The Daily Gardener

Today we celebrate the poet who wrote lustrously of Kubla Kahn's summer garden and the French flower breeder who made our favorite plants even more sumptuous with double-flowers. We learn about the descendant of Olaf Rudbeck, who sought to create a legacy of peace and the rainforest expert who wrote the flora of Mexico. We'll hear a lovely prayer for Autumn from the poet Rainer Marie Rilke. Today's Book Recommendation to help you Grow That Garden Library is A Way to Garden by Margaret Roach. I'll talk about the benefits of buying bagged mulch and then wrap things up with the sweet story of an iconic flower photo from 1967. Before we get going, I want to say thanks for all the well wishes. I finally caught this horrible virus that has been making its way through the family. It started with a sore throat, then body aches, and then a cough with no voice. It knocked me out for over a week and I'm still on the mend. And, I did get my flu shot but it's one of those years I guess. Anyway, I started to use the last few days as I was waiting for my voice to return to incorporate a few new ideas into the show format here so if you're a regular listener you might hear a few new things - you'll have to let me know what you think. So, I had a little growing zone reinforcement situation happen while I was sick. I had put these baby crotons in a planter out front for fall and I know they are a tropical and I should have thought to get them inside when I heard the forecast but they looked so healthy and tough I didn't give them another thought and then bam. Sure enough, that temperature dropped into the thirties overnight and as I was backing out of the driveway this week going to get more cough syrup - what did I see? All the little crotons (about 8 of them - don't worry I got them on sale) were collapsed and dead in the planter. I can't tell you how many times I hear from friends this time of year about a houseplant or tropical that gets left outside and then looks dead and then they wonder if it will come back. The answer is usually probably not. But you know, I get that this is sad and we can kick ourselves but really it's just one more reminder of the constraints we face as gardeners. I know we get by with zone pushing thanks to microclimates and that feels so great when it works, but every now and then I'm actually good with a reminder like this about the limits of my zone. It's kind of grounding. It's like - hey, fall is here and it's serious and in Minnesota that means get your houseplants in by October 5 period. Respect One of the Facebook groups I belong to asked for some good side salad Recipes to bring out to the field for the Harvest crew. The suggestions were so good. But, one, in particular, caught my eye. It was for: Dill Pickle Pasta Salad and the recipe was from the blog Together as a Family. If you love pickles and pickle juice, then this is salad is for you. They wrote: "Dill Pickle Pasta Salad will be an instant favorite! Tender spiral pasta, 2 cups of diced pickles, cheese, and onion covered in an ultra-creamy homemade dill dressing with pickle juice." It is phenomenal! Something different and something the kids actually eat - which is such a bonus. So if you're looking for a fun, new side for your harvest meals, try making the Dill Pickle Pasta Salad: 1 box (16 oz) rotini pasta 1/3 cup dill pickle juice (from the pickle jar) 2 cups chopped baby dill pickles 1 block (8 oz) Colby Jack cheese, cubed small 1 small white onion, finely chopped Creamy Dill Dressing 1 cup mayonnaise 1/2 cup sour cream 1/3 cup dill pickle juice (from the pickle jar) 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill (or 1 tablespoon dried dill) 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon pepper Instructions Cook pasta according to package directions. Don't forget to add some salt to the boiling water before adding the pasta. I add about 1 teaspoon, give or take. Drain pasta and rinse with cold water. Add 1/3 cup of the pickle juice to the drained and rinsed pasta and let it sit while you prepare the rest. (Move the pasta from the colander into a mixing bowl and then add the pickle juice) Chop the dill pickles, and cheese into small cubes/pieces. Finely chop the white onion. Drain the pasta again that was sitting in the pickle juice. Add it to a large bowl along with the chopped pickles, cheese, and white onion. In small bowl, combine all the dressing ingredients and pour over the pasta salad. Stir everything together to combine well. Salad can be eaten right away but I prefer it cold, and if you do too, then cover it and refrigerate it for 1-2 hours. Notes: I would recommend not making this too far ahead of time. For best results serve this salad within a few hours of making it. Either right away or after the refrigeration time. Leftovers do keep well in the fridge (are still delicious) but the dressing thickens up and it's not as "creamy" as when you first make it). Use any dill pickles you want. I prefer the baby dills cause they are already small in shape so it's easier to chop them small. For best taste and texture use the real, full-fat mayonnaise. I prefer Best Foods OR Hellman's brand. If you want some heat then add a pinch (or two) of cayenne pepper to the dressing. Any cheese or pasta can be used in this recipe but after testing it out, rotini and Colby Jack cheese taste the best in this salad. Brevities #OTD Today is the birthday of the English poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge, who was born on this day in 1772. Along with his friend, William Wordsworth, Coleridge started the Romantic Movement and was a member of the Lake Poets, a group of English poets who lived in the Lake District of England during the first half of the nineteenth century. Coleridge felt that taxonomy was a sort of poetry. He wrote that taxonomy was "the best words in the best order". In his poem called Youth and Age, Coleridge wrote, "Flowers are lovely; Love is flower-like; Friendship is a sheltering tree;" Kubla Khan's Summer Garden at Xanadu is the subject of Coleridge's 1797 poem Kubla Khan, one of his most famous works. The poem begins by describing Kahn's palace and the garden contrasted with the setting of the ancient Mongolian forest. And there were gardens bright with sinuous rills, Where blossomed many an incense-bearing tree; And here were forests ancient as the hills, Enfolding sunny spots of greenery. #OTD Today is the birthday of the French flower breeder Victor Lemoine, who was born on this day in 1823. We owe a debt of gratitude to Lemoine for enhancing the beauty of so many flowers in our gardens: lilacs, mock-oranges, phlox, peonies, gladiolus, tuberous begonias, geraniums, and deutzias. Around the year 1850, Lemoine 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 later, Lemoine created his first double-flower; the Portulaca grandiflora or Moss Ross. As with so many of Lemoine's creations, the double-flower created double the beauty. In 1854, Lemoine turned the original five-petaled single blossom of the geranium into a double-flowered stunner he called "Gloire de Nancy" or "Glory of Nancy." Northern gardeners owe Lemoine a debt of gratitude for his work with peonies. He crossed the Paeonia wittmanniana with the Siberian albaflora; creating a peony that could withstand a winter freeze. Lemoine 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 Lemoine. Incredibly, Lemoine didn't start working on Lilacs until he was almost fifty. That said, Lemoine's wife, Marie Louise, was his tireless assistant when his eyes and fine-motor skills were failing. She hand-pollinated the little lilac flowers and aided both her husband and her son with hybridizing. Lemoine worked magic with his lilacs. He made them bloom earlier and later. He improved the quality of the bloom, and he expanded their color spectrum. He grew the very first double lilac. By the time the Lemoine nursery closed its doors in 1968, the Lemoine's had bred 214 new cultivars of Lilac. #OTD Today is the birthday of the Swede Alfred Nobel, who was born on this day in 1833. Gardeners are often surprised to learn that Nobel was a descendant of the botanist Olof Rudbeck. Nobel believed in peace and the goodness of humanity. At the same time, he recognized the destructive power of his scientific inventions. After Alfred's brother died, a newspaper accidentally published the obituary under Alfred's name. The experience was a defining moment for Nobel. He decided to craft a legacy of peace and made arrangements in his will to create the Nobel Prizes in Science, Literature, and Peace. The Nobel Prize ceremony is held every year on December 10th on the anniversary of his death. #OTD Today is the birthday of the Mexican botanist Arturo Gómez-Pompa who was born on this day in 1934. As one of the world's top authorities on rain forests, Gómez-Pompa founded the Tropical Research Center. He is remembered for his flora of Mexico and his tireless work on conservation. Unearthed Words Here's a prayer for Autumn from the Prague-born poet Rainer Maria Rilke: "Lord, it is time. The summer was very big. Lay thy shadow on the sundials, and on the meadows let the winds go loose. Command the last fruits that they shall be full; give them another two more southerly days, press them on to fulfillment and drive the last sweetness into the heavenly wine." Today's Grow That Garden Library book recommendation: A Way to Garden by Margaret Roach The subtitle is A Hands-On Primer for Every Season. This book just came out in April of this year and it's one of my favorites. The pictures are to-die-for. If this book doesn't make you want to garden, I don't know what will. I also wanted to read a little excerpt that I found extremely timely. What I love about Margaret is that she is so real about what it's like to garden: "Mad Stash: Overwintering Tender Plants I am asked two questions over and over again by visitors: "Where did you get that plant?" and "Where do you put all those big pots of tender things in winter?" My reply to the second part begins with a question: Are you ready for an adventure? Unless you operate a climate-controlled greenhouse - and even then, if the power fails - matching non-hardy plants to the possibilities of our domestic winter environment, especially in a northern location, is indeed an exploration. I have been experimenting for years with stashing tender plants in the cellar, garage, house, mudroom – wherever I can – to try to turn each purchase into an investment plant. Before I go attempting any real heroics, though... I ask if there's a way to carry over a piece of each instead, as seeds or by taking late summer cuttings and say Coleus or Pelargonium and rooting them - or simply by digging up tubers or bulbs and stashing those?" Today's Garden Chore - Improving your garden one actionable tip at a time. Buy some bagged mulch for handiness and ease. Compared to loose mulch, bagged mulch is less labor-intensive and messy. For people with physical challenges, bagged mulch is way easier to use, stack, and store. Bags of mulch are manageable to carry and cart around. At the end of the season, when just a little mulch is needed here and there, you'll be glad to have a little stockpile. The gardening expert Thalassa Cruso wrote: "The mulch you lay down will protect your perennial plants during the winter and feed the soil as it decays, while the cleaned up flower bed will give you a huge head start on either planting seeds or setting out small plants." Something Sweet Reviving the little botanic spark in your heart It was on this day in 1967 that 100,000 demonstrators attend the March on the Pentagon. It was one of the most massive demonstrations of the Vietnam War. A 17-year-old high school girl named Jan Rose Kasmir walked up to a row of soldiers holding rifles with bayonets. Kasmir courageously stood directly in front of the bayonets. She held a single chrysanthemum bloom in her hands. The little daisy-like flower was the only thing between Kasmir's face and the tip of a blade. This image, known as the flower girl, became one of the most iconic photos of the Vietnam War era. Thanks for listening to the daily gardener, and remember: "For a happy, healthy life, garden every day."

Does your Christmas Cactus have red on its leaves? If so, that red is an indication that the plant is stressed out. It could be that it has that color on the leaves when it's blooming because blooming puts pressure on the plant. In general, those leaves will turn a little red if you're watering them too much or If you have them too much sun. One of my oldest Christmas cactuses came from my husband's grandmother that was a very craggy looking. I managed to keep it alive for about a decade and then it was time to start over with a new one. Don't forget that you can propagate your Christmas cactus with the required simply graph one of the leaves The leaves in twisted off you can put the water or you can have a little booty or you can add a little rooting hormone And twisted off you could you can put the cutting in water or you can have a little breathing hormone and put it directly in the soil If you want to keep your Christmas cactus compact now is the time to prune it just take all those little cuttings and get the routing and then share them with friends Brevities #OTD On this day in 1801, the botanist François-Andre Michaux returned to Charleston. François-Andre was the son of the botanist Andrea Michaux. His father named an oak in his honor. Michaux's mom died just a few short weeks after he was born. His father was so despondent, he turned to botany to deal with his grief. Given his position in France, his mentors were the top gardeners in the French Royal Gardens. The expert guidance helped Michaux accelerate his learning. When François-Andre was 15 years old, he and his dad set sail for North America. His father had a very clear goal for his time in America; establish a botanical garden and send specimens back to France. When they arrive, the year was 1786 and the location chosen by Michaux for the garden was on property that's now occupied by the Charleston Area National Airport. Today, as you leave the airport, you'll notice a stunning mural that honors the Michaux's. It includes scenes depicting the rice fields along the Ashley River and the Charleston Harbor where Michaux introduced one of the first camellia plants. In one panel, Andre-François and his father are depicted in the potager or kitchen garden. The mural was installed in 2016. #OTD On this day in 1887 the Los Angeles Herald ran an interview with the superintendent of the botanical gardens William Smith about the senators in Washington during the 1880's who had a passion for plants. Here's what he said: Senator Charles Sumner from Massachusetts was a great enthusiast... He used to tell me that when traveling he would peer out of the car windows by the hour, on the lookout for a beautiful tree, and when his eye for the lovely and symmetrical was satisfied he would go into raptures. ... The last enjoyment I had with him, shortly before he died, was in visiting a favorite elm of his own Boston Common. Senator John James Ingalls, of Kansas, ...is a most devoted student of arboriculture. Some of the most valuable suggestions about distributing plants in the west come from him. Senator William Pitt Fessenden, of Maine, was an ardent apostle [of gardening] all through his long public life. I remember that his wife had a sweet verbena in their home in Maine, of which she was very fond. She watched it tenderly as a child, and Mr. Fessenden shared the feeling so thoroughly that for thirteen sears ho would journey home from Washington to take up the plant in autumn and make another trip in the springtime to set it out. No pressure of public business could make him forget that verbena. It was really a paternal devotion. Senator James A Pearce, of Maryland, was one of the most cultivated botanists ever in Congress. Scarcely a day passed that he did not drop in on me to watch the growth of some favorite plant or some new experiment, and his ideas were always scientific and valuable. And then there was Senator Benjamin Gratz Brown from Missouri, a very warm lover of flowers and a thorough master of their cultivation. During all the time he was in the Senate I don't believe he missed a day at the garden, and we would chat for hours when he felt in the humor. There's another botanist in Congress,... I know the name will surprise you— Senator William Steele Holman, of Indiana ... It seems almost a contradiction that one of his reputation should be a lover of flowers, but he certainly is. No one has been in Congress since I can remember, and that's a long time, with a more hearty and intelligent love for the garden. He is a frequent visitor [of the botanical garden], and you can see from his conversation that he watches every new phase of the science as keenly as he does the money bags of the treasury. It seems to be a mental exhilaration for him to commune with these curious plants from all over the world, and study their hidden life. He is quite as familiar with the botanical names and the habits of plants and flowers as most professional botanists. He picked it up as a recreation and his spare time is nearly all devoted to it. Senator Samuel Sullivan "Sunset" Cox is a first-class botanist, but let me add that he's also the best reader that I ever met. He is a walking cyclopedia on every subject covered by books. ... But then, this doesn't apply to his botany alone; it's the same with everything else. He can learn more in shorter time than any man I ever saw. #OTD On this day in 1899, Augustine Henry wrote to his friend the designer Evelyn Gleeson after meeting Ernest Henry Wilson for the first time. Toward the end of his time in China, Augustine Henry living in the Simao District in the Yunnan Province of China. He knew that the flora of China was an untapped market for European horticulture. Meanwhile, a young botanist named Ernest Henry Wilson was just starting out. Henry wrote to his friend, Evelyn Gleesen, to share the news about his Wilson after their first visit together: I have ... a guest of all the things in the world at Szemao, a Mr. Wilson, late a gardener at Kew, who has been sent out by Veitch's to collect plants or rather their seeds and bulbs in China. He has made his way here to consult with me on best way of procedure and concerning the interesting country around Ichang and he will stay here 2 or 3 weeks. He is a self-made man, knows botany thoroughly, is young and will get on. Henry also shared with Evelyn that he, "would be glad if [Wilson] will continue to carry on the work in China which has been on my shoulders for some years. There is so much of interest and of novelty." Later the same day, Henry also reported back to Kew about the progress of their new, young plant explorer, Wilson: "[He will] do, I think, as he seems very energetic, fond of his botany and level-headed, the main thing for traveling and working in China.... [I wrote] on a half-page of a notebook ... a sketch of a tract of country about the size of New York State [on which I marked the place where I had found the single tree of Davidia involucrata (the Dove Tree or Handkerchief Tree) in 1888. I also provided Wilson with useful information and hints.]" Henry and Wilson stayed close and corresponded for the rest of their lives. Wilson went on to find the Dove tree - but that is another story for a day dedicated to Wilson. As for Henry, when he returned to his native Ireland, his was increasingly concerned with de-forestation in his home country and he began to study forestry. the rate at which that country was being deforested, his interests had turned to the study of forestry. In 1913, he became the first professor of forestry at the Royal College of Science for Ireland. He and his wife, Elsie opened their Dublin home to famous friends like Yeats, George Russell, Erskine Childers and Evelyn Gleeson. Henry is regarded as the father of Irish commercial forestry. #OTD On this day in 1985, Strawberry Fields, a 2 and ½ acre garden memorial in New York City's Central Park, was dedicated to the memory of John Lennon. Lennon's widow, Yoko Ono, came up with the idea for the park. She remembered how she and Lennon took strolls through that section of Central Park after they moved to the Dakota nearly 10 years ago. "It is our way of taking a sad song and making it better," said Ono. Originally, the concept called for every nation donate a remembrance to Strawberry Fields. Soon, Ms. Ono and the New York City Parks and Recreation Commission found themselves dealing with trees that couldn't grow in a northern climate. A second request, along with tips about what would survive New York winters, brought 150 specimens from countries around the world; England sent an English Oak tree, Canada a Maple tree. There was one notable exception to the list of participating countries - the United States. Sadly, President Reagan White House never acknowledged the request. The memorial park site was made possible by a $1 million donation from Ono to the city. It didn't cost taxpayers a dime. Unearthed Words "Everyone must take time to sit and watch the leaves turn." - Elizabeth Lawrence "October is nature's funeral month. Nature glories in death more than in life. The month of departure is more beautiful than the month of coming - October than May. Every green thin loves to die in bright colors." - Henry Ward Beecher Today's book recommendation: Magic Gardens: Grow In the Dark by Lisa Steinkopf If you want to catch that super helpful interview about all things house plans just head on over to the Still Growing podcast and search for episode 598. Grow in the dark is Lisa's latest book. She's putting the spotlight on 50 of the best healthcare plans that you can grow in dim or dark areas. And Lisa should know since she's made room for over 1000 houseplants thriving in her Michigan home where light is a premium. For six months out of the year gardeners know that having a south-facing window doesn't always guarantee you the best light to grow plants - especially if your window faces an alley or a tree-lined street. And, what's the point of growing in urban jungle if tall buildings are blocking all your sunshine does compact guide designed to look good on your shelf will help you learn to make the most of your light so you can reap the physical benefits of living with plants leases book offers detailed profiles of the plants including tips on watering just right Proper living detailed profiles of the play just write properly potting plants troubleshooting eases also learned which plants are safe around kids and pets but do you live in a shady top floor apartment or a dungeon in the garden level this book will help you grow your plant collection even when the light is a challenge master light did you master much of what you need to know to make your house plants happy Today's Garden Chore As fall dieback sets in, it's a marvelous time to plant climbers and vines. One that should be on the top of your list for shady areas is the Schizophragma hydrangeoides (the Japanese hydrangea vine) or the Hydrangea petiolaris climbing hydrangea. Although the two look similar, they are both Asiatic vines, they are different and once you see them, you'll forever be able to tell them apart. In the Hydrangea, which is more hardy, the flowers create a tiara. In the Schizophragma, the petals are more white and appear individual and not in fours. Gardeners need to know that Schizophragma blooms later in the season. It looks neater and cleaner than the climbing hydrangea. If you plant either vine, be prepared to wait a bit. It takes three years for them to really get going; but once they are established the flower show is spectacular. #OTD On this day in 1931, The Arnold Arboretum sent Beatrix Farrand Schizophragma hydrangeoides (climbing hydrangea) at her summer home called Reef Point. Ferrand gushed: "This grew marvelously up to the second-floor windows on the north comer of the garden house, only outdone in magnificence by two big Hydrangea petiolaris, which clambered to more than thirty feet." Something Sweet Reviving the little botanic spark in your heart On this day in 1947, The Times out of Streator, Illinois, shared a story called Ailment of 2 Boys Solved by Botanist. Here's what it said: "Two eight-year-old boys gave their parents a bad time when they fell victims to raging fevers and hallucinations in which weird animals stalked across the ceiling. The frantic parents summoned psychiatrists, but it was a botanist Dr. [Otto Emery Jennings] of the University of Pittsburgh who finally solved the mystery. Dr. Jennings said yesterday, the boys had nibbled on some jimsonweed found on a vacant lot near their homes. The plant - famed in cowboy songs and history books - has seeds containing a substance used in medicine and which produce fever and delirium." The same weed poisoned many English soldiers at Jamestown Virginia in 1608 as they tried to suppress Bacon's Rebellion. This is why, in addition to being called Jimsonweed (Datura stramonim), it is also called Jamestown Weed or Devil's Snare. In Robert Beverley, Jr's, book about the history of Virginia, he describes the crazy scene at Jamestown: "The Jamestown Weed (which resembles the Thorny Apple of Peru... was gathered ... for a boiled salad, by some of the soldiers sent thither to quell the rebellion of Bacon ... Some of them ate plentifully of it, the effect of which was a very pleasant comedy, for they turned natural fools upon it for several days: One would blow up a feather in the air; Another would dart straws at it with much fury; And another, stark naked, was sitting up in a corner like a monkey, grinning and making [grimaces] at them; A fourth would fondly kiss and paw his companions, and then sneer in their faces ... In this frantic condition they were confined, lest they should, ... destroy themselves — though it was observed that all their actions were full of innocence and good nature. [Although], they were not very cleanly; A thousand such simple tricks they played, and after eleven days returned themselves again, not remembering anything that had passed." Thanks for listening to the daily gardener, and remember: "For a happy, healthy life, garden every day."

Last night, I met with my Social Media team and we were having so much fun coming up with designs and quotes and all kinds of things for merchandise for the show. We're putting together t-shirts, tote bags, and stickers. With any luck, we'll have Daily Gardener gear and merchandise ready to go live for you on November 1st. So keep that in mind. If you're a fan of the show, you can add The Daily Gardenermerchandise to your wishlist for the holidays. Stay tuned for updates on that. Brevities #OTD Today is the birthday of the German botanist, Johann Baptist Ziz, who was born on this day in 1779. The genus Zizia, which has three species, was named for him. Zizia plants are one of my favorites; they bloom for a long time and they are a great source of pollen and nectar. Zizia is in the carrot family with stems 1-3 feet tall. The flowers are a compound umbel with many small flower heads. The root of Zizia was used by Native Americans used to treat pain. In the wild, Zizia is found in meadows, the edge of woods, and thickets. In the garden, it's a nice plant for part shade and it makes for a lovely ground cover plant. Zizia aurea is known by the common name Golden Alexanders. Aurea from the Latin word for "golden-yellow". Golden Alexanders are easy to grow and a host plant for the black swallowtail butterfly. They also attract loads of other pollinating insects like the golden Alexanders mining bee—which was named for its special relationship with the Zizia. The early leaves of Zizia aurea have beaded magenta edges which adds to their charm in the garden. In private plant sales over the past decade, Zizia aurea sells like hotcakes. They make a beautiful cut flower. Golden Alexander pairs beautifully with exuberant purple blooms like the False Blue Indigo or Salvia 'May Night'. #OTD Today is the birthday of the English naturalist, William Swainson, who was born on this day in 1789. Swainson subscribed to the quinarian system; a taxonomic theory that grouped animals and plants into groups of five or multiples of fives. He stubbornly adhered to the system even after Darwin's origin was gaining traction. In 1840, Swainson immigrated to New Zealand with his second wife and all but one of his children. He faced numerous setbacks while there, including the fact that many of his belongings, including his books and proofs which were aboard a separate ship, were lost at sea. Once in New Zealand, he struggled financially, survived a fire, and an earthquake. Before he died, Swainson sent a letter to his son Willie. He wrote: "I am much pleased with your increasing fondness for gardening and shall always be happy to send you anything I can spare from this place. A garden as Bacon says 'is the purest of human pleasures,' and truly do I find it so, as in youth, so in age, and no other outdoor recreation is so delightful to me." #OTD Today is the birthday of the Florida botanist Hardy Bryan Croom who was born on this day in 1797. Croom was trained as a lawyer, but since his inheritance from his father was substantial, he never practiced. As Croom matured, he began pursuing specialties like geology, mineralogy, and botany. When it came to botany, there was no botanist Croom admired more than John Torrey with whom he corresponded. In 1834, Croom became an early landowner in Tallahassee. At the time, Florida was still a territory. Hardy Croom loved the Tallahassee region and he set about building a home there for his family. In fact, Croom bought not one, but two plantations with his fortune. As he traveled between them, he would study the exciting natural flora and fauna. One day, as he traveled between the two plantations, Croom was waiting for a ferry along the east bank of the Apalachicola River when he discovered a new tree species and a new little plant growing in the shade canopy. Croom named the tree Torreya taxifolia in honor of his mentor, John Torrey. One of the oldest tree species on earth, the Florida Torreya is also known by various common names, including gopher-wood, yew-leafed Torreya, Torreya wood, savin, stinking savin, and stinking cedar (for the strong odor of the sap and from the leaves and seed when crushed). The local legend is that the Torreya was the Biblical "gopher wood" used by Noah to build the ark. To this day the rare tree grows naturally only in this part of the world; along the roughly 30 mile stretch of the Apalachicola river between Chattahoochee and Bristol. There is another species of the same genus growing in California and it is known as the California nutmeg. In a newspaper account from 1947, the Torreya taxifolia that Croom had planted by the Florida capital building, over a century earlier, was still standing. Disease and aggressive harvesting nearly annihilated the tree species during the 20th century. Since the wood of the Torreya does not rot, it was used especially for fenceposts and shingles, as well as Christmas trees. Only 200 survive today. At the same time Croom discovered the Torreya taxifolia, he discovered another little new plant species. This one would bear his name: the Croomia panciflora. Asa Gray, who was Torrey's assistant at the time, recalled Croom's modesty, saying: "I was a pupil and assistant of ....Torrey when Mr. Croom brought... him specimens...I well remember Mr. Croom's remark.... that if his name was deemed worthy of botanical honors, it was gratifying to him, and [that] it should be born by the unpretending herb which delighted to shelter itself under the noble Torreya [tree]." So, in botany, as in life, Croom grew happily in the shadow of Torrey. In 1837, one day after Croom's 40th birthday, Croom, his wife, and their three children - two girls age 15 and 7, and a son age 10 - all died when the steamboat Home was caught in a hurricane off of Cape Hatteras. Croom's body was never recovered. Tomorrow will be the 182nd anniversary of the disaster which claimed the lives of 90 souls of the 130 aboard the steamboat which had only two life vests. After the HomeSteamboat tragedy, Congress required seagoing ships to carry a life preserver for each passenger. The loss of the entire Croom family created a legal dispute between the remaining family members. The matter remained unsettled for nearly two decades and it hinged on attempting to discern which family member died last; based on eye witness testimony, incredibly the court finally agreed Croom's 10-year-old son was the last to die in the waves of the ocean and the bulk of Croom's estate was passed to his mother-in-law and not to his brother Bryan. Floridians naturally supported the Croom side of the dispute and newspaper reports often said the decision could just as well have been made with an Ouija board. #OTD On this day in 1877, Elizabeth Agassiz, the wife of the naturalist and famous Harvard Professor, Louis Agassiz, met with Longfellow to get his opinion on the first couple of chapters of the Life of Agassiz; her biography of her husband. In Louise Hall Tharp's book about the family, a memory was share that described Elizabeth in the garden: "[She was wearing] a fresh white morning gown, basket and shears in hand, going leisurely, with her rather stately air, from border to border and then coming back into the porch and arranging flowers in different vases. Lemon verbena and heliotrope she always had in abundance, so that the rooms were fragrant with them. ...She had a glass tank on the porch in which she kept pond lilies." Around the same time, her neighbor, Arthur Gilman, stopped over to visit. He couldn't find a suitable high school for his daughter, Grace. It was the beginning of Radcliffe College and Elizabeth would be Radcliffe's first president. Unearthed Words "October's poplars are flaming torches lighting the way to winter." - Nova Bair "Summer is .... better, but the best is autumn. It is mature, reasonable and serious, it glows moderately and not frivolously ... Valentin Iremonger, Finnish writer Today's book recommendation: Growing Herbs from Seed, Cutting & Root by Thomas DeBaggio This book came out in 1995. DeBaggio raised herbs for a devoted clientele at his nursery in Loudon County Virginia. He's known especially for his superb varieties of Lavender and Rosemary. This book is one of my favorites; offering an abundance of step-by-step photographs to ensure success for even brown-thumbed gardeners. And, I love what Jim Wilson wrote in the forward of this book: "Learning about herbs is both simple and complicated. The aroma of one sometimes mimics that of another and several herbs may share a common name." Today's Garden Chore If you have your hens and chicks in pots, today's as good a day as any to bury them. I love to put hens and chicks in herb pots; the pots that have all the little openings on the sides. But if you leave them out over the winter, they will not survive above ground. However, if you put them in a trench and cover them with leaves and mulch, you can dig them up in the spring and discover even more chicks developed overwintering in the trench. Something Sweet Reviving the little botanic spark in your heart On this day in 2009, the botanist Kelly Norris wrote a post about the color of Fall and his favorite plants in a post called Candy Shop. Here's what he wrote: "Today I'd like to share with you some of my favorite "candies" from around the Iowa State University campus... Dream no longer of purple smoketree, the purple blight on the landscape. Instead think a little bigger, heftier, and prettier. American smoketree boasts conspicuous, smoky flower clusters in mid-summer, puffing out like billowy clouds of not-so-pink cotton candy. My next find [is] a colony of dwarf fothergilla (Fothergilla gardenii). These happy companions to daphnes and rhododendrons look sumptuous this time of year with... greens, yellows, oranges, and reds. Perfect for borders or that small bed where you'd like a shrub but don't have [much] room. [A] most elegant specimen [is] Chionanthus virginicus, our native fringetree... Dangling, silvery-white blossoms adorn all limbs of the plant in late spring... The best part of the show comes along in fall when lime green foliage ages to baked gold, providing a glowing backdrop for chocolate chip-like drupes that dangle where flowers once did. Heptacodium miconioides (seven sons flower) [was] dripped in bright pink this morning, thanks to the colorful sepals left behind from the white flowers that finished several weeks ago. [They are]... sweet to look at! My last plant of note is a red twig dogwood (Cornus sericea). I know…what could be so fascinating about the most overplanted dogwood in American history? Just take a look at this amazing specimen's fall color... Even the most ordinary plants can earn their keep when you take a moment to look past what makes them ordinary... Thanks for listening to the daily gardener, and remember: "For a happy, healthy life, garden every day."

Mark from Little Prince nursery and I became friends on Facebook over the past month. I was immediately taken with the images on his feed, which is so full of the most beautiful blooms. His dahlias were to die for. Anyway, at some point I gave him a call and we were talking away and Mark asked if he could send me some plants. Um... yay! They arrived right as we were headed up to the cabin, so I grabbed the box and brought it along. I unwrapped my new plants this morning and I'm sharing the video in the Facebook Group- so you can check it out there. I just wanted to say a word about ordering plants through the mail. That used to be such a crazy concept. But, our attitudes toward shipping have changed. Most us get things in the mail that we never dreamed we would get shipped to us. My groceries and toiletries get shipped to the cabin free now courtesy of Walmart. (The groceries aren't free but the shipping is.) My point is, that shipping has become the norm; it's only natural that plants would make their way into the process. The chief concern when shipping plants is how to send plants in a responsible and effective way without having to charge a fortune for shipping. I think Little Prince has cracked that code. Anyway, check out the video in the FB group- you'll get to see the lovely view to the lake ; it was simply pastoral today - the perfect Fall day. Then, watch as I unpack the box from Little Prince. It's so much fun - you'll see the wonderful unique specimens Mark sent, the superb packaging, and my method for acclimating newly shipped specimens. With any luck, the video will make you feel brave enough to order some for yourself. By the way, this not a sponsored post. This is just Mark being Mark, and me loving plants. Check out the Little Prince website and if you have any questions, don't hesitate to give them a call. Little Prince's customer service is so good, you'll feel like you are getting the royal treatment! Brevities #OTD Today is the birthday of the colonial botanist John Clayton who was born on this day in 1773. Clayton's home in Virginia was called "Windsor". He created an excellent botanical garden, (and one of the first for this country), at Windsor. Five hundred of Clayton's herbarium specimens were referenced for the "Flora Virginica" and were compiled by Gronovius with along with input from Carl Linnaeus.

#OTD Today is the birthday of the gardener, nurseryman, and expedition sponsor, Joseph Knight, who was born on this day in 1778. Knight was a gardener to George Hibbert and he was also a private nursery owner - and a very successful one. His ability to sell plants and feature plants in his welcoming showroom was tremendous. When John Claudius Loudon visited Knight's nursery in 1831, he wrote: "The effect on entering is excellent; the termination of the telescopic vista being [a] bronze vase... which is about 6 ft. in diameter and weighs several tons, [and] is painted blue on the inside, ... has a very cheerful and elegant appearance." Loudon reported on a number of plants at Knight's nursery. On the rhododendron , he wrote: "So abundant is the honey secreted by [the rhododendron] that when they are shaken it falls from them like large drops of rain." On the Knight's orangery, he wrote: "The mandarin orange, [is] remarkable for its perfume as well as its flavor. It separates from the rind like the kernel of a nut from its shell, without any trouble of peeling or paring, and has been very appropriately designated by the Chinese as the aristocrat of the orange family... In 1829 after Hibbert retired, Knight received his entire collection of plants which he added to his nursery called "Knight's Exotic Nursery. Knight used his nursery as a training ground for young gardeners. At the time, Knight's nursery was truly one of the best in the world. In addition, Knight was able to obtain plants from explorations he sponsored. Knight had a knack for tending to new plants and Knight's nursery was a frequent source for specimens featured in the latest botanical magazines. A little over two decades later, in 1856, Knight's nursery was bought by John Gould Veitch and became the world-famous "Royal Exotic Nursery" after he bought it. But we remember Joseph Knight for introducing rhododendrons from Nepal, azaleas from China and the Robin Redbreast bush to the gardens of England. #OTD On this day in 1805, the botanist Robert Brown returned from a four year expedition to Australia after having found thousands of new plant species. His work brought him fame and professional opportunities. Brown became the librarian of the Linnean Society. His knowledge of new plant species made it possible for him to write breakthrough papers and books that had to do with plant classification and Australian flora. Brown also became the Librarian for the Banks herbarium and he enjoyed the friendship and trust of Joseph Banks. When Banks died in 1820, he left everything to Brown - his herbarium, his library and even his house. #OTD On this day in 1868, Cornell University welcomed the very first class of students to the rural campus overlooking Lake Cayuga in Ithaca, New York. An agricultural land grant university, Cornell was endowed by Ezra Cornell, one of the founders of Western Union Telegraph Co. There's a funny little story that tells when Ezra Cornell said "any field, for any person", someone else said: "But then everyone will want to come here." Cornell replied, "Not when they find out where it is." If you happen to be in Ithaca during the growing season, the Botanical Gardens at Cornell University are well worth a visit. Below Cornell's campus, is Llenroc, the home that was commissioned by Cornell for himself and his family. Sadly, he died just before it's completion. And, in case you're wondering, yes, Llenroc is Cornell spelled backwards! It was Ezra Cornell who said: "Idleness is to the human mind like rust to iron." Unearthed Words #OTD Today is the anniversary of the death of the American physician, poet and humorist, Oliver Wendell Holmes, who died on this day in 1894. "What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us." "Youth fades, love droops, the leaves of friendship fall; A mother's secret hope outlives them all. " "But friendship is the breathing rose, with sweets in every fold." Today, when garden writers write about pests in the garden, they often include this quote by Holmes: "On every stem, on every leaf,... and at the root of everything that grew, was a professional specialist in the shape of grub, caterpillar, aphis, or other expert, whose business it was to devour that particular part." In 1889, Louise Chandler Moulton published her book of poetry called In the Garden of Dreams. She sent a copy to Oliver Wendell Holmes and he wrote her back in a letter dated December 29, 1889: "I thank you most cordially for sending me your beautiful volume of poems. They tell me that they are breathed from a woman's heart as plainly as the fragrance of a rose reveals its birthplace. ... I cannot help feeling flattered that the author of such impassioned poems should have thought well enough of my own productions to honor me with the kind words I find on the blank leaf of a little book that seems to me to hold leaves torn out of the heart's record." Holmes was clearly a sentimentalist. In his poem about the "dear days" of his youth called "No Time Like the Old Time," he wrote: "There is no time like the old time, when you and I were young, When the buds of April blossomed and the birds of springtime sung!" Today's book recommendation: Gardening with Foliage First by Karen Chapman and Christina Salwitz Over the years, Karen Chapman and Christina Salwitz have designed hundreds of gardens. The two met at an event where Christina was presenting on interesting foliage combinations. Karen was sitting in the audience and felt an immediate connection, because Christina's work was so aligned with her own - they both appreciated unique and interesting - even uncommon plant combinations. They quickly realized they had been traveling parallel paths as designers and writers - they were true horticultural kindred spirits. So, their collaboration on Foliage First was a natural output of their connection. I had the great opportunity to interview Karen and Christina on Episode 603 of the Still Growing Podcast. I mention at the top of that show that Karen and Christina are passionate about something they call the foliage framework. This is their starting point for designing a garden and they know that it requires a little bit of discipline, a little bit of focus, and lots of practice. Instead of focusing on the shiny objects - blooms or artistic elements - Karen and Christina know the best foundation for a garden begins with foliage. Well planned gardens feature foliage that offers year-round color, texture, and interest. Add in blooms and art, and you have a lovely garden. Karen and Christina's book is expertly organized with color coded pages by season: Spring and Summer, Fall and Winter; and also by exposure: Shade or Sun. What's it like when you get two designers to share 127 Dazzling Plant Combinations that Pair the Beauty of Leaves with Flowers, Bark, Berries, and More in a single book? Nirvana. This book is for the true garden geeks or the landscape designers on the look for new, practical ideas. Learn How to Design a Garden with Foliage First with Karen Chapman and Christina Salwitz. Today's Garden Chore Pot up bulbs for Spring forcing now. You can pot up a variety of bulbs right now. I like to put together pots with a nice mix- hyacinths, tulips, and crocus. I place them pretty close together in the pots and then they can either go in the refrigerator in the garage, in a cold frame, or in a trench outside. If you use a trench, cover the pots with leaves or straw so that you can easily retrieve them in January or February. Something Sweet Reviving the little botanic spark in your heart On this day in 1930, the newspaper in Union Missouri published a little story called "Unique Loyalty" about a little boy who was helping some plant explorers: "A story was told of a party of English botanists who were spending a summer in the Swiss Alps collecting specimens of rare beauty and considerable value. They started out one morning from a small village and after several hours climb came to a precipice overlooking a green valley dotted with a peculiar flower which examined through field glasses proved to be of unusual value. From the cliff, on which the party was standing, to the valley, was a sheer drop of several hundred feet. To descend would be impossible and to reach the valley from another approach would mean a waste of several hours. During the latter part of their climb a small boy had attached himself to the party end had watched with interest the maneuvers of the botanists. After discussing the situation for several minutes, one of the members of the party turned to the boy and said, 'Young fellow, if you'll let us tie a rope around your waist and lower you over this cliff so that you can dig up one of those loose plants for us, and let us pull you back up without harming the plant, we will give you five pounds.' The boy looked dazed for un instant, then ran off apparently frightened at the prospect of being lowered over the cliff by a rope. But within a short time, he returned - bringing with him an old man bent and gray, with hands gnarled and callused by hard labor. Upon reaching the party of botanists the boy turned to the man who had made the proposal and said. 'Sir, this is my father. I'll go into the valley, if you'll let mv father hold the rope!' The boy probably had confidence in the ability of the botanists to hold the rope, but he had FAITH in his father's protecting care." Thanks for listening to the daily gardener, and remember: "For a happy, healthy life, garden every day."

Every autumn, we owe a debt of gratitude to our trees. They give our gardens the best gift: leaves. Over the past decade, there's been a resurgence of interest in the restorative power of leaves in the garden. For some gardeners, this is new news. Yet, we've known about the wonderful contributions of leaves in the garden for a long time. As proof, here's a little post from the The York Daily out of York Pennsylvania on October 23, 1879: "Fallen leaves make excellent compost for the garden." And, theSunday News out of Lancaster, Pennsylvania from November 16, 1952, wrote this: "Many city gardeners and suburban farmers... now realize the value of leaves as fertilizer and mulching material and are glad to take the leaves off the Street Departments hands... This helps solve the problem of what to do with the fallen leaves, but it doesn't help the raking aches." Brevities #OTD Today is the birthday of the English watercolorist and founding advocate of the picturesque landscape, William Gilpin, who was born on this day in 1762. As an early headmaster and vicar of the Cheam School, Gilpin taught vegetable, as well as ornamental, gardening to the students. In 1777, Gilpin became the parson at the Boldre church of St. John the Baptist in the New Forest district of Hampshire. The church dates back to the 11th century. Gilpin was a fount of knowledge about the area surrounding Boldre Church and its flora and fauna. Gilpin served as the Boldre church parson until his death in 1804 at the age of 80. Gilpin is buried, alongside his wife, in the church cemetery beside an old maple tree. His inscription reads: "It will be a new joy to meet several of their good neighbors who now lie scattered in these sacred precincts around them." Gilpin would travel around the English countryside, creating beautiful watercolors of the landscape and keeping journals where he refined his thoughts on the picturesque landscape . Gilpin filled his sketchbooks with drawings and observations on landscapes and how to paint them. Gilpin wrote, "In order to color chastely and harmoniously, use only 3 tints: red, yellow, and blue..." Gilpin's accounts of his travels were published in guidebooks and created popular interest in natural beauty and the picturesque landscape. Gilpin's bestselling book, "Observations on the River Wye: And Several Parts of South Wales, Relative Chiefly to Picturesque Beauty: Made in the Summer of the year 1770" (often referred to as the River Wye guidebook), brought scads of tourists to the area during the 18th century. Gilpin wrote: "Every distant horizon promises something new; and with this pleasing expectation we follow nature through all her walks." During his time, Gilpin was an arbiter of artistic taste, and he thought that artists should try to find the most "picturesque" view of a landscape. Gilpin didn't enjoy artificial creations and lines in the garden. He was a fan of more natural-looking landscapes that were often savage and less domesticated. To Gilpin, the best landscapes offered ruins and mountains along with trees. Gilpin's watercolors were created on site and he wasn't opposed to using a little artistic license to make the scene more compelling; adding a little bridge or tree or making a ruin ever more ruinous. In 1786, Gilpin wrote, "A ruin is a sacred thing. Rooted for ages in the soil; assimilated to it; and become, as it were, a part of it ..." A simple way to remember the picturesque style, is to remember that Gilpin was a painter and he was seeing the landscape with "a painter's eye". The picturesque was a view that was worthy of being painted and Gilpin said it was "that kind of beauty which is agreeable in a picture." The bottom line is that the images were designed to get your attention. Gilpin wrote: "Our eyes are only glass windows; we see with our imagination." Gilpin was the first president of The Royal Watercolor Society and he is remembered for his books including one of his most popular called "Forest Scenery" which included 45 watercolors and descriptions of trees and shrubs; and instructions for how to capture a picturesque effect through the clumping of trees. Gilpin adored trees. He wrote: "It is no exaggerated praise to call a tree the grandest and most beautiful of all productions on earth!" For instance, the "roan-tree" was noted for having "glowing berries". Rowan was the common name for the Mountain Ash, also known as "the witch" or "quickening-tree". The origin of the word rowan comes from a german word meaning "to redden" and it refers to the little, red berries. On the other hand, Gilpin was not a fan of the Hawthorn, writing that it had , "little claim to picturesque beauty... It is but a poor appendage. Its shape is bad. It does not taper and point like the Holly, but is rather a matted, round, heavy bush. Its fragrance indeed is great ; but its bloom, which is the source of that fragrance, is spread over it in too much profusion." In 1832, Gilpin published Practical Hints upon Landscape Gardening: with some remarks on Domestic Architecture, as connected with scenery,which ran to a second edition in 1835. He wrote it because he said he felt there was little "practical information" in the books available at the time. One of my favorite parts of the book is where he discusses how to get a client to support ideas for their Landscape. "It has ever appeared to me, that a very essential part of an improver's duty is to explain to the proprietor the principles upon which he suggests any plan of improvement. This, during the progress of the work, not only enhances the pleasure of the proprietor, and assists his general taste, but it also ensures his future care, through the periodical prunings and thinnings which must of necessity take place." Gilpin encouraged landscapers, (he referred to them as improvers), to educate their clients, to overcome objections and prejudices. To Gilpin's view, educating customers was sufficient; once they understood the general design, they would surely come around. More quotes from Gilpin: "The picturesque eye, in quest of beauty, finds it in almost every incident." "The pleasures of the chase are universal. A hare started before dogs is enough to set the whole country in an uproar." #OTD On this day in 1777, Caspar Wistar treated the wounded during the battle of Germantown and decided he would pursue medical training. Wistar ("Wiss-Star")is the names of The Wistar Institute; the nation's first independent biomedical research center. Today, they focus on cancer, infectious disease & vaccine research to benefit human health. The botanist Thomas Nuttall gave the name Wisteria to the genus in honor of Caspar Wistar. Some people pronounce it "Wis-star-ia" to reflect the proper spelling of Casper Wistar's last name. #OTD Today is the birthday of the Master Collector of Botanists, John Hendley Barnhart who was born on this day in 1871. Barnhart was an American botanist who specialized in the biographies of other botanists. Like many botanists, Barnhart came to botany through medicine. After training to be a doctor, he never practiced medicine and instead turned his full-time attention to botany. Barnhart is remembered for his work at the New York Botanical Garden (NYBG) where he served as the Bibliographer of the Garden from 1913 to 1942. An amateur genealogist, his famous biographical index of botanists included over 20,000 cards. Barnhart's strength was Input; he collected vast amounts of information, stored it, and retrieved it for experts when called upon. His obituary stated that scientists all over the world leveraged Barnhart for their research. An article featured in The Nebraska State Journal from December 12, 1919 had a fascinating headline, "Famous Botanists Who Never Breathed". "Dr. Barnhart declares that the subjects of eleven biographical sketches of botanists in Appleton's Cyclopaedia of American biography are figments; that their births, their names, their voyages, their scientific adventures and their numerous books, so solemnly given by title and number of volumes, existed only in the mind of some falsifier of the human record. For instance, an Alexander Daniel Koehler, who, inspired by Humboldt, came to America, lived for seven years at Santa Fe, explored South America and wrote, among many other works, "Flora Brasiliensis," published in four volumes in Berlin in 1821-23." Barnhart believed that the eleven fake botanist biographies were the work of one person... but we don't know who or why they did it. The was another fun newspaper account of Barnhart. This one was from The Brooklyn Daily Eagle from April 27, 1934. It gave an account of a lecture by Barnhart on the wild flowers of North America. He said, "... buttercups and bright red columbines that once covered the countryside are in increasing danger of extinction as a result of the depredations of motorists. The only flowers free from danger are those which, like water lilies and marigolds, are naturally difficult of access. The purplish-white blossoms of mountain laurel are generally conceded to be the loveliest of North American wild flowers. Drosera, (commonly known as the sundews) the only carnivorous Northern flower, that trips and devours tiny insects by means of sticky, porous leaves, is a demure, deceptive yellow blossom. The coy trillium and the strange, bloated pitcher flower are among the curiosities of this part of the world, while the airy white flower genially named Dutchmen's breeches looks the most nonchalant. Certain flower names, like those of the rose and the lily, have come down to us almost unchanged since ancient times, and are practically similar in all European languages." Unearthed Words "Come said the wind to the leaves one day, Come o're the meadows and we will play. Put on your dresses scarlet and gold, For summer is gone and the days grow cold." - A Children's Song of the 1880's "Trees enrich our lives throughout the year. They reassure us with the rustle of their leaves, give us shade to soothe our overheated bodies and they bring delight to us when we watch birds nest in their boughs. However, it is only during the fall that they wave flamboyant foliage that seems to demand our attention." - Blue Ridge Parkway: A Guide to Trees Today's book recommendation: The Urban Homestead by Kelly Coyne and Erik Knutzen The 2010 book is the updated version of the best-selling classic. It features a dozen new projects. The New York Times said this book was the "contemporary bible" on Urban Homesteading. This book is an excellent resource. It's an idea book and that gives you the tools to get started on path to self-sufficiency. It offers fantastic examples of how, no matter the size of your space, you can support yourself and your family in an environmentally-responsible way. The authors, Kelly Coyne and Erik Knutzen, are creators of the blog Root Simple, a green living and self-reliance resource for homesteaders, urban and otherwise. They live in Los Angeles. Today's Garden Chore Thoroughly wash and inspect your houseplants before bringing them back indoors. My houseplants get a nice spa day in the kitchen sink when they come back inside for the winter. First, they get a little time to acclimate to the temperature inside before they get their turn at the sink. Then I wash the leaves with sharp streams water and a little dawn dish soap. And don't forget about the bottom and sides of the pot; no need to track in extra dirt or insects. Something Sweet Reviving the little botanic spark in your heart Today's show started with a little Monologue about leaves, and I thought I'd share this adorable little advertisement from WC Landon and Companyin the Rutland Daily Herald out of Vermont From September 27, 1927: Whether You Save Your Leaves for excellent cover for garden and lawn or whether you burn them you need a good rake to get them together. Here are four different kinds, all good The Japanese Sweep Rake, light and handy, but not for heavy work.......$1.00 The Wood Lawn Rake with 24 teeth, for heavy work .......$1.00 The Hoover Wire Lawn Rake is much favored at ....... 75c The Brume Rake with flat steel teeth, shaped like the Japanese Sweep, priced at .......$1.00 So, there you go. That's a sweet, little summary of Rake options in Vermont in 1927. Thanks for listening to the daily gardener, and remember: "For a happy, healthy life, garden every day."

I always write down little things the kids say that strike me as funny or sweet. Here's a little blast from my past on this day in 2010: At bedtime tonight, PJ told me he wanted to bring cold lunch to school. I told him no because we have paid for hot lunch. (Apparently many kids in his class bring cold lunch.) I told him that they probably bring cold lunch because they have allergies and their mommies don't want them to get sick. So, then PJ told me he had allergies too... he said "I'm allergic to pumpkins". I said "really." He said yes. I said "Well then you won't have fun on Halloween because there are pumpkins all over that night". LONG PAUSE while his jaw drops. Heavy sigh. "You caught me mom. I was just trying to trick you." Pumpkin allergies... at the time I thought that was a made-up thing. While this story is super sweet, there are folks who are actually allergic to pumpkin. Typically, they are allergic to the seeds. That said, other parts of the pumpkin can negatively effect the body. People with allergies who touch the pulp or the seeds can get dermatitis or even hives. If they smell pumpkin cooking, sensitive people can have an allergic response from the vapors. And, kids with pumpkin allergy can feel sick just from carving a pumpkin. Uninformed parents can easily dismiss coughing and wheezing during pumpkin carving time as signs of a cold. Thanks to Starbucks and other retailers, our society goes a little crazy for all things Pumpkin Spice this time of year - the Pumpkin Spice Latte actually has a little pumpkin puree in it. But just know, there is such a thing as pumpkin allergy and be sensitive to folks have it. Brevities #OTD Today is the anniversary of the death of the botanist Luis Nee who died on this day in 1807. Luis Née was a Frenchman living in Spain. He worked at the Madrid botanic garden and he botanized in the mountain ranges of Spain. Nee went on an expedition to South America in 1789. When he collected in Chile, he discovered the Lapageria rosea which is now the national flower of Chile. Lapageria rosea plants, are also known as Chilean bellflowers. They are named after the Empress Josephine Lapagerie, wife of Napoleon Bonaparte. #OTD Today is the birthday of the German botanist, Frederick Lueders, who was born on this day in 1813. On November 13, 1843 Lueders was botanizing along the Columbia river in Oregon. He'd been collecting specimens for three years. He had just encountered the explorer John Freemont, when all of his work, which was secured in a canoe nearby, was drawn into the rapids. Lueders plunged into the river and managed to retrieve only a copy of the Flora by Torrey and Gray. The devastating loss was recorded in Freemont's journal who wrote: "In the natural concern I felt for his misfortune, I gave to the little cove the name of Lueders' Bay." For Lueders part, the loss of his specimens was devastating. However the loss of his instruments and his correspondence with Asa Gray and Dr. Englemann was almost too great. Lueders determined his best course of action was to return home. He traveled south around the tip of Chile and then onto England. It took him a year to return to Hamburg a year after his mishap on the Columbia. Lueders didn't stay in Germany long. In fact, he returned to America within the next year. By 1851, he had made his way to Wisconsin; he spent the rest of his life in Sauk City and he dabbled in astronomy. A biographical sketch said that in his old age, Lueders was devoted largely to his flowers. #OTD On this day in 1807, the botanist Frederick Pursch visited David Hosack. Hosack was happy to have Pursch collect specimens from all around the United States for him. He wrote, "I shall have a very industrious and skillful botanist [begin] to collect from different parts of the Union." #OTD On this day in 1856 John Torrey's Office at the Mint was described in the NY Daily Times. When Torrey was 57, he made the decision to leave Princeton after 24 years of teaching botany and he went to work for the Mint; it would be the last step in his long career. The description of the room where the bullion was measured is quite fascinating. It said: "During the process of ... gold and silver are... weighed on ... scales. Floors are covered with iron gratings which are removed at stated periods, flooring beneath carefully swept and particles of precious metal separated from the dust." Torrey 's quality of life improved while he worked at the Mint; he could leave work by 3pm and be home in time to work in his herbarium a couple of hours before dinner. #OTD On this day in 1883, Charles Sprague Sargent wrote to Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker with an update on the Arnold Arboretum: "The Arboretum is getting on at last. ..Roads, belts, grades, etc. are making grand progress & I really begin to see daylight ahead. We have in the nurseries an immense stock of plants &certainly the largest number of living species ever collected togetheron this side of the ocean." ' Unearthed Words From the Poetical Birthday Book for October 3rd, from 1887: "Her lips like foxgloves, pink and pale, Went sighing like an autumn gale; Yet, When the sunlight passed by, They opened out with half a sigh. Her smile, the last faint vesper light As swoons the eve to sleep away, Remaining through the summer night A lamp of love by which to pray. ~ Meta Orred, English Author & Poet All will pass like smoke of white apple trees Seized by the gold of autumn. I will no longer be young. ~ Sergei Yesenin, Russian lyric poet, born on this day in 1895 In moral philosophy, it is useful, I believe, to think about plants." ~ Philippa Foot, philosopher, born (1920) and died (2010) on this day. Today's book recommendation: Montrose by Nancy Goodwin This book was the obvious selection for today because it was published on this day back in 2005. It's one of personal favorites. Montrose is Goodwin's personal biography of her garden and I love everything about it. I love the illustrations; beautiful line drawings with pastel coloring. Absolutely gorgeous. I love that Goodwin organizes her book by month. I thought I'd read you an excerpt from her chapter on October... You can get used copies using the Amazon link in todays Show Notes for just $4. Today's Garden Chore It's time to stop watering your Christmas Cactus. Put your cactus through a mandatory dry spell for the next 30 days for better bud set. So, don't water it until the first week in November. Here's a few other tips to help you with your Christmas Cactus:

1. They will blossom longer if they are exposed to only cooler temperatures. For best results, keep your Christmas cactus in a cool place - not by the fireplace and not by a drafty door.
2. They like to be on a sunny windowsill.
3. They need sleep. Like poinsettia, they benefit from 14 hours of darkness each night.
4. They don't like to be watered very often - but they do like a little mist every day. Ok then.

Something Sweet Reviving the little botanic spark in your heart #OTD Today is the anniversary of the death of George Dexter Butler who died on this day in 1910. Butler was born in 1850 in Grundy County, Illinois. He grew up in Iowa. Like many, he ended up going West California. In 1896, he was admitted the bar in California and then he began the practice of law. And, then, here's the part from the Madrono Vol. 1, No. 13 from November, 1928, that got my attention: "George Butler's passion for botany had always been such that he did not dare trust it. Therefore, on coming to California he determined to let the science of botany entirely alone. If he gave himself to it at all he feared that his proper profession as a lawyer would be largely or too much neglected and that his first obligation, the support and education of his family, would suffer. [When his old friend, Dr. Engelmann wrote him] he was much puzzled in mind as to what he should do... The letter, therefore, he deliberately ignored. In 1906 he chanced to be in a bookshop in Oakland where his eye caught sight of a second-hand copy of Jepson's Flora." The time for botany had come. He quickly made up for lost time and he went collecting in every direction. He built a herbarium on his property, he started buying floras, and he worked like crazy on building his collections. What he was really hoping to do was to build a county herbarium. But, sadly, on this day in 1910, Butler had a stroke and passed away. After Butler died, his herbarium was given as a gift to the University of California. At the time, it was regarded as the most complete flora of Siskiyou County. Thanks for listening to the daily gardener, and remember: "For a happy, healthy life, garden every day."

Today is National Pumpkin Seed Day. Pumpkin seeds, also known as pepitas, are native to the Americas. They were discovered by archaeologists in Mexico in caves that date back to 7,000 B.C. Today, China produces more pumpkins and pumpkin seeds than any other country. Pumpkin seeds are loaded with protein; a single cup provides 8-10 grams of protein. They are packed with nutrients and they are overall very good for your health. Next time you are whipping up a batch of protein bites; don't forget pumpkin seeds. Just mix up dates, whole nuts, chia seeds, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, pistachios, almonds, pumpkin seeds, 1tsp cacao bio powder, 1tsp peanut butter, a handful of raisins and dried cranberries. Then press the mixture into a pan and slice into bars. Couldn't be simpler. Brevities #OTD Today is the birthday of the German botanist known as the Father of Plant Physiology, Julius von Sachs, who was born on this day in 1832. In the 1860's, Sachs tested adding a variety of nutrients to plants growing in water. He was trying to determine what plants need to live. It was early, early efforts on modern day hydroponics. In 1864, Sachs determined that blue light is the most important color for inducing phototropism in plants. Plants are generally blind to other colors; which is why you don't see plants bending toward the lamps inside your house; unless you are using grow-lights! In 1868, Sachs became Head of the botanical institute at Würzburg University. Sachs was a good friend of Frank Darwin. When Darwin needed a lab to conduct his experiments plants of growing toward light, he naturally used the world-class lab of his friend, Julius von Sachs, at Würzburg U. Sachs himself was studying how plants process light. He correctly identified that starch was a product of the sunlight process known as photosynthesis. He proved that chlorophyll in chloroplast is involved in photosynthesis. Sachs is responsible for identifying structures like the organelle and chloroplasts. Sachs used some ingenuity helped him come up with things like planter boxes with one glass side so that he could better understand the formation of roots. Using a magnifying glass, he could discern the development of root hairs and cellular protrusions. #OTD On this day in 1836, the HMS Beagle returned to England after a five year voyage around the world. It was a revelatory trip for ship's naturalist, Charles Darwin, who found the building blocks to his evolutionary theory in the many fossils and diverse species he discovered on his excursions. It would be another 23 years before he published the Origin of Species. Often, Darwin is depicted on the Beagle as an old man; but he was just 22 when he sailed away and still a young 27 when he returned with boxes full of specimens and a brain swirling with new ideas. #OTD Today is the 165th birthday of the Father of Town Planning and a botanist, Patrick Geddes, who was born on this day in 1854. Geddes accomplished much during his lifetime, despite being notoriously disorganized and easily distracted. In addition to his work in planning, Geddes was an ardent botanist and an environmentalist. People often forget that Geddes was trained most in the subjects of biology and botany; it was through that living scientific lens that he was first inclined to view the world. Geddes always conceded an undeniable truth in his work; nature is ever-changing and humans need to be in nature. Geddes had a profound appreciation and reverence for life. Like any gardener; he saw value in beauty. Geddes wrote: "No one who studies animate nature can get past the fact of beauty. It is as real in its own way as the force of gravity." When it came to planning towns, Geddes dismissed modernist plans for creating what he called "soulless suburbs and concrete slums". Instead, the ever-practical Geddes bought land in Edinburgh and created communities interwoven into the landscape. Bare spots on plans were turned into spaces for gardens. In 1918, Geddes delivered a farewell lecture to his students at Dundee. Here's is a little excerpt from this powerful speech: "How many people think twice about a leaf? Yet the leaf is the chief product and phenomenon of life. This is a green world.... and all dependent upon the leaves... The world is mainly a vast leaf-colony, growing on and forming a leafy soil, ... and we live not by the jingling of our coins, but by the fullness of our harvests. ...Growth seems slow... and people are all out for immediate results... A garden takes years and years to grow – ideas also take time to grow, and while a sower knows when his corn will ripen, the sowing of ideas is, as yet, a far less certain affair. Star-wonder, stone and spark wonder, life-wonder, folk-wonder, .... To appreciate sunset and sunrise, moon and stars, the wonders of the winds, clouds and rain, the beauty of woods and fields – here are the beginnings of natural sciences. ...[And] we must cease to think merely in terms of separated departments and faculties... So - with art inspiring industry, .... the Tree of Life thus comes into view. #OTD Today is the birthday of Martha Brookes Hutcheson who was born on this day in 1871. When she was born, Landscape Architecture was a babe as well; being a newly established professional field. Two decades later, in 1902, when Martha Brooks Hutcheson joined the ranks of the profession after graduating from MIT, she became one of America's first professional female landscape architects. Hutcheson wrote a book called "The Spirit of the Garden" (a complete copy is available online for free here).

In the book, Hutcheson poured all of her cultivated expertise; it became an instant garden classic. Hutcheson wanted Landscape Architecture concepts to be available to everyone; not just the wealthy. And, she wanted plants and trees to grace every living space; in rural areas, cities, and especially the areas surrounding schools. For half a century - until 1959, Hutcheson and her husband, William, lived at Merchiston farm. There are many native plants and water is a vital landscape element. It was Martha Brookes Hutcheson, who said: "An insight into ecology enables us to recognize plants as living things - with laws governing their needs in their associations. Without this, we recognize plants only as a florist might who fills his windows with lavish displays." Hutcheson's personal interest in ecological systems, led her to dam a small stream on her farm in order to create a cow pond which later became a round swimming pond in the center of her garden. She and her visitors swam in the pond and shared it with wildlife. Despite her struggles to break down barriers for her profession and for women, Hutcheson found comfort, "tranquility and intense personal calm" in her gardens. She wrote: "So, let us all have gardens, for we shall be but following in the footsteps of those past ages, and expressing the love of gardens that has been in our hearts for generations." Unearthed Words Today is the birthday of the American poet, Wallace Stevens, who was born on this day on this day in 1879. Stevens grew up to be an insurance agent in Hartford, Connecticut and he lived across the street from Elizabeth Park which contains one of the three largest rose gardens in the country on 102 acres of incredible beauty. You can tell from much of his poetry that Stevens was a lover of nature and gardens. Thus, an insurance man by day and a poet by night, Wallace Stevens wrote all of the following: "Perhaps the truth depends on a walk around the lake." "Death is the mother of beauty. Only the perishable can be beautiful, which is why we are unmoved by artificial flowers." "Moisture and heat have swollen the garden into a slum of bloom." "I certainly do not exist from nine to six, when I am at the office." Today's book recommendation: Heirloom Vegetable Gardening by William Woys Weaver This is an updated edition of the classic has been improved throughout with growing zones, advice, and new plant entries. Now, instead of line art, there is lush, full-color photography. At the heart of this book are the heirlooms; the living history of gardens and kitchens of our past. For many people, heirlooms are stories. They are gifts; something special to pass down through the generations. For instance, one of the heirlooms I have fallen head over heels for, is the Nanticoke Winter Pumpkin. Imagine a pumpkin almost the color of a robin's egg with crêpey looking blisters over the skin and you have something extra special from your garden for Autumn. And, that's only a taste of the marvelous plants and produce featured in this wonder new edition. It's an heirloom encyclopedia and it's a keeper. Today's Garden Chore Check your rhubarb to see if you want to make a quick last-minute division. I just did this after another visit to the cabin. I decided it would be lovely to walk out back by the lake in the early morning and cut some stalks for strawberry rhubarb muffins for a weekend brunch or for some rhubarb bars to enjoy with a cup of coffee. The point is, rhubarb can handle a division even though it's early October. Welcome to lake life rhubarb! Something Sweet Reviving the little botanic spark in your heart I ran across two old gems for you today. The first one is a saying that was published on this day in 1940 in The Phoenix Star at the beginning of a little bedtime story called "What the Old Naturalist Told". I thought it was so lovely and I couldn't find it anywhere on line - so here it is (short and sweet): A story's writ on every stone, In every stick and leaf and bone. ~ Old Mother Nature The second one is from the Chicago Tribune on this day in 1875. It was a little article, fittingly called "Sparks of Science." "Plants are tender as little children, and suffer quickly from any irregularity of diet and habit. Above all, they must not be kept awake late at night by bright gaslights burning around them. They, like human beings, need rest and sleep, and, when Nature puts out her great light with the dotting of the sun, it is time for them close their eyes and fold their leaves; or, if they do not all actually do this, they must, at least, enjoy the opportunity darkness affords ... How often the question is asked of the lady who has flourishing plants in her window: "How do you manage to make them look so well ?" "I don't know.'' is the reply; "I only do what others do," and yet she is inwardly conscious that it is the love animating her care of them that inspires their thrifty growth."

Thanks for listening to the daily gardener, and remember: "For a happy, healthy life, garden every day."

Today is International Coffee Day.

There is a legend that tells of coffee's discovery:

In Ethiopia, there was a goatherder who observed his goats didn't want to go to sleep at night after eating berries from a certain tree. After he reported this to the Abbot of a local monastery, the Abbott gathered the berries himself and then made a drink with them. The Abbott's discovered the drink kept him awake and alert for the long hours of evening prayers. The rest is history.

The coffee plant is actually a shrub. It's an evergreen that has a light gray bark and shiny, dark leaves that are five inches long. If the coffee plant wasn't pruned back, it could grow up to thirty feet tall in the wild.

It takes the coffee plant five years to be able to produce fruit. Coffee plants have an interesting life cycle; they can live to be 100 years old, but their producing years are between the ages of 7 and 20. And, the next time you think about the equator, reframe it as "The Bean Belt." Coffee plants grow best along the equator.

Brevities

#OTD Today is the anniversary of the death of the "Dean of Landscape Architects," Jens Jensen, who died on this day in 1860.

Jens Jensen was featured in The Living Green Documentary; he was an early pioneer in the conservation movement and used art as activism. He was ahead of his time.

Jensen and Frank Lloyd Wright were contemporaries.

Jensen made over 600 Landscapes and was known as the "Poet of the Prairie." The prairie was the theme of his work, and Jensen likened the prairie to the sea. He felt there was spiritualism that rose out of the long grass and that every person on earth needed the living green. He valued the natural lands, and he recognized that nature had restorative powers.

Jensen was a maker of public parks and spaces.

Later in life, Jensen moved his family into a remote part of Wisconsin called Ellison Bay, located in northern door county. Even in 2010, the population was just 165.

It was Jens Jensen who said, "Where there is forest, there is peace." and "Trees are much like human beings and enjoy each other's company. Only a few love to be alone."

#OTD Today is the birthday of California plant collector, LeRoy Abrams, who was born on this day in 1874.

Abrams was born in Sheffield, Iowa. He moved west with his parents as a small boy. As a graduate student, Abrams performed yeoman's work botanizing the area around Los Angeles. A biographical sketch of Abrams said,

"[Abrams] crisscrossed southern California in a wagon, on the back of a mule or burrow, and on foot to make field observations... and collect specimens from Santa Barbara to Yuma, from Needles to San Diego, and from the Salton Sink prior to its flooding to the summits of Old Baldy"

In 1902, Abrams published a flora of Los Angeles and Vicinity. (The vicinity included a fifty-mile radius around LA).

In 1909, Abrams married a fellow student at Stanford. Her name was Letitia Patterson; they shared everything together - especially the joys of their mountain cabin they had built with their own hands on the west side of Fallen Leaf Lake. When their only daughter died a few short years after her college graduation, they shouldered their grief together.

Abrams served as the director of the Natural History Museum at Stanford, where he taught botany for thirty-four years. He did not live to see the completion of his dream, a four-volume work called An Illustrated Flora of the Pacific States (Stanford, Stanford University Press, 1923–1960, 4 vols.). However, it was Abrams's dream to carry out; he had been inspired by the New York Botanical Garden (NYBG) and their three-volume work, An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States, Canada, and the British Possessions, by Britton and Brown.

Abrams was a loving teacher. His students called him "Father."

#OTD On this day in 1887, the botanists John and Harvey Ruth made a trip to Wyker's Island to collect fall flora.

Wyker's Island is now known as Lynn Island, in the Delaware River, Bucks County, Pennsylvania. The Ruth's rowed their own boat to the island on this day in 1887, where they discovered the island was covered with asters and butterfly weed.

#OTD On this day in 1891, the newspapers carried the obituary of the self-taught botanist and poet Cyrus M. Tracy who had died on September 29th.

Tracy was the Chair of Botany for the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy. He is remembered for his work in creating the noble forest park known as Lynn Woods. Three times the size of Central Park, Lynn Woods is a massive green space located outside of Boston. A hidden gem, Lynn Woods, enjoys less public awareness because it is not part of our National State Park system. It features a rose garden, three reservoirs, and a 48-foot-tall stone tower.

In 1850, Tracy was working to secure protection for Lynn Woods, and he formed a group called the "Exploring Circle" with four other residents; the went botanizing in the woods and then shared their discoveries with others. When Tracy wrote his Studies of the Essex Flora - a flora of the area around Boston - he recognized the immeasurable value of Lynn Woods, saying "that a district so near the metropolis" was worth protecting.

In 1891, when Lynn Woods was threatened by development, a Commission report noted Tracy's role in protecting the park:

"His call, his inner inspiration was to teach the people of Lynn that they had in the Woods "an asylum of inexhaustible pleasures." ... He led parties of enthusiastic naturalists to scenes of beauty and grandeur hitherto unseen, save by his eyes. He dedicated hilltops and glens with mystic rites."

#OTD On this day in 1916, it was State Flower anniversary day in California.

There was a program at the Native Sons Building at the University of California, featuring speakers and festivities. One hundred years earlier, the California poppy, the Eschscholzia californica, had been named by Adelbert von Chamisso in honor of his friend, Johanns Friedrich Von Eschscholz. It was both a courtesy and a quid pro quo. In turn, Eschscholz named plants for Chamisso.

Unearthed Words

"All things on earth point home in old October: sailors to sea, travelers to walls and fences, hunters to field and hollow and the long voice of the hounds, the lover to the love he has forsaken." - Thomas Wolfe, Novelist

"Trying to plan for the future without knowing the past is like trying to plant cut flowers"

- Daniel Boorstin, Historian, born #OTD in 1914

"Few things are riskier than "fine writing," but Miss Welty has never been afraid to risk it. She spoke once in a conversation about plant explorers who go to Nepal and Sikkim, risking their lives to introduce Alpine flowers to gardens. "Now that's something - discovering new primroses - that's worth taking trouble with, worth risking something for," she said. She seemed to set the plant explorers, bringing garden treasures from the Himalayas, over against the ordinary world we all live in every day."

- From an interview with American Short Story Writer and Novelist, Eudora Welty, in The Washington Post, 1972

Today's book recommendation: The Naturalist by Thom Conroy. Conroy's book is about the real-life of Dr. Ernst Dieffenbach, who died on this day in 1855. Dieffenbach was a scientist, explorer, loner, revolutionary, and outcast.

Gardeners will recognize the name Dieffenbach because of the dumb cane, or Dieffenbachia, but the plant genus is named after a different Dieffenbach - Joseph Dieffenbach (1796–1863), the head gardener of the Botanical Gardens in Vienna.

Dieffenbach was part of the New Zealand Company's 1839 colonial expedition. Once in New Zealand, Dieffenbach predicted how colonization would impact the country.

The cover of this book, The Naturalist, is one of my personal favorites. It looks marvelous on a table beside the couch or on a bedside table; plus, the story of Dieffenbach will stay with you; it's both beautiful and sad.

Today's Garden Chore

#OTD Today is October 1st, the day all Poinsettia owners are to confine their plants to complete darkness for 14 hours a day.

Place plants in a darkened closet or room (with no lights at any time) from about 5 pm to 7 am, daily, for 8 to 10 weeks. But, be sure to give your plant 10 hours of natural light daily. This change in the light will set the buds and cause bracts to color. The plant will come into full bloom in November or December.

Don't forget that the main attraction with poinsettias is not its flowers, but its leaves. In case you're wondering, the flowers are those little yellow clustered buds in the center.

Something Sweet Reviving the little botanic spark in your heart

#OTD On this day in 1945, The Morning Call out of New Jersey shared the story of Nurseryman William Hallicy.

During WWII, Hallicy had served for twenty-two months with the Seabees, the Navy's construction force.

While he was relieved to go home to Clifton, New Jersey, he faced a grim scene. Right after joining the Seabees, Hallicy's nursery had been decimated by a brush fire. There wasn't much left to come home to; just weeds and charred trees.

After he returned home and took stock of his situation, Hallicy estimated it would take him almost a decade to grow salable stock from new seedlings.

He planned to raise poultry until his nursery could produce again.

But a few days later, Hallicy and his wife were awakened early in the morning by the sound of truck motors on the front yard. Members of the North Jersey Nurseryman's Association had worked together to honor Hallicy's service with the Seabees. The newspaper said:

"Unannounced, they appeared at the Hallicy home with $2,500 worth of small trees in 15 trucks. With tractor, plow and spades, they cleared the 4-acre plot and set out the trees. In a few hours, the Hallicy Nursery was right smack back in business. Neighbor Hallicy started and gulped. He finally managed to pull himself together and serve beer. But nothing could wash down v the lump in his throat... We're getting one of our own just thinking: about his neighbors. Makes us want to go right out and buy a big block of stock in human nature, common and preferred."

This incident was so unusual that newspapers all over the country picked up the story. It even made The Reader's Digest.

Thanks for listening to the daily gardener, and remember: "For a happy, healthy life, garden every day."

I was reading in Facebook yesterday, a friend had planted all of these autumn crocus, colchicums, in her garden. Like any bulb, it takes lots of dedication to get them planted and then you have all of the anticipation - waiting to see if they come up and if they meet your expectations. Anyway, she'd invited some friends over to come and check them out. Instead of being amazed by the beautiful autumn crocus, her friends were completely taken her gorgeous hydrangea. Isn't that the way it goes? We toil in our gardens and then we invite people over to come and see it. Yet, the plants we expect others to be amazed by, the plants that have stolen our hearts, are not always the plants that are the most popular with our visitors. So, my piece of advice, if you have an affinity for autumn crocus, is don't plant hydrangea. If you do have hydrangea, only invite other gardeners over. Only gardeners will appreciate the dedication that it takes to plant colchicum. Only gardeners are sensitive to the fact that if they've been invited over to "see the colchicum", they will ooh and aah only for the autumn crocus, and offer merely a passing nod to the show-stealing hydrangea. Brevities #OTD Today is the birthday of the botanist Sarah Hynes who was born on this day in 1859, Hynes was born in Danzig, Prussia and she immigrated to Australia in the mid 1800's. After graduating from the University of Sydney, she and Georgina King brought in fresh flowers for a botanical display at the Sydney Technological Museum. This is how Haynes came to know the director of the Museum, Joseph Henry Maiden. Maiden hired Haynes as a botanical assistant and when he was promoted to be the director of the Sydney Botanic Garden, he hired Hynes to be in charge of the herbarium. Once Hynes arrived at the botanic garden, she ran into difficulties with her male bosses. She was pointing out disparities between herself and her male counterparts; she had requested better pay. In 1905, Hynes was suspended and cited for 39 counts of insubordination including the use of "unladylike" phrase "lowdown, dirty larrikin trick." Hynes stood her ground and denied the charges, which were ultimately dismissed. But, five years later, it happened again. After this suspension, Haynes had had enough; she transferred to the Department of Public Instruction. After this position, Haynes spent the rest of her professional life teaching science to high schoolers. William Fitzgerald named the (Acacia hynesiana) for her, in recognition of her work with Joseph Henry Maiden on his book Forest Flora. #OTD Today is the birthday of the botanical artist Faith Fyles who was born on this day in 1875. Fyles was trained as a botanist, but her natural artistic talent became apparent early in her career. She was the first female hired by the Canadian Department of Agriculture. In 1920, she transferred to the horticulture division where she began producing colored illustrations of plant specimens; especially fruits and ornamentals. Fyles is remembered for her work on the 1920 bulletin, Principal Poison Plants of Canada. The bulletin was prepared for farmers so that they could discern the problematic plants on their properties and avoid pasturing animals with poisonous plants. The book was offered free through the Ottawa Department of Agriculture. Over her career, Fyles had the opportunity to study art with Stanhope Forbes in England and with Rene Menard and Lucien Simon in Paris. #OTD Today is the birthday of the Mexican botanist Helia Bravo Hollis who was born on this day in 1901. Bravo Hollis was the first woman to graduate with the title of Biologist in Mexico. By the age of 29, she was named curator of the University's herbarium where she was assigned the job of studying the cactus. In 1937, Bravo Hollispublished "Las cactáceas de México", making her a leader of global cactus research. Bravo Hollis focused on cactus in and in 1951, she cofounded the Mexican Cactus Society. Six cacti species are named in her honor. In 2001, the Cactus Society had planned to celebrate her 100th birthday, but she died four days shy of the century mark. Bravo Hollis also helped found the Botanical Gardens at the National Autonomous University of Mexico. She served as the director of the Gardens throughout the 1960s. When a strike occurred, Bravo-Hollis offset the pay owed her workers with money out of her own pocket. Last year, Google commemorated the 117th birthday of Bravo Hollis with a Doodle. If you search for her online, you'll see a memorable image of Bravo Hollis, in a skirt and blazer with a knife in her hand, standing next to an Echinocactus platyacanthus, also known as the giant barrel cactus, that appears to be over 5 ft tall and just as wide; a very impressive specimen. This species is the largest barrel cacti. In Mexico, where the cactus is a native, the hairs are harvested for weaving and a traditional candy is made from boiling the pith. Today, the Helia Bravo HollisBotanical Garden, with more than 80 species of cactaceae, is found at the Biosphere Reserve of Tehuacán. Unearthed Words Today is the birthday of the American poet WS Merwin, who always went by William, and who was born on this day in 1927. In 2010, Merwin and his wife, Paula, co-founded the Merwin Conservancy at his home in Haiku, Maui. Merwin used the 19 protected acres surrounding his home to cultivate 400 different species of tropical trees; and many of the world's rarest palm trees. Merwin bought the property in 1977, and every day, he planted one tree. Merwin's story is outlined in an excellent opinion piece about Merwin that was featured in the New York Times earlier this year. "come back believer in shade believer in silence and elegance believer in ferns believer in patience believer in the rain" "Obviously a garden is not the wilderness but an assembly of shapes, most of them living, that owes some share of its composition, it's appearance, to human design and effort, human conventions and convenience, and the human pursuit of that elusive, indefinable harmony that we call beauty. It has a life of its own, an intricate, willful, secret life, as any gardener knows. It is only the humans in it who think of it as a garden. But a garden is a relationship, which is one of the countless reasons why it is never finished." "On the last day of the world I would want to plant a tree." Today's book recommendation: Planting in a Post-Wild World by Thomas Rainer and Claudia West This book came out in 2015 and the subtitle is Designing Plant Communities for Resilient Landscapes. Right from the start, one can tell that this book has a different philosophical underpinning than other books on landscape design. And, I love that they incorporate the use of the word community; Rainer and West are trying to get us to think about our gardens as communities. If we could begin to see our gardens and the plants in them in the way that Rainer and West do, we would be much more sensitive to concepts like density and diversity in our plantings. But, don't let those terms throw you; Rainer and West are all about extracting design principals that help gardeners focus on wise selections and year-round interest; all through the lens of community. If we could all do a better job of understanding the way plants behave in the wild, our gardens would benefit greatly. I love what they write in the beginning of their book because I think it sets the tone for what they are trying to accomplish: "The way plants grow in the wild and the way they grow in our gardens is starkly different. In nature, plants thrive even in inhospitable environments; in our gardens, plants often lack the vigor of their wild counterparts, even when we lavish them with rich soils and frequent water. In nature, plants richly cover the ground; in too many of our gardens, plants are placed far apart and mulched heavily to keep out weeds. In nature, plants have an order individual harmony resulting from their adaptation to a site; our gardens are often arbitrary assortments from various habitats, related only by our personal preferences.... In fact, the very activities that define gardening – weeding, watering, fertilizing, and mulching – all imply a dependency of plants on the gardener for survival. Gardeners are often frustrated when some plants spread beyond their predetermined location and surprised while others struggle to get established.... Further complication is the availability of plants from every corner of the globe... So how do we shift the paradigm, making desirable plantings that look and function sympathetically with how they evolve in nature? By observing and embracing the wisdom of natural plant communities." Today's Garden Chore Add some color to your garden with chrysanthemums. On this day in 2000, Stuart Robinson offered this advice about mums in his weekly column in the Montreal Gazette: "Before shutting things down for the winter, there are a few ways to make the fall garden look a bit nicer. Brighten up your fall flower beds with some colorful chrysanthemums. If you didn't plant any in the spring, so what. Markets and garden supply stores usually have lots of them on special at this time of the year. Buy a few of the larger pots, dig holes in the flower bed (removing a few poor-performing annuals if you have to) and just drop them in and water them well. If you do it when nobody's looking, your neighbors will never know." Something Sweet Reviving the little botanic spark in your heart As I was researching the poet William Merwin, I came across an interview with him done by Joel Whitney back in 2010. During the interview, Merwin revealed that his mother used to read him poetry and one of his early favorites was Robert Louis Stevenson's A Child's Garden of Verses. When asked about Stevenson, Merwin recalled that Stevenson had spent a great deal of time in Hawaii: "and played cards with King Kalakaua... Kalakaua cheated at cards... They obviously got along very well together, Stevenson and Kalakaua. They were playing cards one day, and Stevenson said, 'I'll beat him this time: four aces.' And Kalakaua said, 'Five kings beats it all.'" Thanks for listening to the daily gardener, and remember: "For a happy, healthy life, garden every day."

What are you doing with all of your tomatoes? A few years ago, I stumbled on Ina Garten's Recipe for Roasted Tomato Soup - it's the best roasted tomato basil soup recipe out there if you ask me! Ina's recipe calls for fresh tomatoes and herbs and she doesn't use cream or milk. Best of all, Ina's soup is rich and full of flavor. Ingredients

• 3 lbs. ripe plum tomatoes, cut in half lengthwise
• 1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 cups chopped yellow onions
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 (28 oz) can whole plum tomatoes, with juice
• 4 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
• 1 tsp. fresh thyme leaves (or 1/2 tsp. dried)
• 4 cups chicken stock (homemadeor store bought)
• Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 400F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
2. Gently toss the tomatoes from your garden with 1/4 cup olive oil and layer on the prepared baking sheet in a single layer. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, to taste. Roast for 45 minutes.
3. In a large dutch-oven, heat olive oil and butter over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, red pepper flakes, and a pinch of salt. Sauté until onions are translucent and start to brown, about 10 minutes.
4. Add the canned tomatoes, basil, thyme, roasted tomatoes, including the juices, and chicken stock. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Bring the soup back to a simmer and cook for 40 minutes, uncovered.
5. Transfer the soup to a blender and puree until smooth. Taste for salt and pepper. Serve with drizzle of cream or dollop of sour cream, fresh parmesan, and side of grilled cheese.

So that's what I do with any extra tomatoes this time of year. I'll share the recipe in today's Show Notes. Brevities #OTD On this day in 1843, the New England Farmer ran an ad about Chrysanthemums for nurseryman Joseph Breck: "The subscribers offer for sale twenty varieties of new Chrysanthemums of the most superb and rare sorts, at 50 cents per pot." #OTD Today is the birthday of Joy Morton who was born on this day in 1855. Morton's father was J. Sterling Morton, the founder of Arbor Dayand a former secretary of agriculture under President Cleveland. Not surprisingly, Joy's love of trees was instilled in him at a young age. Raised on a farm in Nebraska, Joy Morton became a powerful businessman in Chicago with his company Morton Salt. In December 1922, Joy established The Morton Arboretum - a tract of land dedicated to ongoing study of trees, shrubs, and grasses. In 1923, Morton donated his family's Ancestral home, Arbor Lodge, to Nebraska and the property became a state park and a memorial to his father. An article from the Chicago Tribune in 1926, offered a glimpse of the passion Morton felt about trees. Speaking at the Arboretum, Morton said, "I want to appeal to the gambling instinct of the American people. I want a man to come in here and say, 'What can I get out of tree planting?' I want to arouse his venturesomeness. A man old enough to think for himself comes in here and sees a group like that [pointing] group of walnuts over there which is doing so well, and then he says to himself, 'Well, how about it? What can I do now on my land that will mean something to my grandchildren thirty years hence? And, then I want him to keep looking at the walnuts, or what he likes best, until he says, I believe I'll go and do likewise.'" #OTD Today is the birthday of James Drummond Dole who was born on this day in 1877. Dole had gone to Harvard and then after graduation at the age of 22, he made his way to Hawaii in 1899. After living there two years, he honed in on growing pineapple as a business. The Smooth Cayenne strain of pineapple wasn't native to Hawaii. It was a Florida variety. Dole began growing 200 pineapple plants on 60 acres. The rest is history. Here are a few fun pineapple facts: Pineapples have Bromelain; a chemical that prevents gelatin from setting. But, once pineapple is canned, the Bromelain is destroyed, which is why you can add canned pineapple to jello. Christopher Columbus brought pineapples back to Spain from the Caribbean Island of Guadalupe in 1493. The Spanish introduced pineapples to Hawaii. Today, thanks to Dole, more than one-third of the world's commercial supply of pineapples comes from Hawaii. Unearthed Words How beautiful leaves grow old. How full of light and color are their last days. -John Burroughs Autumn arrives early in the morning but spring at the close of the day. - Elizabeth Bowen Autumn asks that we prepare for the future —that we be wise in the ways of garnering and keeping. But it also asks that we learn to let go—to acknowledge the beauty of sparseness. - Bonaro W. Overstreet Today's book recommendation: Hedgemaids and Fairy Candles by Jack Sanders This lovely little book is a personal favorite. It came out in 1995 and the subtitle is The Lives and Lore of North American Wildflowers. The hedgemaids referred to in the title is a reference to the common ground ivy, while Fairy Candles are the tall, white rockets of the native black cohosh, Cimicifuga racemosa. In the book, Author Jack Sanders explores the lives and lore of more than 80 of North America's most popular wildflowers, describing the origins of their names, their places in history and literature, what uses ancient herbalists found for them, what uses they have now, where they grow, how they reproduce, and how to grow or transplant them. You can get used copies using the Amazon link in the Show Notes for as little as $.25! Today's Garden Chore Remember the things you want to keep top of mind about this year's garden and take a few minutes to write down some notes. Aside from what you liked and what was a bust, try to put together a list of things you'd like to do in your 2020 garden. Then, get your calendar out and sync up your goals with a timeline. If you want a pond installed by your kid's graduation, you need to be making calls now. If you know you need some mulch delivered first thing next Spring, put a reminder on your calendar for the middle of April - better yet, if you know how much you need, make a note of that as well. All the minutia of our gardens that we think is unforgettable is lost to us once our lives get busy and the holidays roll around. So grab a pumpkin spice latte and your favorite notebook, and start journaling for a more strategic start in your garden next year. Something Sweet Reviving the little botanic spark in your heart Sunday is the 29th of September - also known as Michaelmas. In the middle ages in England, farmers used Michaelmas as a way to mark the change of seasons; It was time to wrap up the reaping and start getting ready for winter. And, according to folklore, bounty-thorn (the English folk-name for blackberries) need to be picked by Michaelmas because that was the day that Lucifer was expelled from Heaven. Now according to folklore, once he was cast out, Lucifer promptly fell straight into a blackberry bush. A blackberry bush would not make for a soft landing. Lucifer wasn't thrilled with it either. He supposedly cursed the blackberry fruit, making them unfit for consumption. So unless, you want to eat tainted blackberries, get them picked before Sunday. And don't forget, blackberries make a lovely pie or crumble. Thanks for listening to the daily gardener, and remember: "For a happy, healthy life, garden every day."