The Daily Gardener

Ground cover roses. I had someone ask me about them recently. They are fantastic for a rose that has a low spreading habit. But, they are really not a classic ground cover in terms of their ability to crowd out weeds. I used to grow this rose called "The Fairy" which is a pink rose - it blooms all summer long. It's a ground cover rose and it would amble over this brick garden wall that I had, and I absolutely loved it. It sent out these long tentacles like an octopus and all the way down the arms were these beautiful pink blooms. It's a great rose - tons of thorns - but it didn't stop the Canadian thistle or any other weed that decided to make its home among the branches. Brevities #OTD On this day in 1738 King George the third was born. He's the King who appointed Capability Brown as the royal gardener and planned for the redesign of the Richmond gardens and Kew in 1764. #OTD It's the anniversary of the death of Dr. Nathanial Bagshaw Ward, who died on this day in 1868. Ward developed the first terrarium in 1829. When he accidentally grew a fern in an insect jar. It was quite by accident. A fern spore had gotten into the jar;Ward was using to observe insect behavior. When the jar was sealed, the spore grew into a fern plant. Ward suddenly realized that if plants were enclosed in airtight glass cases, they could survive without watering for long periods of time. That's how the Wardian case came to be. Wardian cases were very simply constructed; they were made out of wood and glass. They looked like little portable greenhouses that could be put on the deck of the ship. They had to sit on the deck of the ship, not placed down below in cargo, because Wardian cases needed the sunlight to hit the glass in order to create the perfect microenvironment for plants. The cases were an enclosed system. The side flaps, that would open to allow plants to be placed inside, would close before starting the long voyage. They would get nailed down and then get tar paint applied over any seams to seal the case. The plants inside would be in pots or there will be soil on the bottom of the case. There would also be a series of battens to prevent the plants from rolling about inside the case. It was a game changer for plant explorers. The plants lived on the ship in the cases for 6 to 12 months. Prior to the Wardian case, salt water and sun killed most plants on their way back to England. With the Wardian case, plantation crops like tea, rubber, and sugar - as well as medicinal and ornamental plants - could be moved among the botanic Gardens of the British Empire Today's Unearthed Words are by Sarah Martha Baker who was an English botanist and ecologist. Baker studied brown seaweeds and zonal patterns on the seashore. Her family had a house on an Island which was the backdrop to her first introduction to seaweed. Baker had noticed that different kinds of seaweed lived in different tidal limits. Baker's theory was that the seaweed boundaries were determined by competition; faster-growing seaweeds taking control in areas with deeper water while slower-growing seaweeds were found in shallower water and had the advantage of being more resistant to drying out. Academically, Baker also had a passion for art. Before pursuing botany she studied for a time at the Slade School of Art; her scientific illustrations were excellent. Tragically, she died young at the age of 29 and her personal story remains a bit of a mystery. The Times indicated in her obituary that she was highly gifted and highly strung and that she worked herself to death. Five years before she died, Baker was invited to lecture at the University College in London in 1912 - a rare honor for a woman or an artist. Her Quaker Sunday school class recalled her telling them, "The universe is always singing, And we must learn to listen, So that our heart may join the universal chorus." Unearthed Words Today's Unearthed Words are by Sarah Martha Baker who was an English botanist and ecologist. Baker studied brown seaweeds and zonal patterns on the seashore. Her family had a house on an Island which was the backdrop to her first introduction to seaweed. Baker had noticed that different kinds of seaweed lived in different tidal limits. Baker's theory was that the seaweed boundaries were determined by competition; faster-growing seaweeds taking control in areas with deeper water while slower-growing seaweeds were found in shallower water and had the advantage of being more resistant to drying out. Academically, Baker also had a passion for art. Before pursuing botany she studied for a time at the Slade School of Art; her scientific illustrations were excellent. Tragically, she died young at the age of 29 and her personal story remains a bit of a mystery. The Times indicated in her obituary that she was highly gifted and highly strung and that she worked herself to death. Five years before she died, Baker was invited to lecture at the University College in London in 1912 - a rare honor for a woman or an artist. Her Quaker Sunday school class recalled her telling them, "The universe is always singing, And we must learn to listen, So that our heart may join the universal chorus." Today's book recommendation: Paradise Under Glass by Ruth Kassinger Paradise Under Glass is a witty and absorbing memoir about one woman's unlikely desire to build, stock, and tend a small conservatory in her suburban Maryland home. Ruth Kassinger's wonderful story of the unique way she chose to cope with the profound changes in her life— her children were growing up and leaving the nest, a dear friend died, and she had to confront her own health issues. Kassinger wrote, "Gradually, it occurred to me that adding a conservatory onto our house was just what I needed. Warm and humid, beautiful, ever-green, peaceful and still, a conservatory would be the perfect antidote to the losses and changes of middle age. It would be my personal tropical paradise where nothing unexpected lurked in the landscape. I was determined to have one." Today's Garden Chore Plant your peony high. The most important thing to remember is not to plant them too deeply. If you do that, they may actually fail to flower. So, if you have a Peony that didn't flower this year, that's probably why. They need to be lifted up in order to set those flower buds. The roots should only be about 2 to 3 inches below the soil line. It may feel odd to have them sitting up that high, but peonies have to experience a chill in order to attain dormancy and to set their buds. Something Sweet Reviving the little botanic spark in your heart When I was researching Katherine Esau, I discovered that she was born in Ekaterinoslav in the Ukraine. Both she, and her hometown, are named after Catherine the great. One of her former students described her as having a stately, elegant demeanor reminiscent of Ingrid Bergman's in the film Anastasia. Although she came across as very dignified, she was apparently very relatable and funny. Don't forget she was studying plants viruses. She once gave a lecture titled "The Saga of Vladimir-the-Virus and the Sad Fate of Norman-the-Nucleus". And here's something I found particularly charming about Katherine Esau: Many of her lectures began with her signature opening, "Once upon a time..." and her students referred to them as "Esau's Fables." Thanks for listening to the daily gardener, and remember: "For a happy, healthy life, garden every day."

Half-Hardy Plants. That's a term you don't run into very often - but when you do, it can be confusing. Just this morning, I swung by a garden center to check out their clearance plants and I ended up chatting with a gardener who had running to a label that had that term: Half-Hardy Plants. The term Half-Hardy simply means that the plant will not survive a frost - that they can't handle a dip in temperatures. So think about your tropicals; maybe you have some citrus - an orange tree or a lemon tree - or simply your patio pots. Those would all fall into the category of Half-Hardy Plants. Brevities #OTD On this day in 1868 Aristides Simoni was born. He helped discover the role of the mosquito in the transmission of yellow fever. #OTD And it was on this day in 1830 that David Douglas finally arrived at the Columbia River. He had departed from England on October 31st, 1829 after visiting his mom. Before he got on the boat, he wanted to make sure that he got his hands on a Bible with large enough font for him to be able to read it as his vision was feeling him Douglas was excited to go on this trip. He wanted to get to the interior of California to discover the botanical treasures there. But apparently, plant exploration was taking a toll on Douglas. He ran into someone at Fort Vancouver who thought he was 48 years old; he was 30. Despite his physical challenges, Douglas was eager to get going. When he reached the Columbia, he immediately thought about botanizing in the area. In just a few weeks, he was able to send home three chests of seeds and plants. In a letter to Prof. Hooker, he wrote: "You will begin to think that I manufacture pines at my pleasure." One of the pines Douglas sent back was the Pinus nobilis. It commanded a hefty price tag at the time– 15 to 20 guineas per plant. #OTD It's the birthday of Josephine Baker, one of the greatest entertainers of the past century. Josephine's path led her to Paris where she became an instant sensation. By 1929, she was the highest paid entertainer in Europe. Baker bought a Château just outside of Paris and she loved to garden there. She also loved to throw glamorous parties on the lawns of the estate which were flanked by magnolia trees and the enormous rhododendrons. The property boasted its own orchards, multiple greenhouses, vegetable plots, and even a rivulet. Unearthed Words Here's a little snippet about June from Nathaniel Parker Willis. He was an American author and poet. During the mid 1800s, he was the highest paid magazine writer of his day. It is the month of June, the month of leaves and roses. When pleasant sights salute the eyes, and pleasant scents the noses. Today's book recommendation: Kiftsgate Court Garden by Vanessa Berridge The subtitle of the book is intriguing; three generations of women gardeners. It features the influences of Heather Muir who began gardening at Kiftsgate a century ago with her husband. Heather's daughter Dianny took over the estate, including the garden, in the 1940s. Four decades later, in the 1980s, Dianny's daughter took over the property and she owns it to this day. If you like gardens, garden history, and mix in some personal biographies - this gorgeous book is right up your alley. You can click the link above to purchase it. Today's Garden Chore It's time to find perennials for those wet but sunny areas in the garden. There are a number of plants that like these kinds of conditions and many of them are favorites of mine: Ligularia Filipendula (rubra is known as Queen of the Prairie - with the pink tops. I love this one!) Lysamachia Rodgersia btw - I fell in love with Rodgersia a few years ago. The magnificent leaves of this plant are huge and look positively prehistoric once it gets established. Something Sweet Reviving the little botanic spark in your heart On this day in 1909 at the Irish immigration reformer Charlotte to Grace O'Brien died. After a life devoted to improving the lot of others, O'Brien at devoted her leisure time to writing and to the study of plant life. O'Brien had found a place for herself along the river Shannon which she called at Ardenoir - which means the height of gold; in reference to the golden gorse that covered the hillsides in spring. She once mused: "The baby heather that blossoms so soon, in the splendid heat that comes after June." When one considers O'Brien's humanitarian work across both sides of the Atlantic, as well as her genius for gardening, it's stunning to discover that by the time O'Brien reached adulthood, she was completely deaf. In 1879 she wrote about her deafness, saying, "Oh bitter loss! all natures voice is dumb Oh loss beyond all loss! About my neck the children cast their arms. No voices break upon my ear, no sounds of laughter come - Child's laughter wrought of love, and life, and bliss; Heedless, I leave the rest, had I but this." In the last half of her life, O'Brien firmly established herself as a writer, a poet, and a plant collector. Her last article contained these prophetic lines" "I will puzzle the botanists of another generation, and when my bones are dust and my good spade rust, when my house is pulled down and my garden asphalt and bricks, my extra special wild briars and my daffodils will still linger on the hillside and scent the bloomy air for generations that know me not, nor mine." Thanks for listening to the daily gardener, and remember: "For a happy, healthy life, garden every day."

Why do we garden? This was a question that was posted in a Facebook group I belong to, and it received over 1400 responses. The most popular were:

• its calming
• to bring beauty into my life
• to connect with nature
• healthy food

There's another benefit that many people often overlook: staying physically active. If you take a look at your Fitbit after spending time in your garden, you'll realize it's a workout. Brevities #OTD It's the birthday of Charles McIlvaine born in Chester County Pennsylvania. He was a captain in the Civil War, an author and a mycologist. He was born on this day in 1840. When he was 40 years old, McIlvaine moved to West Virginia. He started writing for magazines like Centuryand Harpers. However, McIlvaine is best known for his study of mushrooms. He took copious notes which he compiled into his book called, 1,000 American Fungi. What most distinguished McIlvaine, is the fact that he experimented on himself; eating hundreds of mushrooms and toadstools. This is how McIlvaine came to be known as Old Iron Guts. Since McIlvaine had a love for writing before he had a love for mushrooms, when he wrote about mushrooms his language was often very flowery. Consider what McIlvaine wrote about the Oyster Mushroom: "The camel is gratefully called the ship of the desert. The oyster mushroom is the shellfish of the forest. When the tender parts are dipped in egg, rolled in bread crumbs, and fried as an oyster, they're not excelled buy any vegetable and are worth of place on the daintiest menu." Here's the Vomiting Russella: "Most are sweet and nutty to the taste. Some are as hot as the fiercest cayenne, but this they lose upon cooking. Their caps make the most palatable dishes when stewed, baked, roasted or escalloped." Finally, I have to share a poem that McIlvaine wrote called Our Church Fight. "I'm that nigh near disgusted with the fight in our old church, Where one halfs 'g'in the t'other, an' the Lord's left in the lurch, That I went an' told the parson if he'd jine me in a prayer, We'd slip out 'mong the daisies and' put one up from there." #OTD On this day in1920, Virginia Woolf was gardening with her husband, Leonard, at the new home they had bought the previous year. She wrote about it in her diary: "The first pure joy of the garden... Weeding all day to finish the beds in a queers sort of enthusiasm which made me say this is happiness. Gladioli standing in troops; the mock orange out. We were out till 9 at night, though the evening was cold. Both stiff and scratched all over today, with chocolate earth in our nails." #OTD It's the death day of naturalist, artist, and taxidermist, Martha Ann Maxwell who died on this day in 1881. She helped found modern taxidermy. At just 5 feet tall Maxwell became an accomplished hunter. One historian wrote, "What distinguished Martha from other taxidermists of the day was that Martha Maxwell always attempted to place stuffed animals in natural poses and amongst natural surroundings. This talent was what would separate her work from others and make her animals so popular with exhibitors and viewers alike." People who saw Martha's exhibits of Colorado wildlife, doubted that a woman had actually done the work. Martha had heard these comments over and over. At one point, she wrote the words "Woman's Work" on a small sign and placed it in front of her exhibit. Unearthed Words #OTD Today is the birthday of Walt Whitman who was born on this day in 1819. When Whitman was 54 years old, he suffered a stroke that left him paralyzed. He spent the next two years immersed in nature and he believed that nature head help to heal him. "How it all nourishes, lulls me, in the way most needed; the open air, the rye-fields, the apple orchards." Here's an excerpt from Whitman's Poem called This Compost: "Now I am terrified at the earth! it is that calm and patient, It grows such sweet things out of such corruptions, It turns harmless and stainless on its axis, with such endless successions of diseased corpses, It distills such exquisite winds out of such infused fetor, It renews with such unwitting looks, its prodigal, annual, sumptuous crops, It gives such divine materials to men, and accepts such leavings from them at last." Today's book recommendation: No One Gardens Alone: A Life of Elizabeth Lawrence by Emily Herring Wilson Lawrence was one of the premier gardeners and garden writers of the 20th Century. Little is known about her personal life until this book - which took the author over 10 years to complete. You can get a copy of this book on Amazon using the link above for a little over $3. Today's Garden Chore It's another Photo Friday in the Garden. It's time to take a hosta inventory, recording the hostas that you've forgotten you even had in your garden. Something Sweet Reviving the little botanic spark in your heart In May 1979, Dr. Calvin Lamborn bread snow peas and shelling English peas together to create the Sugar Snap Pea at Magic Seed Farm in Twin Falls Idaho Today, the farm is owned by Rod Lamborn, Dr. Lamborn's son. When Dr. Lamborn passed away in 2017, Rod took over the farm. He said, "I miss my father. I remember the night he died, I came in from the field and I was talking about the peas, and for the first time, he wasn't interested. It was a peaceful moment because he knew it was all right. He was like, 'You got this.' " Thanks for listening to the daily gardener, and remember: "For a happy, healthy life, garden every day."

Today I'm heading over at 1 o'clock to Walmart to pick up my mobile order. It has a ton of things I need to get for my student gardeners. When the kids help me out in the garden, I put them in teams of two and I generally have 6 to 8 kids helping me out in the garden on any given day. That means, I need to have multiples of some of my favorite garden tools. So, today I'm picking up ate whisk brooms and eight pruners. The whisk broom's are for some of the detailed work we will do along the garden paths. This year we will be adding some polymeric sand. And the pruners, of course, are for all the pruning will be doing. In fact, one of the first things they learn is to chop and drop; Allowing little pieces of plant material to fall and return to the earth. Brevities #OTD On this day in 1778, the great French writer Voltaire died. Voltaire's seventeenth-century novel: Candide: or, Optimism, follows a young protagonist as he ventures all over the world. Despite all the terrible things that happen to him, Candide never loseshis optimism. Here is the most cited passage from the story: "'All I know,' said Candide, 'is that we must cultivate our garden.' 'You are right,' said Pangloss, 'for when man was placed in the garden of Eden, he was put there 'ut operaretur eum', so that he might work: which proves that man was not born for the rest.' 'Let us set to work, for that is the only way to make life bearable.'" #OTD Today is the birthday of Gustav Leopold Miller, born in 1884, on this day, in Henry, Illinois. His claim to fame was the invention of the brush weeder. It was described in the Daily Times out of Davenport, Iowa in 1918: "It's composed of two brushes– whisk brooms in reality. The brushes are placed directly ahead of the principal shovels of the cultivator, felling the weeds about the corn plant... And as the weeds are laid low, they are covered with earth which is thrown up by the shovels. Miller donated the first weeder to the Red Cross and at a recent auction, sold one for the price of $60 Which is about 12 times the cost for which it will be retailed." #OTD It's the death day of Brian Lawrence Burt who went by "Bill." He died in 2008. He was an English botanist and taxonomist noted for his contributions to the family Gesneriaceae; the family that Includes African violets. When Burt started going on and plant expeditions in 1951, the Gesneriaceae family was poorly represented. Thanks to Burt's work, Edinburgh became the hub for the family. It led to the popularity in England of both the African violet and the Streptocarpus. Both became beloved windowsill plants. If you look online, you will see a picture of Bill Burt, standing In a forest in South Africa on one of his botanizing trips. In his hands, he is holding a very large Streptocarpus grandis leaf that looks to be about 4-feet tall. #OTD It's National Mint Julep Day. A mint julep is made with a mint leaf, bourbon, sugar and water. If you ask any Southerner, spearmint is the mint of choice if you are going to make a Mint Julep. Unearthed Words Here's a poem from Cicily Mary Barker; an English illustrator known for her work depicting fairies and flowers. The poem mentions Laburnum; a small tree that has hanging clusters of yellow flowers. After it flowers it produces slender pods which contain poisonous seeds. The Lilac Fairy from Cicily Mary Barker White May is flowering, Red May beside; Laburnum is showering Gold far and wide; But I sing of Lilac, The dearly-loved Lilac, Lilac, in Maytime A joy and a pride! I love her so much That I never can tell If she's sweeter to look at, Or sweeter to smell. Today's book recommendation: Green Thoughts by Eleanor Perenyi. We lost Eleanor into 2009, at the age of 91. This book is widely considered by many to be a classic of garden writing. It was Eleanor's only book. She wrote about working in her Connecticut garden. Perenyi was not a fan of rock gardens, chemical pesticides or petunias. She once called petunias, "as hopelessly impractical as a chiffon ball dress" There are many Wonderful quotes and sayings that are attributed to Eleanor in her book Green Thoughts. Here are a few of my favorites: "A little studied negligence is becoming to a garden:" "The double hoops for peonies are beyond description maddening to unfold and set in place. Two people are needed, one of them with better control of his temper than I have." "I ordered a modern purple martin house myself and proceeded to construct a dreadful object: unpainted, it looked like a cheap motel; painted blue and white, it looked like a cheap Greek motel and had to be thrown out." Today's Garden Chore Incorporate more perennial vines into your garden. Vines have more uses beyond just climbing a trellis. Off-the-trellis ideas include —allowing them to amble their way through your garden, over walls, up into shrubs and trees, in pots, and more. Something Sweet Reviving the little botanic spark in your heart In 1906, the Superior Timesout of Superior, Wisconsin shared A solution to a common backyard problem: Unsightly Clothes Line Posts. "One usually thinks of clothes posts as necessary evils and accepts their ugliness as unredeemable. It will surprise many to learn that they may be made beautiful and retain their usefulness. I have seen a set of clothes posts In a back yard entirely covered with living green—a luxeriant growth of Virginia creeper... The best permanent screen for unsightly objects Is a group of evergreens. A clump of lilacs costs less and begins to be effective sooner." Thanks for listening to the daily gardener, and remember: "For a happy, healthy life, garden every day."

Do you have a little sun trap in your garden?

The perfect spot for an afternoon of lounging while reading your favorite book?

The definition of the sun trap is a small partially-enclosed outdoor space that receives a disproportionate amount of sunlight due to favorable conditions. Think of south-facing areas of your garden, areas without light-blocking trees, areas that are sheltered from the wind, and positioned to receive ample sunshine.

Brevities

#OTD On this day, on May 29, 1942, the actor John Barrymore died.

(Barrymore's granddaughter is actress Drew Barrymore.)

When Barrymore was 35 years old and on the verge of stardom, he rented a quiet space in the Greenwich Village from a wealthy widow named Juliette Nicholls.

His flat was on the top floor of a Greek revival townhouse.

When Nicholls left for a while to go to Europe, Barrymore wrote to her to ask if he could take some liberties with the roof.

In his letter he said,

"I'd like to build a little stairway to it and place a few plants there, with perhaps a small pavilion in which I could sit when the locust blossoms come to the courtyard ... It would be like living in Paris in the twelfth century."

When he hired a contractor to do the work, Barrymore insisted that no measuring tools be used.

He said,

"I want everything crooked or off-center, like a Nuremberg poet's home. Just guess your way along, old, man, as we all do about most things."

He called the little shed with the porch, "New York's First Penthouse," and it still stands today.

He decided to add a full garden to the rooftop. He hauled up over 35 tons of long island topsoil In burlap bags no less. Then, he went to work, adding 8-foot Cedars, Cherry trees, and Wisteria's - not to mention the beehives. There was a flagstone path and hedges around the perimeter of the roof.

When Nicholls returned from her trip, you can imagine her surprise at finding John Barrymore lounging in his rooftop garden; sitting serenely by an Asian reflecting pool.... feeding the birds.

#OTD It's the death day of Joyce Winifred Vickery (15 December 1908 – 29 May 1979)

An Australian, Vickery was a botanist who became famous for her work in forensic botany.

In 1960, Australia was right in the middle of building the infamous Sydney Opera House. To pay for the construction, Australia held a lottery.

Bazil Thorne spent 3 pounds - a quarter of his paycheck - and purchased a winning ticket; he won 100,000 pounds. Tragically, after his win, his eight-year-old son Graeme was kidnapped and brutally murdered - a crime that stunned the country.

Ultimately, botanist Joyce Vickery helped police solve the Graeme Thorn kidnapping. She had been tasked with identifying two plant particles from the boy's clothing. Vickery recognized them as pieces from common garden plants and not plants that were not found in the area of scrub where his body had been found.

Apart from the Graeme Thorn case, Vickery had "accumulated an unrivaled field knowledge of grass species.

Unearthed Words

Here's a poem called I am going to sleep by Latin American poet and feminist Alfonsina Storni, born today in 1892.

Storni was known as one of Argentina's most respected poets.

In 1916, she titled her first series of essays, The Restlessness of the Rosebush.

In 1935, Alfonsina was vacationing in Uruguay when she discovered a lump in her left breast. Following a mastectomy, Storni resumed her work with renewed energy and determination. But by 1938, Storni confided in her closest friends that her cancer has returned.

Storni sent I am going to sleep, her poignant final poem which she sent to the La Nación newspaper before drowning herself in the sea in 1938.

I am Going to Sleep

Teeth of flowers, hairnet of dew, hands of herbs, you, perfect wet nurse, prepare the earthly sheets for me and the down quilt of weeded moss.

I am going to sleep, my nurse, put me to bed. Set a lamp at my headboard; a constellation; whatever you like; all are good: lower it a bit.

Leave me alone: you hear the buds breaking through . . . a celestial foot rocks you from above and a bird traces a pattern for you

so you'll forget . . . Thank you. Oh, one request: if he telephones again tell him not to keep trying for I have left . . .

Today's book recommendation: A Gentle Plea for Chaos by Mirabel Osler

When Penelope Hobhouse reviewed this book, she said, "Like no other writer, Osler captures the pure enchantment of gardening."

In this book, Osler wrote,

"Garden concepts are threaded through centuries: we pull on them as on a string, not knowing from where our inspiration germinated, only that we each gather up different threads to form whatever pleases us."

Today's Garden Chore

Stack up those annual flower seed packets like planes on a runway.

Just as with vegetables, single sowing of flowers won't take you from early-season to late fall. That's why successively sowing your flowers is so important.

Something Sweet

Reviving the little botanic spark in your heart

#OTD It's the anniversary of the wedding of the botanist power couple Townshend Brandegee and Kate Curran, married on this day in 1889.

Townshend had found Kate Curran working as the curator during his first trip to California to visit the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco.

They were both exceptionally bright, enthusiastic about botany and the natural world, and they were both quite accomplished. In their early 40s, their friends were surprised when they arrived to discover a quiet wedding for Townshend and Kate in San Diego.

Their honeymoon was a 500-mile nature walk - collecting plant specimens - from San Diego to San Francisco.

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