and it turns out he wasn't mad at all. Subscribe Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart To listen to the show while you're at home, just ask Alexa or Google to "Play the latest episode of The Daily Gardener Podcast." And she will. It's just that easy. The Daily Gardener Friday Newsletter Sign up for the FREE Friday Newsletter featuring:

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

Plus, each week, one lucky subscriber wins a book from the Grow That Garden Library™ bookshelf. Gardener Greetings Send your garden pics, stories, birthday wishes, and so forth to [email protected] Curated News The Story of the 'Conference' Pear | The English Garden | Greg Loades Facebook Group If you'd like to check out my curated news articles and blog posts for yourself, you're in luck because 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 December 10, 1830 Today is the birthday of Emily Dickinson. The Dickinson author, Judith Farr, reminds us that during her lifetime, Emily Dickinson was, "known more widely as a gardener... than as a poet." Emily grew up gardening. She would help her mother with their large edible and ornamental garden. The flower garden became Emily's responsibility when she got older. She planted in a carefree cottage garden style. After Emily died, her sister Lavinia took over the garden. Emily's niece and editor, Martha Dickinson Bianchi, recalls: "All [Lavinia's] flowers did as they liked: tyrannized over her, hopped out of their own beds and into each other's beds, were never reproved or removed as long as they bloomed; for a live flower to Aunt Lavinia was more than any dead horticultural principle." December 10, 1909 On this day, 2,000 cherry trees arrived in Seattle from Japan. When the First Lady Helen Taft indicated, she wanted to beautify Potomac Park, the mayor of Tokyo donated 2,000 cherry trees for the project. But once the trees arrived on this day in 1909, they were found to have pest issues and disease. And it was this delivery of trees that lead to plant quarantine legislation for America. So, if you've ever wondered about the laws that govern bringing plants into the country, that legislation is rooted in this bad batch of cherry trees which the USDA ordered to be burned. Now, you can imagine Japan's mortification over the first lot of trees. In response, Japanese horticulturists immediately started cultivating and fumigating a new lot of cherry trees. It took three years to grow the trees and get them ready for travel. Finally, in 1912, Tokyo's mayor Yukio Ozaki rectified the matter from 1909 three-fold when he sent 6,000 trees to the United States. By this time, Charles Marlett's Plant Quarantine Act of 1912 was in place to ensure that all plant material entering the country was healthy and sanctioned. And this larger batch of trees was split between New York and Washington DC. December 10, 1911 Today is the anniversary of the death of the Victorian British botanist, explorer, President of the Royal Society, and director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker, who died at 94. Joseph accomplished much during his long life. The botanic gardens of the world were a discovery and classification network that Joseph masterfully orchestrated. To Joseph, the botanic gardens were essentially botanical laboratories on a mission to enhance the world's economy and promote trade. And Joseph was Charle's Darwin's closest friend and collaborator. In fact, they corresponded about Darwin's theory before it was made public. And Joseph was instrumental in getting Darwin's work published. Many regard Joseph as Darwin's PR man. Joseph was brilliant and concise. It was Joseph Dalton Hooker who once famously wrote, "Life is short, and books are long." In 1877, Joseph was knighted for scientific services to the British Empire. And here's an adorable factoid about Joseph: Kew Gardens shared that, during his travels, Joseph would send letters to his young son with the salutation "my dear little Lion" or "my dear cub." Unearthed Words December 10, 1925 Today is the birthday of an American poet of the Pacific Northwest; Carolyn Kizer. Carolyn occasionally wrote about the garden, and my favorite garden poem by Carolyn is this charming piece about King Midas growing golden roses called The Ungrateful Garden. Here are some definitions to help you understand Carolyn's poem: An ague ("AYE-gyoo") is a shivering fever, serried ("SAIR-id") means standing in a row, to "silt up" is to block or fill with silt, and a shift is a nightgown. To keep the show clean, I've eliminated all offensive language. Midas watched the golden crust That formed over his steaming sores, Hugged his agues, loved his lust, But (cursed) the out-of-doors Where blazing motes of sun impaled The serried roses, metal-bright. "Those famous flowers," Midas wailed, "Have scorched my retina with light." This gift, he'd thought, would gild his joys, Silt up the waters of his grief; His lawns a wilderness of noise, The heavy clang of leaf on leaf. Within, the golden cup is good To lift, to sip the yellow mead. Outside, in summer's rage, the rude Gold thorn has made his fingers bleed. "I strolled my halls in golden shift, As ruddy as a lion's meat. Then I rushed out to share my gift, And golden stubble cut my feet." Dazzled with wounds, he limped away To climb into his golden bed, Roses, roses can betray. "Nature is evil," Midas said. — Carolyn Kizer, American poet, The Ungrateful Garden Grow That Garden Library Growing Beautiful Food by Matthew Benson This book came out in 2015, and the subtitle is A Gardener's Guide to Cultivating Extraordinary Vegetables and Fruit. Let me just start by saying I love Matthew's book because he is not only a gardener but also a garden photographer. His garden was designed with a photographer's eye, and his Stonegate Farm property in Balmville, New York, is one of the most beautiful places I've seen displayed in a garden book. For anyone wondering why beauty matters, just ask your kids how appearance influences what they will - and won't - eat. Matthew knows first hand that beauty inspires behavior and behavior change. If our harvest is visually appealing, we will eat better and be healthier. Matthew's gentleman's farm is on one small acre of land. He also operates a CSA offering vegetables, orchard fruit, cut flowers, herbs, eggs, and honey. Matthew uses his expertise in growing and selling 50 garden crops for inspiration and instruction in his book. This book is 264 pages of beauty - from the garden to the harvest - Matthew shows us how to grow delicious and alluring food. You can get a copy of Growing Beautiful Food by Matthew Benson and support the show using the Amazon Link in today's Show Notes for around $10. Today's Botanic Spark Reviving the little botanic spark in your heart December 10, 1855 Today is the birthday of the English botanist, geologist, and naturalist Henry Nicholas Ridley. As the first Director of the Singapore Botanic Garden, Henry arrived in Singapore in 1888. Henry has been described as the Rubber Tree's Johnny Appleseed because he single-handedly pioneered Malaya's rubber industry. Not only did Henry plant and encourage the planting of the trees, but he also figured out ingenious ways to tap the tree's latex without harming the tree. Henry's exuberance for persuading Malayan farmers to grow rubber trees lead to an unfortunate nickname, "Mad Ridley." Without Henry, rubber wouldn't have become a viable cash crop alternative when the Malayan coffee crops succumbed to disease. At one point, the requests for Henry's seeds were pouring in at a rate of a million seeds a day. Henry not only provided the seed for farmers courtesy of the Botanic Garden, but he lived to see the rubber trade market begin to transform Malaya. By 1920, Malaya produced over half the world's rubber, and rubber remains an essential crop for the region today. And to think that it all started with rubber seed that Henry collected from just 22 plants... Thanks for listening to The Daily Gardener. And remember: "For a happy, healthy life, garden every day."

Today we celebrate the first snow of 1855 on Walden Pond. We'll also learn about the young woman who became an emblem for a raisin company. We'll remember the gardener spy who discovered photographer in the last decades of his life. We hear a verse of flowers for a poet's dead friend. We Grow That Garden Library™ with a book that takes us through 100 gardens to help us understand the history of landscape design. And then we'll wrap things up with the sweet story of a sweet potato party and the fascinating woman who came up with the idea back in 1969. 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 Why Kenya's Giant Fig Tree Won Over A President | BBC News Facebook Group If you'd like to check out my curated news articles and blog posts for yourself, you're in luck because 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 December 9, 1855 On this day, it was starting to snow on Walden Pond. The winter Landscape appeared before Henry David Thoreau's eyes, and he captured the transformation in his journal: "At 8.30 a fine snow begins to fall, increasing very gradually, perfectly straight down, till in fifteen minutes, the ground is white, the smooth places first, and thus, the winter landscape is ushered in. And now it is falling thus all the land over, sifting down through the tree-tops in woods, and on the meadow and pastures, where the dry grass and weeds conceal it at first, and on the river and ponds, in which it is dissolved. But in a few minutes, it turns to rain, and so the wintry landscape is postponed for the present." December 9, 1892 Today is the birthday of the American model Lorraine Collett, born on this day in 1892 in Kansas City, Missouri. At the age of 23, Lorraine worked as a Sun-Maid Raisin girl and wore a blue bonnet with a white blouse and blue piping. Lorraine and the other Sun-Maid girls handed out raisins. In a spectacular marketing stunt, Lorraine even hopped aboard a small plane every day of the festival and tossed raisins into the crowds of people. One Sunday morning, after her mom had set her hair into eight long black curls, Lorraine was outside drying her hair in the warmth of her sunny backyard in Fresno. That afternoon, Lorraine had swapped out her blue bonnet for her mother's red one. The combination of her silky black curls and the red bonnet in the sunshine made an arresting sight. Coincidentally, a group of raisin coop executives and their wives walked by at that very moment, and they asked Lorraine about the red bonnet. After that day, all the Sun-Maids wore red bonnets, and Lorraine agreed to pose for a watercolor painting. Lorraine and her mom had to rent an apartment in San Francisco for a month to work with the artist Fanny Scafford. All month long, Lorraine posed every day for three hours a day. She held a wooden tray overflowing with grapes while wearing the red bonnet. The portrait ended up as the symbol for the company and was included on the cover of every box of raisins. One newspaper article about the story in 1978 had the headline "Hair A-glinting in the Sun Made Girl an Emblem." After many years, the painting ended up in Lorraine's possession. Later on, Lorraine returned the watercolor to the company. Today, the portrait hangs in a conference room at the Sun-Maid Growers plant. And the faded red bonnet was donated to the Smithsonian by the company in honor of Sun Maid's 75th Anniversary. December 9, 1913 Today is the birthday of the lawyer, politician, diplomat, scholar, photographer, award-winning gardener, writer, and spy Peter Smithers. Peter learned to love gardening as a little boy. One of his earliest memories came when he was four years old and planted mustard seeds with his nanny. He said, "She was quite aware of a child's inability to wait long for anything. Instead of having me plant a bulb, which would have taken weeks to appear above ground, she handed me mustard seeds that popped up the next day. I was hooked for life." Incredibly, in his adult life, Peter inspired the fictional character of James Bond. Peter's 2006 obituary alluded to his past as a spy and politician when it stated that: "Flowers were ... important to him. [He said] "I regard gardening and planting as the other half of life, a counterpoint to the rough and tumble of politics." Once he turned 50, as his days in politics came to an end, Peter devoted himself to gardening. Rhododendrons, magnolias, tree peonies, lilies, and wisteria were his favorite flowers. In keeping with Ruth Stout's approach, Peter strived, to develop a garden that didn't require a ton of work. He wrote: "The garden is planted to reduce labor to an absolute minimum as the owner grows older." Peter's travels to gardens worldwide inspired the Royal Horticulture Society to ask him to write a gardening memoir. The book was a part-autobiography and part-garden book. Peter said: "I consider every plant hardy until I have killed it myself." In 1986, regarding his late-blooming career as a floral photographer, Peter said, "I still don't think of myself as a photographer. I'm a gardener with a camera. I have always said that gardeners are by far the most dangerous animals to be found in a garden because we all tend to over-garden. When I have a camera in my hands, I am less likely to make trouble." Unearthed Words Bring the rathe primrose that forsaken dies, The tufted crow-toe, and pale gessamine, The white pink, and the pansy freaked with jet, The glowing violet, The musk-rose, and the well-attired woodbine, With cowslips wan that hang the pensive head, And every flower that sad embroidery wears: Bid amaranthus all his beauty shed, And daffadillies fill their cups with tears, To strew the laureate hearse where Lycid lies. — John Milton, English poet and intellectual, Lycidas Notes: December 9, 1608 Today is the birthday of the English poet and intellectual John Milton. Born in Cheapside in London, Milton is best known for his books Paradise Lost and Paradise Regained. John's Lycidas is a pastoral elegy. John dedicated the work to the memory of his friend, Edward King, who drowned when his ship sank off the coast of Wales in August 1637. John's Lycidas poem mentions many different flowers he imagined to be thrown at the hearse of his friend Edward King. The tufted crow-toe is likely a reference to the English Bluebell, gessamine is Jasmine. The white pink refers to Dianthus, and the woodbine is usually a reference to Honeysuckle. Still, it could also be a reference to a generic vining blossom. Amaranthus is perhaps a reference to Love-Lies-Bleeding. See if you can catch all eleven of the flowers mentioned in John's poem. Grow That Garden Library The History of Landscape Design in 100 Gardens by Linda A. Chisholm This book came out in 2018, and I must say that the cover of this book is memorable and gorgeous. In this book, Linda explores how society, politics, and money influenced the creation of 100 gardens in history. Naturally, Linda's book is organized chronologically and by theme, starting with the medieval garden Alhambra and ending with the modern naturalism of the Lurie Garden. Like the beautiful cover, this entire book is lavishly illustrated. Linda is a master at making garden history both fascinating and memorable. An evocative storyteller and a lover of detail, Linda's book is beautifully written. Linda's insights into history and garden design help everyday gardeners appreciate the evolution of gardens over time. If you've ever studied Landscape Design on your own or in a classroom and left feeling uninspired and bored, Linda's book will provide the guidance and insight you've been waiting for all along. Every gardener and garden designer should have this book because, as Linda advises, we should "draw freely from the past." This book is 536 pages of a must-have reference for gardeners, garden designers, history-lovers, and even travelers with a desire to see and understand gardens and garden history in an enlightened and informed way. You can get a copy of The History of Landscape Design in 100 Gardens by Linda A. Chisholm and support the show using the Amazon Link in today's Show Notes for around $22 Today's Botanic Spark Reviving the little botanic spark in your heart December 9, 1969 On this day, The Daily Times in Salisbury, Maryland, shared a story by Kelvin Adkins called Mrs. Zieger Has Some Sweet Ideas For Sweet Potatoes. The article explained: "Mrs. Peyton Zieger is one of those persons who always has a project of some sort going. Frequently the project turns into some excuse to have a houseful of friends over. But this particular episode started with a yellow jacket's nest and a banged-up knee. Peyton was working on a neighborhood beautification project (a flower garden nearly as long as the street) and disturbed the yellow jackets. Bugging out in a hurry, two yellow jackets hit her with such stinging force, she fell and bruised her knee. While off of her feet for a few days, she thought of [hosting a sweet] potato party and started putting the recipes and details together." Now when I was researching Peyton, I discovered she was an avid gardener. Peyton had planted a "ditch bank" at her home that she called "Peyton Place." The ditch bank was planted with shrubs and flowers to provide interest and color throughout the year. Peyton was ahead of her time. Concerning sweet potatoes, Peyton had two chief concerns. She said, "Number one, it really hurt me when I read in the paper about the local farmers having to plow up their sweet potatoes because of the low market. And number two, many housewives think there are only three ways to prepare sweet potatoes: candied yams, potato bread, and potato pies." So, as the article said, Peyton "decided to yam it up with a sweet potato tasting party." Peyton called the party "Peyton Presents Some Sweet Ideas" and invited, "some fifty home economists, housewives, and Twin Tree Road neighbors to judge the recipes. There were a few newspaper and radio people there too." Peyton prepared some 25 recipes and started the party off with her own creation: sweet potato punch. For this libation, Peyton was inspired by a recipe from the Ecuadorian Embassy - no kidding. The party's overwhelming favorite was Peyton's sweet potato cheesecake, which captured a local bakery's attention. Peyton pointed out that every time her sweet potato cheesecake is made, a farmer has a market for ¾ cup of potatoes. Peyton was doing her part. In addition to her cheesecake, Peyton made, "Sweet potato pineapple pie, sweet potato pudding, pineapple sweet potato balls, sweet potato pecan pie, triple apple sweet potato cake, and sweet potato candy, to name a few." And as a party favor, Peyton sent every guest home with a printed recipe book featuring all of her sweet potato creations. Peyton Zieger's Sweet Potato Cheesecake 1 box cheesecake mix ½ cup sour cream ¾ cup cooked mashed sweet potatoes (cold) 3 T baby food apricots 1 T lemon juice ½ tsp vanilla ⅛ tsp mace ⅓ cup milk Mix all ingredients except cheesecake mix and blend thoroughly. Add cheesecake mix and beat 3 minutes until thick. Pour into a crumb crust prepared according to directions. Reserve a few crumbs to sprinkle on top or top with sour cream. Sour Cream Topping: Mix together: ½ cup sour cream 1 T sugar 4 tsp vanilla Spread on top of cheesecake. Bake at 400 degrees for 8 minutes. Chill 2 hours or more. Thanks for listening to The Daily Gardener. And remember: "For a happy, healthy life, garden every day."

Today we celebrate the botanist who discovered photosynthesis. We'll also learn about the Linnean Society Librarian, who was a botanist and explorer in his own right. We'll remember the judge who created a new kind of berry. We hear a long-forgotten verse about a rose and a raspberry. We Grow That Garden Library™ with a book about smart gardening in harsh, dry places. And then we'll wrap things up with adorable instructions about how to make a sugarplum tree out of pine cones. 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 Italy's Olive Trees Are Dying. Can They Be Saved? | National Geographic | Alejandra Borunda Facebook Group If you'd like to check out my curated news articles and 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 December 8, 1730 Today is the birthday of the Dutch physician, physiologist, and botanist Jan Ingenhousz ("ENG-in-house"). Jan made one of the most significant botanical discoveries in history: photosynthesis. Jan served as the personal physician to the royal Habsburg family in Austria. In 1771, Jan traveled to England with a group that included Benjamin Franklin. During their trip, the group called on Joseph Priestley, who had just made his own impressive discovery: that plant leaves absorb and emit gases. Eight years later, Jan wrapped up his work with the Habsburgs and moved his family to England. In a fascinating turn of events, Jan started testing his ideas about plants in the same laboratory that Joseph Priestly had used - at Bowood House. Jan extended Priestley's work by adding light as a variable to his experiments. When Jan's plants were placed underwater in a clear container, Jan exposed them to darkness and sunlight. In the dark, only a few bubbles appeared on the plant. A more exaggerated reaction occurred when Jan's plants in the tank were placed in the sun: lots of little bubbles appeared on the leaves' undersides. Jan learned that the bubbles made in sunlight contained oxygen, and the bubbles made in darkness contained carbon dioxide. Jan had proved photosynthesis. December 8, 1800 Today is the birthday of the Scottish botanist, naturalist, and explorer David Don. David grew up in a family with five brothers and one sister. His father, George Don, was a nurseryman. The Don's provided plants to botanists and supplied produce to the people living near their nursery. In 1802, David's father became Superintendent of the Edinburgh Botanical Gardens. Both David and his older brother, George Jr, became botanists. As a young man, David moved to London and became a fellow of the Linnean Society. One of David's first jobs was as the botanist Aylmer Bourke Lambert's personal librarian, and Aylmer had an extraordinary personal library and herbarium. This job helped David become the Linnean Society librarian - a position he held for almost twenty years. At the age of 35, David became the first Professor of Botany at Kings College in London. Shortly after starting his professorship, David discovered a malignant tumor on his neck. He died in 1841, two weeks short of his 42nd birthday. December 8, 1841 Today is the birthday of the California Superior Court judge and gardener James Harvey Logan. An avid gardener, Judge Logan enjoyed trying his hand at hybridizing. In 1881, Logan was working with blackberries. He crossed a local wild blackberry with a cultivated blackberry known as the Auginbaugh. At the same time, Logan had some Red Antwerp raspberries growing in his garden. In a completely unexpected development, Logan's work resulted in a cross between his crossed blackberry and the Antwerp raspberry; the result was the Loganberry. Two years later, the Loganberry was introduced to the public by the University of California. Santa Cruz County published a feature on the Loganberry, which said: "The vines or canes of the Loganberry grow entirely unlike either the blackberry or raspberry. They trail or grow upon the ground more like the dewberry. They are exceedingly strong growers, each shoot or branch reaching a growth of eight to ten feet in one season without irrigation... The canes or vines are very large—without the thorns of the blackberry bushes—but have very fine soft spines, much like those of raspberry bushes… The fruit… has the combined flavor of both berries, pleasant, mild, vinous, delightful to the taste, and peculiar to this fruit alone. It is excellent for the table, eaten raw or cooked, and for jelly or jam is without an equal. The vines are enormous bearers, and the fruit is very firm and carries well." Unearthed Words A rose once bloomed in a garden, White and dainty and fair, By the garden wall at evenfall It dreamed and nodded there; And a raspberry bush climbed over the wall And hung in a rakish pose; "Haven't we met somewhere, my pet?" The raspberry said to the rose. The pure white rose turned whiter, And trembled upon its stalk; One of its petals slowly settled Down on the garden walk; "I'm not the kind of a rose," she said, "That blossoms in studios; You're wicked, very, you red raspberry!" To the raspberry said the rose. "Be mine, be mine, O maiden rose !" The wicked raspberry cried; But the rose was brave and cried, "Behave! Begone to, your raspberry bride; The rose may only woo the rose, The cherry espouse the cherry, The gypsy maid gets the gypsy blade, The raspberry gets the berry!" "Rose, you have torn in tatters A raspberry heart today; To make you share my own despair, I'll throw myself away; And maybe you'll be sorry And cease to be so merry When it is said that I have wed A horrid black blackberry !" And just to pain a sweet little rose — Lovers are very queer — He made a match in the blackberry patch And ruined his own career; And from that shameful mating 'Twas only temporary — Was born that wild, alluring child, The lovely loganberry! — Morris Bishop, American scholar, historian, biographer, essayist, translator, anthologist, and versifier, Saturday Evening Post, The Legend Of The Loganberry Grow That Garden Library Planting Design for Dry Gardens by Olivier Filippi This book came out in 2016, and the subtitle is Beautiful, Resilient Groundcovers for Terraces, Paved Areas, Gravel and Other Alternatives to the Lawn. In this book, Olivier brings his 25 years of studying plants in the world's driest places. The author of The Dry Gardening Handbook, Oliver, understands how to grow groundcovers in the most challenging situations. While green lawns are the goal for most homeowners, they often look scrappy and brown due to one reason or another. Olivier's book offers groundcover designs that are eco-friendly and so gorgeous that they redefine the boundaries between traditional lawn and innovative plant borders. Olivier drew his inspiration from the wild plant communities of Europe, the Middle East, and the U.S. By rigorously trialing plant combinations, Olivier discovered plant selections that are vigorous and hardy on terraces, paths, gravel beds, and flower borders, as well as open yard spaces. Olivier's smart plant choices include tough new macrothermal grasses, carpeting groundcovers, and stunning wildflower mixes that thrive among gravel and stone. And Olivier thoughtfully includes an indispensable plant directory with over 200 tough and gorgeous dry garden plants that will delight gardeners. This book is 240 pages of lush groundcovers to help you create a sustainable and low maintenance space. You can get a copy of Planting Design for Dry Gardens by Olivier Filippi and support the show using the Amazon Link in today's Show Notes for around $30 Today's Botanic Spark Reviving the little botanic spark in your heart In 1935, Diana Park's Garden Forum in The Pittsburgh Press shared an adorable suggestion from a young reader about making a sugarplum tree: Have you thought of making a sugarplum tree out of pine cones for Christmas gifts? Perhaps your father could drive you to a place where evergreens grow. Take a basket, and in the woods, you will probably find plenty of cones to fill it. Get all the sizes you can find, large, small, and medium, perfect, and broken. The defective ones may be sewed into a bright colored bag for burning on Christmas eve. Save all the seed out of the brackets and plant it in a sheltered place outdoors over winter, and perhaps you may grow some trees of your own next year. The sugar-plum tree is made as follows: Wash the largest cone you have, drying it well, paint the tips with chocolate frosting and stick rainbow-colored gum-drops on the chocolate frosting. This makes a very colorful sugar-plum tree and will be welcomed by almost anybody as a surprise from a little girl at Christmas-time. Then, of course, you can paint cones with gold paint and use them as Christmas tree decorations. Hemlock cones are small and can be gilded or colored. Then glue on cards, making nice place-cards for Christmas parties. Thanks for listening to The Daily Gardener. And remember: "For a happy, healthy life, garden every day."

Today we celebrate the botanist who saved the Lewis and Clark specimen sheets. We'll also learn about the successful botanist and garden designer who introduced the navel orange. We'll recognize the Conservatory stocked by the World's Fair. We'll hear a charming verse about the mistletoe by a poet entomologist. We Grow That Garden Library™ with a book featuring fifteen incredible private gardens in North America. And then we'll wrap things up with the American writer who wrote about the natural world with simplicity and honesty. 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 Is Mistletoe More Than Just An Excuse For A Kiss? | Kew | Michael F Fay Facebook Group If you'd like to check out my curated news articles and blog posts for yourself, you're in luck because 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 December 7, 1817 Today is the birthday of the American botanist and professor Edward Tuckerman. A specialist of lichens and other Alpine plants, Edward helped found the Natural History Society of Boston. As a professor at Amherst College, Edward spent his spare time botanizing in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Today Tuckerman Ravine is named in honor of Edward Tuckerman. America owes a debt of gratitude to Edward for rescuing some of the Lewis and Clark specimens at an auction. It turns out that after the Lewis and Clark Expedition, a botanist named Frederic Pursh was hired by Meriwether Lewis to process the plants from their trip. After butting heads with his boss Benjamin Smith Barton and Meriwether's apparent suicide, Frederick Pursh took the Lewis and Clark specimens and went to England. Once in England, Pursh reached out to botanists Sir James Edward Smith and Aylmer Lambert about putting together the Flora of North America. Ultimately, Aylmer became his botanical fairy godfather. Aylmer had a substantial personal botanical library, herbarium, and funding. Aylmer also forced Pursh to be productive. Frederick Pursh was kind of a rough and tough guy, and he was an alcoholic. Aylmer made a space for Frederick in the attic of his house. Once Aylmer got him up there, he would lock Frederick in for stretches at a time to keep him focused on the project. It was an extreme way to deal with Frederick's demons, but it worked. It took Pursh two years to complete the Flora of North America, and the whole time he was racing against Thomas Nuttall, who was working on the same subject back in America. American botanists felt Frederick Pursh had pulled the rug out from under them when he took the expedition specimens to England. And this is where Edward Tuckerman enters the story. Somehow Edward learned that the Lewis and Clark specimens that Pursh had brought to England were going to auction. It turns out Aylmer had hung on to all of Pursh's material, including the Lewis and Clark originals. In 1842, after Aylmer died, the Lewis and Clark specimens and papers were up for auction along as part of his estate. Somehow Edward realized the value and the important legacy of these botanical specimens and papers. After winning the items, Edward eventually donated all of the material to the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia. December 7, 1822 Today is the birthday of the English-American botanist, nurseryman, landscape gardener, and landscape designer William Saunders. William served as the first horticulturist and superintendent of the experimental gardens at the newly created U.S. Department of Agriculture. During his professional career, William enjoyed many successes, but two stand out above the rest. First, William designed the Soldiers' National Cemetery at Gettysburg. On November 17, 1863, William visited the White House to show President Abraham Lincoln his design for the cemetery near the Gettysburg battlefield. William thoughtfully made sure that the Union army dead would be organized by state. A devoted botanist, William's design was the setting for Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, an ode to the fallen soldiers interred there. William's second major accomplishment was introducing the seedless Navel Orange to California. After William had received cuttings from a navel orange tree in Bahia Brazil, he forwarded the cuttings to a friend named Eliza Tibbetts, who had recently settled in a town called Riverside, fifty-five miles east of Los Angeles. Eliza and her husband, Luther, planted the navel oranges in their front yard. They watered the trees with dishwater, and both of the trees flourished. In California, navel oranges are picked from October through the end of May. Navel oranges are known for their sweetness and the sweet little navel on the blossom end. A ripe navel orange should have thin, smooth skin with no soft spots. The orange should feel firm, and the riper the orange, the heavier it should feel. The sweetest time to eat navel oranges is after Thanksgiving; that's when their flavor and color are at their peak. Because navel oranges are seedless, they can only be propagated by cutting. Over the years, Eliza and her husband took so many cuttings of the original two trees that they nearly killed them. In the early 1880s, they sold enough cuttings at a dollar apiece to make over $20,000 a year - that's over half a million dollars by today's standards. Ironically, in the 1930s, Brazil's entire navel orange crop was destroyed by disease. In response, the USDA sent cuttings of Tibbett's navel oranges to restart Brazil's navel orange orchards. Today, every navel orange grown in the world is descended from the cuttings William Saunders sent Eliza Tibbetts. Today, one of the Tibbett's navel orange trees still stands on the corner of Magnolia and Arlington avenues in Riverside. The tree has been a protected California Historic Landmark since 1932. December 7, 1893 On this day, the Phipps Conservatory first opened to the public. A gift from Henry Phipps, Jr. to the City of Pittsburgh, Henry was a childhood friend and business partner of Andrew Carnegie. And gardeners who know their garden history probably already know that the Crystal Palace by Joseph Paxton inspired the 14-room glasshouse at the Phipps Conservatory. In 1893, as the Chicago World's Fair ended, the plant material was fortuitously available to the highest bidder, and over 8,000 plants ended up on 15 train cars headed east to the Phipps. And that's how the Phipp's Conservatory ended up benefiting from impeccable timing; stocking their brand new space with incredible plants for a botanical bargain on a scale never seen before or since. In 2018, the Phipps Conservatory and botanical gardens celebrated their 125th Anniversary. Today the Phipps encompasses fifteen acres and includes 23 distinct gardens. Unearthed Words There's a sound of a festive morrow, It rings with delight over the snow, Dispelling the shadows of sorrow With promise that makes the heart glow... An angel peeps in at the window, And smiles as he looketh around, And kisses the mistletoe berries That wave o'er the love-hallowed ground. — Henry Rowland Brown, English entomologist, and poet, Christmas Eve Grow That Garden Library The Art of the Garden by Relais & Châteaux North America This book came out in 2018, and the subtitle is Landscapes, Interiors, Arrangements, and Recipes Inspired by Horticultural Splendors. Established in 1954, Relais & Châteaux is an association of the world's finest hoteliers, chefs, and restaurateurs who have set the standard for hospitality excellence. In this book, fifteen incredible establishments from Relais & Châteaux share their inspiring ideas for seasonal gardening, interior design, and entertaining. These elite hospitality experts share these exclusive beautifully-designed environments. And, they don't leave you guessing. The authors show you how to translate their savoir-faire into indoor and outdoor sanctuaries and incredible events at home. The gardens featured range from simple cutting and kitchen gardens to more elaborate formal plantings, including parterres and topiaries. The garden's delights are then brought indoors via botanical prints, textiles, wallpapers, and art objects, like metal and porcelain flowers. This resource also shares smart ideas for setting a festive table using rose petals, garlands, and bud vases. They even share their secrets for dressing up dishes and cocktails with edible flower garnishes. This book is a must-read for passionate gardeners who long to bring the sparkle and freshness of the outdoors into the home. This book is 240 pages of the finest horticultural havens at fifteen top Relais & Châteaux locations in America. You can get a copy of The Art of the Garden by Relais & Châteaux North America and support the show using the Amazon Link in today's Show Notes for around $30 Today's Botanic Spark Reviving the little botanic spark in your heart December 7, 1873 Today is the birthday of the American writer Willa Cather. Remembered for her novels of frontier life like O Pioneers! and My Ántonia, Willa won a Pulitzer for her World War I novel called One of Ours. Here's an excerpt that will delight the ears of gardeners from Cather's My Antonia. The story's narrator is Antonia's friend Jim Burden. In this excerpt, Jim is lying on the ground in his grandmother's garden as the warm sun shines down on him: The earth was warm under me, and warm as I crumbled it through my fingers. Queer little red bugs came out and moved in slow squadrons around me. Their backs were polished vermilion, with black spots. I kept as still as I could. Nothing happened. I did not expect anything to happen. I was something that lay under the sun and felt it, like the pumpkins, and I did not want to be anything more. I was entirely happy. Perhaps we feel like that when we die and become a part of something entire, whether it is sun and air, or goodness and knowledge. At any rate, that is happiness; to be dissolved into something complete and great. When it comes to one, it comes as naturally as sleep. — Willa Cather, American writer, My Antonia Thanks for listening to The Daily Gardener. And remember: "For a happy, healthy life, garden every day."

Today we celebrate the botanist who discovered the Rhododenrun minus growing in South Carolina. We'll also learn about the young German botanist who died on the Niger Expedition after valiantly trying to keep his plants alive. We'll recognize an Irish doctor who was one of the first people to discover the greenhouse effect. We salute the naturalist of Germantown, Pennsylvania, whose love for wildflowers and nature was unsurpassed. We Grow That Garden Library™ with a downhome book dedicated to helping you with the family garden to make it a resounding success. And then we'll wrap things up with the brilliant plantswoman who understood the subtleties of gardening and design. 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 and more.

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 David Domoney's Fencing Guide | David Domoney Facebook Group If you'd like to check out my curated news articles and blog posts for yourself, you're in luck because 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 December 4, 1788 On this day, Andre Michaux made his way from Georgia into South Carolina by crossing the Tugalo River. In his journal, Michaux wrote: "At dawn, I went to look at the banks of the river, and I recognized the yellow root, [a new species of rhododendron], mountain laurel, hydrangea, [and] hemlock spruce. . . ." Now Harvard's Charles Sprague Sargent remarked on the significance of this moment because it was the first time that Michaux laid eyes on the Rhododendron minus. Rhododendron grows naturally in the South from North Carolina to Alabama. With its soil and climate, Rhododendrons are perfectly suited to grow in South Carolina. The blossoms of rhododendrons have a wide color range from white to deep purple and blue. A versatile plant, Rhododendrons can be planted as specimens or even as hedges in gardens or natural settings. If you have oak or pine trees on your property, Rhododendrons are ideal for underplanting due to the filtered light from the tree canopy, the soil pH, and natural mulch. As the mulch breaks down, the organic matter provides the rhododendron with the perfect mix of nutrients. Finally, Rhododendrons need well-drained soil, and you should consider taking advantage of that fact by planting them on a slope. December 4, 1841 On this day, the German botanist Theodore Vogel was laid low with dysentery. After joining the Niger ("nee-ZHER") expedition, Theodore recorded in his journal the difficulties of traveling without the benefit of a Wardian Case on board a naval warship called the Wilberforce: "As soon as I got on board... my first care was to… the plants gathered since we arrived at Cape Coast Castle. But though I had taken all possible care, much was spoilt and almost everything in a bad state. It has been my lot ... after endless labor. I mention this, on purpose, that in case my collection comes into other hands, I may not be accused of negligence. I have sacrificed every convenience to gain room and spared no trouble to overcome the dampness of the ship and of the atmosphere, but without success. The general arrangements of a man-of-war do not give many opportunities for such experiments. When will the time arrive, that ...naturalists [will receive] the appropriate and necessary support?" When Theodore became sick on this day in 1841, his friend and fellow German, the mineralogist, Charles Gottfried Roscher, tended to him for thirteen days and never left his bedside. On December 17th, about mid-day, Theodore woke to ask Charles if everything was ready for their excursion, and then he peacefully passed away. December 4, 1893 Today is the anniversary of the death of the Irish experimental physicist John Tyndall. In 1859, John discovered the link between atmospheric CO2 and what we call the Greenhouse effect. And Although John was often attributed as the first person to discover the Greenhouse effect, today we know that a female scientist named Eunice Foote discovered it in 1856 - a full three years earlier. That said, John is best known for learning why the sky is blue. It turns out that light scattering through molecules suspended in the atmosphere creates the color, which is sometimes referred to as Tyndall Blue. As all gardeners know, there is nothing more beautiful than the garden set against the backdrop of a brilliant blue sky. All in all, John was one of Ireland's most successful scientists and educators. December 4, 1903 On this day, the Germantown historian, botanist, and writer Edwin Jellett wrote his final column for The Independent Gazette. Edwin's charming column in The Independent Gazette appeared for forty weeks and shared his thoughts on his two passions: history and botany in Northwest Philadelphia. Gardeners will appreciate that every one of Edwin's columns wrapped up with a list of the 30 to 40 plants shared in the post, along with both the Latin and common names. And if you'd like to read Edwin's work, you can - thanks to the Awbury Arboretum. In honor of its centennial in 2016, the Awbury Arboretum digitized all of Edwin's columns. Here's an excerpt from his last column published today in 1903: "To me, the vale is stored with memories, and one of its most pleasing and tender is Thomas Meehan's connection with it. In this region dwell many of our fairest and rarest wildflowers… Usually, about the middle of January, [there is] a new color in sweet-birch, sassafras, red maple, and many small plants... and the blushing glow is evidence of a renewed circulation. Hazelnut, if not in bloom at Christmas, is always so shortly after and is closely followed by alder, pussy willow, and silver maple; in favorable seasons, these always bloom before February first. In gardens, ice plant, sedums, and euphorbia appear early above ground, and evergreen native and exotic, Adam's needle, Scottish heath, Japanese euonymus, retinospora, native and Chinese arborvitae, box and Japan privet, laurel and rhododendrons, holly and yew, cedar, juniper and evergreen cypress, fir, spruce, and pine, and other... evergreen plants, cast shadows upon the snow to remind us of pleasant days past, and of warmer, brighter ones to come." Unearthed Words The way that leads to winter Will lead to summer too, For all roads end in other roads Where we may start anew. — Arthur St. John Adcock, English poet and novelist (1864-1930), The Travellers Grow That Garden Library The Family Garden Plan by Melissa K. Norris This book came out in 2020, and the subtitle is Grow a Year's Worth of Sustainable and Healthy Food. In this book, Melissa shares her expertise after growing up gardening - and now gardening with her family on almost 15 acres of land in the foothills of the North Cascade mountain range in Washington State. Melissa shares hard-won knowledge from decades of trial and error. She is an expert heirloom gardener, preserver, farmer, cook, and homemaker. Her book is personal and Inspirational. Melissa shares inspiring bible verses, family stories, and photography from her very own garden, which gives her book an authenticity that many garden books lack. Melissa's book is meant to be used as a reference. She includes helpful tips and suggestions to keep you and your garden growing. This book is 224 pages of downhome advice from a genuine gardener with a passion for helping others. You can get a copy of The Family Garden Plan by Melissa K. Norris and support the show using the Amazon Link in today's Show Notes for around $19. Today's Botanic Spark Reviving the little botanic spark in your heart December 4, 1896 Today is the birthday of the charismatic Australian gardener, designer, and writer Edna Walling. Remembered for her gorgeous garden designs, Edna wrote some wonderful books on Australian gardening & landscaping. After working nonstop for four decades between the 1920s and 1960s, Edna created over 300 gardens. Today many Australians regard Edna as the most excellent landscape designer that Australia has ever known. An ardent conservationist, Edna was ahead of her time. By advocating for native plants, Edna's favorite plants were naturally drought-hardy - a must for Australia's harsh climate. Peter Watts wrote about Edna's work and legacy and said, "[Enda] was a gardener's designer – a brilliant plantswoman who understood the subtleties of gardening and design… [She] always thought gardens should be just a bit bigger than they needed so that you couldn't control them entirely." It was Edna Walling who said, "Nature is our greatest teacher." And, there's an adorable story about Edna. In November of 1941, Edna received criticism from a friend for sharing her preference for perennials over annuals. "[I got] a letter from a friend the other day who addressed me: 'Dear Anti-annual!... If you can't grow them yourself, you needn't be snippy about them.' Oooooh, what have I said? Something rude about Iceland poppies or asters? How narrow-minded of me." Thanks for listening to The Daily Gardener. And remember: "For a happy, healthy life, garden every day."