The Daily Gardener

Children's book writer and illustrator Tasha Tudor (Books by this author) once said, It's exciting to see things coming up again, plants that you've had for 20 or 30 years. It's like seeing an old friend. This made me think of the old saying; Make new friends, but keep the old. One is silver and the other gold. Perennials are old friends. Gold friends. They are the best kind of garden friends. They may not be as flashy or exciting as the gardener's silver friends; annuals. But, they have staying power. Peony, daylily, hosta, iris, baptisia, catmint; these are just a handful of some of the longest lived perennials. Brevities #OTD Today is Earth day - a celebration that started in 1970. Next year will be the 50th anniversary. #OTD It's the birthday of August Wilhelm Eichler, (born April 22, 1839, Neukirchen, Hesse, Ger.—died March 2, 1887, Berlin). Eichler was a German botanist and he developed one of the first widely used natural systems of plant classification. Most importantly, it was the first classification system based on evolution. In addition, Eichler divided the plant kingdom into non-floral plants and floral plants. Eichler spent many years of his life working tirelessly as a private assistant to the naturalist Karl Friedrich Philipp von Martinus. Martinus had traveled to Brazil and collected over 20,000 specimens. He spent the final three decades of his life documenting his findings in a book called Flora Brasiliensiswhich Eichler helped edit. Generally speaking, a Flora is a book describing all plants from a set geographic area. When Martinus died in 1868, Eichler carried on the work of Flora Brasiliensisunassisted. It was a labor of love. After Eichler died, botanist Ignatius Urban continued on with the project until its completion. Today, Wilhelm Eichler Strasse (Street) in Dresden is named in his honor. Wilhelm Eichler who said, "The felling of the first tree is the beginning of human civilization. The felling of the last is his end." #OTD On this day in 1958 Gloria Galeano was born. Known as "The Queen of the Palms," Galeano was a Colombian botanistand agronomistand she devoted her entire career to studying and classifying the palm family. Apassionate teacher and researcher at the National University of Colombia, She classified more than 260 species of Palm in 45 wild genera. It's difficult to imagine, but at the beginning of the 1980s, Colombian palm taxonomy was almost non-existent. Thus, Galeano worked in concert with her partner Rodrigo Bernal to resolve this issue. After decades of fieldwork, they published their groundbreaking work Palmas de Colombia Field Guide; the most exhaustive Flora of Colombian Palms. Galeano never tired in her devotion to the subject of Palms, she was the author or co-author of some seventeen books, fifteen book chapters, sixty-eight scientific articles and ten electronic works, mostly on the palm as highlighted by the Institute of Natural Sciences. When Gloria Galeano first saw pictures of the newly discovered Sabinaria magnifica palm (named for her daughter, Sabina with Rodrigo Bernal), she described it as "the most beautiful of all Colombian palms." She was remembered for telling her students, "any project in which we would get involved, should be thrilling and make our blood boil" Galeano was well aware of the harvest impacts of Colombian plants and Neotropical palms, and she was a leading voice for conservation efforts for Columbian palms. In June of 2015, Galeano co-organized the World Palm Symposium. At the event, Galeano revealed that less than four percent of tropical dry forest remains in the Colombia Caribbean region. Galeano died in 2016. Today, her legacy lives on in the plans for the conservation and sustainable use of the native wax palm. Unearthed Words #OTD in 1775, William Bartram left Charleston, South Carolina on horseback to explore the Cherokee Nation near Franklin, North Carolina. In addition to his botanical discoveries, his journal describes traveling through a terrible storm during his journey, "It was now after noon; I approached a charming vale... Darkness gathers around, far distant thunder rolls over the trembling hills; ...all around is now still as death, ... a total inactivity and silence seems to pervade the earth; the birds afraid to utter a chirrup, ...nothing heard but the roaring of the approaching hurricane; ...now the lofty forests bend low beneath its fury,... the face of the earth is obscured by the deluge descending from the firmament, and I am deafened by the din of thunder; the tempestuous scene damps my spirits, and my horse sinks under me at the tremendous peals, as I hasten for the plain. I began to ascend the Jore Mountains, which I at length accomplished, and rested on the most elevated peak; from whence I beheld with rapture and astonishment, a sublimely awful scene of power and magnificence, a world of mountains piled upon mountains." Today's book recommendation The Kew Gardener's Guide to Growing House Plants: The art and science to grow your own house plants (Kew Experts) Hardcover – Illustrated, March 4, 2019 by KAY MAGUIRE Which are delicate and which indestructable? - We show how to find the right home for your plants and the right plants for your home. KEW GROWING HOUSE PLANTS is a beautifully illustrated giftable gardening reference book, combining exquisite botanical illustrations with practical indoor projects. Readers can discover over 70 life-changing plants and 12 home-transforming projects. Each project is described and illustrated with step-by-step photographs. Starting from the premise that we want to show how to grow the right plant in the right place, we demonstrate the benefits of all common house plants and how to care and curate them in the home. Includes cacti, succulents, bromeliads including air plants, foliage house plants, flowering house plants, house plants for scent and air freshening. Today's Garden Chore Prioritize planting trees and shrubs This is a great tip from gardener Lou Nicholls on twitter. Lou points out that especially if you garden on a windy spot, trees and shrubs should be your first investment. Lou says it best when he says, "You may not notice them as much as other "firework" plants, but they create a backdrop, shelter belt, and cover for birds". Something Sweet Reviving the little botanic spark in your heart While researching August Wilhelm Eichler, I ended up on the Berlin Botanic Garden website. Eichler was the director of the Botanic Garden from 1879 to 1887. In one of their annual reports, they shared this interesting tidbit regarding the Eichler tenure in Berlin: "This was an eventful time, with world's fairs, the invention of electricity, and rapid industrialization. There is no question that the director of a botanic garden would have been preoccupied by such innovations, but a recent find has provided us with absolute proof that this was so. In the attic of a residential building that almost certainly once belonged to the Eichler family, a box of handwritten papers, galley proofs, herbarium material and correspondence was found... This legacy is currently being catalogued by Peter Hirsch." Thanks for listening to the daily gardener, and remember: "For a happy, healthy life, garden every day."

Does your garden have a signature plant? If you can't decide, maybe it's time to let your garden do the talking. Complete the following sentence: My garden has the perfect spot to grow....(fill in the blank). For instance, you may have the perfect spot to grow anemone. I remember going to my friend Carmen's house in the spring. I came around the corner and stopped in my tracks when I saw her happy anemones - so cheerful, so vibrant,... and so demanding. Not everyone can grow anemones, but Carmen's garden had the perfect spot for them. And even though anemones are pretty ephemeral, I always think of them as her signature plant. Brevities #OTD Today is National Garlic Day - it is observed every year on April 19. Garlic, or stinking rose, is a member of the lily family. Onions, leeks, and shallots are also in the family. This time of year, wild garlic or ransoms, are returning to the woodlands, hedgerows, and riverbanks. Wild garlic is also called bear's garlic. Folklore says that bears are eating it after hibernation. If cows graze on wild garlic, it will taint the milk with garlic flavor. Garlic is a favorite foraged seasonal ingredient of top chefs. And it's not just a foundational ingredient for cooking - garlic is also used for medicinal purposes. Garlic has antibiotic properties, and it also helps reduce blood pressure and cholesterol. Herbalists recommend garlic as a remedy for colds. Gilroy, California is known as the Garlic Capital of the World. Will Rogers said this about Gilroy: "…the only place in America where you can marinate a steak just by hanging it out on a clothesline." Atlas Obscura wrote an article last year about Gilroy. They featured Gilroy's unique recipes for garlic ice cream saying, "The dessert divides ice-cream lovers." An online reviewer mediated the matter with this comment, "Actually the garlic ice cream is pretty good. But a little does go a long way." The Gilroy Garlic Festival is held every year in July. #OTD It's the birthday of E. Lucy Braun was born on April 19, 1889 in Cincinnati. The E stood for Emma, but she went by Lucy. In 1950, Braun was the first woman elected president of the Ecological Society of America. A quiet, bright, and dedicated field scientist, she worked as a botanist at the University of Cincinnati. Braun became interested in the outdoors as a child. Growing up on May Street in Cincinnati, her parents would take Lucy and her older sister, Annette, by horse-drawn streetcar to the woods in Rose Hill so they could spend time in the woods. The girls were taught to identify wildflowers. In turn, the girls helped gather specimens for their mother's herbarium. The girls both got PhD's - Lucy in botany, Annette in Zoology - and they never married. However, they lived together their entire lives, leaving their childhood May street for a home in Mount Washington. The sisters turned the upstairs into a laboratory and the gardens around the house into an outside laboratory. At the age of 80, Braun was still leading people on field trips in Ohio. Friends of Braun have recounted, "To be with her in the field was something. She made everything so real, so exciting she was just so knowledgeable." "She loved to be out in the field rain wouldn't stop her. She could walk forever." Lucy Braun said, "Only through close and reverent examination of nature can humans understand and protect its beauties and wonders." By the time she died, Emma had collected some 11,891 specimens for her own personal herbarium. This was the result of tremendous personal dedication; Braun drove over 65,000 miles during a 25 year quest throughout the eastern United States. Her heart belonged to the forests and her book, Deciduous Forests of Eastern North America, is still regarded as a definitive text. When asked about her time in the field, Braun would happily recount how she had managed to dodge moonshiners' stills in the hills of Kentucky; gathering up plant samples unseen by the botanists of her time. When she died of heart failure in March, 1971, at the age of 81, she was one of the top three ecologists In the United States. Her herbarium was acquired by the Smithsonian National Museum in Washington D.C. OTD In 1792, Naturalist Gilbert White wrote in his journal in Selborne, England: Redstart appears. Daffodils are gone: mountain-snow-drops, & hyacinths in bloom; the latter very fine: fritillaries going. Vast flood at Whitney in Oxfordshire, on the Windrush. Then, four years later in 1796: Sowed holly-hocks, columbines, & sweet Williams Unearthed Words #OTD It's Primrose Day. Primrose Day commemorates the death dateof Queen Victoria's favorite Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli. His favorite flower was the Primrose. The name comes from the Latin primus meaning first rose. In 1889, London newspapers reported that, "They received, no fewer than 811 sets of verses from 'poets' who have attempted to carry off the small prize awarded for a Primrose poem. In 1884, when the competition started, only 77 poems were sent in. In 1886 the number rose to 557. Next year there will probably be 1,000 competitors." On April 30, 1947, a little primrose verse was printed in the Chicago Tribune, A primrose by a river's brim Is not a rose nor Is it prim. American writer, Nancy Cardozo wrote a poem called Primroses and Prayers. Here it is: This is a primrose morning, The wind has put up her hair; The bells, hung in my cherry tree, are still – No birds feast there. I walked up the noon hill, Saddest of prim things. I met a fair child selling bunches of butterfly wings. I gave him a painted ball For a mist bouquet, Now flitter ghosts put wings on all I do or say. Today's book recommendation The Hidden HorticulturalistsHardcover – April 4, 2019 by Fiona Davison Davison worked at Royal Horticultural Society's library, and she unearthed a collection of handwritten letters that dated back to 1822. The letters had been written by young gardeners including one from a young Joseph Paxton, who would go on to become one of our best-known gardeners and architects. Using their letters, Fiona Davison traces the stories of a handful of these forgotten gardeners whose lives would take divergent paths to create a unique history of gardening. The trail took her from Chiswick to Bolivia and uncovered tales of fraud, scandal and madness - and, of course, a large number of fabulous plants and gardens. This is a celebration of the unsung heroes of horticulture whose achievements reflect a golden moment in British gardening, and continue to influence how we garden today. Today's Garden Chore It's another Photo Friday in the Garden. Today take pictures of all the stuff in your garden. Skip the plants, focus on the statuary. The fountains. The signage. When you review your photos, look at them with discernment. Evaluate each piece. Over time, our gardens can become repositories. Just because something says Garden - doesn't mean it has to go in YOUR garden. Something Sweet Reviving the little botanic spark in your heart Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli was also dubbed the Earl of Beaconsfield. After he died, there was a little story that made the rounds in the papers called The Beaconsfield and the Primrose. I'll paraphrase it here: Disraeli's fondness for the primrose originated from the time when he was living in Highbury, London. Here, he was much attached to a young lady. A ball was held and the young lady in question wore a wreath of primroses. A bet was made between Mr. Disraeli and another gentleman as to whether the primroses were real or not. The bet was for a pair of gloves. Turns out, the primroses were REAL primroses. Disraeli got the gloves; and the lady? She gave a few primroses to the future prime minister, who put them in his buttonhole. Thereafter, he had a fondness for the primrose. Thanks for listening to the daily gardener, and remember: "For a happy, healthy life, garden every day."

Do you have pet names for your plants? Amy the Amaryllis. Jerry the geranium. Once I bought some dahlias at a private plant sale. Before I drove away, I rolled down the window to ask for the sellers name; they've been my "Doris" dahlias ever since. Doris and I have stayed in touch over the years, and I have to say; she's as lovely as the bloom on those dahlias. So whether they are called Howard or Bertie, Harry or Liz; if you've named your plants, you are not alone. The gesture of honoring a loved one or the little laugh evoked from a cleverly name to plant all add it to the joy of gardening. There's nothing wrong with that. Brevities #OTD On this day in 1855 Paul de Longpré (Books By This Author)was born. Known as the "King of Flowers", de Longpré painted exceptional portrayals of roses (his first love), and wildflowers (his second love). If you look at his work, you'll find somewhere in his composition his signature accent – a bumblebee. After exhibitions of his work on the East Coast, reviewers praised, "No one but a poet could paint as he does." "De Longpré has the rare gift of reading down to the heart of his loved flowers." De Longpré was raised in northern Paris. His father left the family early one - a hurt that de Longpré hid from reporters; telling them that his father was dead. De Longpré's family was artistic and he helped his mother financially by painting silk fans with his brother. (The fans were quite fashionable at the time). After marrying the delightful Josephine Estievenard, de Longpré was mentored by Francois Rivoire. Like Rivoire, de Longpré's mastery of watercolors are said to rival the richness of oil painting. When de Longpré lost his savings in a Paris bank crash, he immigrated with his wife and their children to the United States - ultimately calling Hollywood their home in 1900. At the time, Hollywood was a brand new development just west of Los Angeles - De Longpré built a lavish Mission Revival style villa and it quickly became the most famous estate on the boulevard. He bought an additional three blocks of property from socialite Daeida Wilcox Beveridgein exchange for three of his flora watercolors. On the property, de Longpré planted over 4000 rosebushes the muses for his work – and he turned the main level of his magnificent home into an art gallery. The place became a sensation; a hub for elites, as well as a tourist destination, with over 8,000 visitors a month. De Longpré's guests were greeted by a very courteous Japanese butler who would hand them a list of the paintings titles and prices. Pauls daily habit was to get up in the morning and pick flowers with his youngest daughter, Pauline, by his side. After creating more than 2,000 paintings, de Longpré died in 1911. Josephine and the girls sold the house and sadly agreed to a final exhibition of de Longpré's work, which included his masterpiece the Cherokee Rose. It was a Josephine's lifelong regret to part with these paintings. Thirteen years later, the architectural wonder of the de Longpré's villa and the lavish gardens were all destroyed to make room for commercial buildings and parking lots. #OTD On this day in 1734, Elsa Beate Bunga was born. She was a pistol. Married to the handsome Swedish Count Sven Bunga, Elsa was a passionate amateur botanist. At her Beataberga mountain estate, she had many large greenhouses. Bunga wrote a book called, "About the Nature of Grapevines", which brought her notoriety and authority. She even corresponded with fellow Swede Carl Linnaeus (who is almost 30 years older than her). Bunga also drew attention because of her way of dressing. Like the women of her time she wore a skirt, but she distinguished herself by dressing as a man from the waist up. When King Gustav III (1771 - 1792), inquired about a peculiarly dressed woman at the Royal Swedish opera, Bunge boldly replied, "Tell his Majesty that I am the daughter of statesman Fabian Reder and married to statesman Sven Bunga". Unearthed Words #OTD Maryland selected the Black-Eyed Susan as the State Flower. This was after much debate. The Baltimore Sun, among many others, was not in favor of the Black-Eyed Susan selection, writing dismissively: "Susan came to Maryland, not on the Ark or the Dove, but a migrant from the Midwest mixed in clover and hayseed." Before the plant received it's popular common name, there was a song by John Gay called Black-Eyed Susan - popular in British maritime novels. The song tells of a love story between Susan and her Sweet William. As the two say their final farewells before his departure on a long sea voyage, Susan had crying and had black circles around her eyes. Today, their stories continue; folklore sharing that Black-Eyed Susans and Sweet William share the same bloom time to celebrate their undying love for each other. Here are a few verses: All in the Downs the fleet was moor'd, The streamers waving to the wind When black-eyed Susan came on board; Oh! where shall I my true love find? Tell me, ye jovial sailors, tell me true, If my sweet William sails among your crew. William, who high upon the yard, Rock'd with the billows to and fro, Soon as her well-known voice he heard,; He sigh'd, and cast his eyes below; ;- The cord glides swiftly through his glowing hands, ' And quick as lightning on the deck he stands. ' So the sweet lark, high pois'd in air, Shuts close his pinions to his breast, If chance his mate's shrill call he hear, And drops at once into her nest, The noblest captain in the British fleet, Might envy William's lips those kisses sweet. O Susan, Susan, lovely dear, My vows shall ever true remain; Let me kiss off that falling tear; We only part to meet again. . Change as ye list, ye winds, my heart shall be The faithful compass that still points to thee. Believe not what the landsmen say, Who tempt with doubts thy constant mind; They'll tell thee, sailors, when away, In every port a mistress find. Yes, yes, believe them, when they tell thee so, For thou art present wheresoe'er I go. If to fair India's coast we sail, Thy eyes are seen in di'monds bright; Thy breath is Afric's spicy gale, Thy skin is ivory so white. Thus, ev'ry beauteous object that I view, Wakes in my soul some charm of lovely Sue. Though battle calls me from thy arms, Let not my pretty Susan mourn; Though cannons roar, yet safe from harms. William shall to his dear return. Love turns aside the balls 'that round me fly; Lest precious tears should drop from Susan's eye. I The boatswain gave the dreadful word, The sails their swelling bosoms spread; No longer must she stay aboard They kiss'd she sigh'd; he hung his head Her less'ning boat unwilling rows to land; Adieu! she cries, and wav'd her lily hand. Today's book recommendation Studio Oh! Hardcover Medium Capture Life's Moments Cactus Journal Studio Oh offers inspired collections of finely crafted and cleverly designed journals and other decorative home accessories. Their new cactus line of products will be a sure hit with gardeners. Today's Garden Chore Plan how you will honor Arbor Day Find the best place to source saplings in your area. Increase your tree diversity by planting a Kentucky Coffee Tree. Something Sweet Reviving the little botanic spark in your heart The story of de Longpré is quite enchanting. There are two images in particular about de Longpré that stuck with me. The first is such a quintessentially French image. De Longpré is riding his bicycle, peddling out to the garden with an easel on his back, a hat on his head, on his way to paint the flowers he loved so much. The second image is a photo of de Longpré in the garden with his little daughter Pauline. In an article in the Overland Monthly, we get a little glimpse into their relationship. "de Longpré's youngest daughter, is a bright little miss about eight years old. If you ask for her name, she will say it is Pauline; but the only name she has ever called at home is "Joujou"; the French word for toy or plaything. She is idolized by her famous father, and when he walks in the garden she is always by his side." Thanks for listening to the daily gardener, and remember: "For a happy, healthy life, garden every day."

William Cullen Bryant wrote, "There is no glory in star or blossom till looked upon by a loving eye; There is no fragrance in April breezes till breathed with joy as they wander by." That pretty much sums up what happens with the plants I've dubbed "double-takes". A double-take plant is the one you first ignore or blow off - but them something about them causes you to take another look; to appreciate what you didn't see the first time around. Until the first spring I saw Lungwort in bloom, I never looked at it with a loving eye. But then, that very first time I saw it in bloom, it about knocked me over. THAT BLOOM Bluey-purpley-pinky little delicate thing. It took my breath away; Pulmonaria making me need a Pulmonologist. I suddenly didn't mind the speckled foliage. And now? Now, I love it. It's a classic double-take plant. Brevities #OTD Buried on this day, 381 years ago, in the churchyard of St Mary at Lambeth, alongside his son; the gardener John Tradescant the elder. Today, the churchyard is the Garden Museum. #OTD in 2003 Horticulturist Graham Stuart Thomas (Books By This Author) died. He was 94. (3 April 1909 – 17 April 2003). GST was fundamentally a nursery man and he lived a life fully immersed in the garden. His passion was sparked at a young age by a special birthday present he was given when he turned six: a beautiful potted fuchsia. In 2003. his gardening outfit - including his pants, vest and shoes - as well as a variety of his tools (including plant markers and a watering can) were donated to the Garden Museum. GST was best known for his work with garden roses and his leadership of over 100 National Trust gardens. He wrote 19 books on gardening. Ever the purposeful perfectionist, he never wasted a moment. What do folks have to say about GST on social media? Here's a sampling:

• Pachysandra ground cover - A GST classic!
• My mom gave me a Graham Stuart Thomas for my first gardening book, so very special
• Our best selling plant of 2015? At number 1 (drum roll) - Eryngium Graham Stuart Thomas.
• Flower spike on yucca in border. GST used them as punctuation marks in design.
• Love being married to someone who knows what I mean when I say, "Bring me Graham Stuart Thomas"

#OTD Physicianand botanist James McBride was born in Williamsburg County, South Carolina, in 1784. As a babe, he was left an orphan. With nothing to his name, he managed to get an education through what his Yale biography called "indefatigable industry and perseverance". Trained as a doctor, he spent his free time pursuing his passion: botany. He wrote papers to the Linnean Society and other scientific journals. His personal friend, Dr. Stephen Elliott, named the Macbridia pulcrafor McBride. He also dedicated the second volume of his Sketch of the Botany of South Carolina and Georgiato McBride's memory: "[James was] a gentleman who, uniting great sagacity to extensive and accurate botanical knowledge, has made the medical properties of our plants a subject of careful investigation. Profoundly skilled in his profession… he fell victim to the fatigues and exposure of an extensive [medical] practice. In the midst of a brilliant career, with prospects of increasing usefulness and extended reputation" James McBride died at the age of 33 trying to help stop an epidemic of yellow fever in Charleston, South Carolina on September 21, 1817. #OTD American botanist and plant collector Adolph Daniel Edward Elmer died. He was born in 1870 in Van Dyne, Wisconsin. Elmer got degrees from the Washington Agricultural College, and Stanford University. He collected plants in the Philippines from 1904 to 1927. Kew Gardens shared that in 1919 Elmer's notes stated " I ... collected [plant specimens] on the Bulusan ("Bah-loo-sahn") volcano which has recently become active and..may cause the total destruction of its vegetation." Elmer was editor of "Leaflets of Philippine Botany". In that publication, he documented more than 1,500 new species. After the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, Adolph Elmer and his wife, Emma, ignored the pleas from their extended family to leave American-controlled Manila. Elmer was killed on April 17, 1942 after being captured by Japanese forces in the Battle of Bataan. His wife, Emma, survived both the battle and the Death March. She returned to the United States after the war. Unearthed Words #OTD Naturalist Gilbert White wrote in his Journal in Selborne, England on April 17, 1789 : Five gallons of french brandy from London. Cucumbers show fruit in bloom. Cuculus cuculat: the voice of the cuckoo is heard in Blackmoor woods. Sowed hollyhocks, columbines, snapdragons, stocks, mignonette, all from S. Lambeth, in a bed in the garden: also Sweet Williams, & Canterbury bells. Today's book recommendation Three Gardens: The Personal Odyssey of a Great Plantsman and Gardener Hardcover by Graham Stuart Thomas In this reprint of a 1983 book, venerable English horticulturist, painter, and writer Graham Stuart Thomas recounts his journey from his first garden to the present day, charmingly describing the three gardens he has owned and the plants he has tended in each. Includes some 750 plant profiles, eight plant portraits painted by the author, and (poorly reproduced) color and b&w photographs, also by the author. Distributed by Timber Press. Today's Garden Chore Try growing the annual mignonette ("Meen-no-net"). In "The Favorites of the Flower Garden", Linnean Society Fellow George William Francisand first director of the Adelaide Botanic Gardenwrote "This simple and attractive weed, which is the envy of the [...] glittering throng that surrounds it in a garden, and which has no rivalry [...] except [...] the Rose and Violet, is one of the first flowers that we learn to gather, and the very last that we cease to value." Floret's description of mignonette seeds says that: Napoleon sent mignonette seeds from Egypt to France for his darling Empress Josephine in the early 1800's. Long wispy stems are capped with creamy white flowers with a delicate orange center that smells like vanilla. Flowers fade, leaving behind green, lantern-like pods. A great textural ingredient for bouquets and a favorite with pollinators, mignonette is suited for the border as well as containers. Mignonette means "little darling" in French. Something Sweet Reviving the little botanic spark in your heart OTD in 2018 Sam Postlethwait, a retired Purdue University botany professor, turned 100 years old. His apartment overlooks the Celery Bog Nature Area. Every morning, Sam wakes up and looks out his window at the three different ecosystems before him: the prairie, the woods, and the celery bog. On his walks, he documents what he sees with a Nikon camera; creating booklets filled with photos collected through the years. He says, "It is incredible that we have this right here in our city, and the only way you can understand this treasure is by a routine walk. And then you see life. You see life starting and you see life continuing and you see life ending, and you begin to understand living things interacting in nature." Sam taught freshman botany for 35 years at Purdue.He was married to his wife Sara for 69 years. When she died in 2010, they had lived by the Celery Bog for almost a decade. Sam reflected on his life there, saying, "to have had eight years here with my Sara has just been wonderful. A spider's life is not much different than ours, If I live, something has to die. We cannot live without things dying." Thanks for listening to the daily gardener, and remember: "For a happy, healthy life, garden every day."

"The sun was warm but the wind was chill. You know how it is with an April day." ~ Robert Frost April can be a challenging time in the garden. How many truly lovely Aprils does one get in a lifetime? I'd venture to say maybe five or six. Often, the gardens are too wet to get into; provided you could even get to them. Even with the rain, the snow hasn't completely melted away. It's too cold to turn the spigots on, so you'll have the thrill of trooping through the residue of a long winter: grit and grime, salt and mush. Until it dries up, there's really no sense going out. Content yourself with planning or growing seeds indoors. Unless you're having a once in a decade kind of April… then pinch yourself and get going. Brevities #OTD We've got a big birthday today: Sir Hans Sloane, (16 April 1660 – 11 January 1753), was an Irish physician, naturalist, and collector. He bequeathed his collection of 71,000 items to the British nation thus singlehandedly establishing the British Museum, the British Library and the Natural History Museum, London. How was his collection so large? First, he lived into his 90's and outlived many of his collecting friends. Second, when his friends passed away, they gave Hans Sloane their herbariums and other materials. He was a one man repository for horticultural knowledge. Fun fact: Sloane is credited with adding milk to cacaoto make drinking chocolate. There are many botanical birthdays today. Perhaps Hans Sloane has blessed this day. OTD Happy birthday to British botanist William Stearn (16 April 1911 – 9 May 2001). The author of "Botanical Latin"as well as the Dictionary of Plant Names for Gardeners, a popular guide to the Latin names of plants. He was mainly self-educated which was probably a by-product of being a librarian for the Royal Horticultural Society in London for almost 20 years. Highly esteemed, he is THE expert on over 400 plants that he named and described. #OTD American botanical illustrator Ellen "Nelly" Thayer Fisher was born today in 1847 (April 16, 1847 – October 15, 1911). The daughter of a doctor, she learned her craft from her brother Abbott. To make a living, she painted pictures for exhibition but she also gave "lessons by letter" to aspiring artists. Additionally, her paintings of flora and fauna were widely reproduced as chromolithographs by Boston publisher Louis Prang. #OTD Mary Gibson Henry died today in (1884 – April 1967). She was born to be a plants-woman. Her family's roots in horticulture went way back. Her great-grandfather, George Pepper, was a member of the first Council of the Pennsylvania Horticulture Society. She became an avid botanist and plant collector and also served as president of the American Horticultural Society. The daylily Hymenocallis henryae is named in her honor. In 1909, she married Dr John Norman Henry. She had a large backyard garden and greenhouses. She had a splendid kitchen garden, native rock plants, and orchards. Starting in 1929, she went on biannual plant collecting trips. On her first trip, she brought the family - 4 kids and her hubby. Not sure if she continued that, but over the next forty years, she went on over 200 botanical expeditions. And, she figured out that plant collecting wasn't for sissies, saying, "I soon learned that rare and beautiful plants can only be found in places that are difficult of access ... Often one has to shove one's self through or wriggle under briars, with awkward results to clothing and many and deep cuts and scratches ... Wading, usually barelegged, through countless rattlesnake-infested swamps adds immensely to the interest of the day's work." On this day in April, Mary died in North Carolina doing what she loved to do: collecting plants #OTD Born on 16 April 1886, Sir Edward Salisbury was the youngest of nine children. His passion for plants started as a child. On outings, Salisbury would collect flowers to grow in his own patch at home. Get this: He attached a label to each one, giving its Latin name. His brothers called his garden 'The Graveyard'. Typical brothers. One of the leading British botanists of the twentieth century, he was the director of Kew during the Second World War. He was not simply an expert on plants themselves, he was supremely interested in their natural habitat. He wrote many books - my favorite of all of his books is "Weeds & Aliens". In it, he goes for a walk in the countryside and discovers when he gets home that the cuffs of his wool trousers were full of seeds. He decides to try to grow them and is astounded to discover that he was able to grow more than 300 plants "comprising over 20 different species of weeds." It was Sir Edward Salisbury who said, "The double lily was and is a crime against God and man. He lived to be 92. Unearthed Words Aphra Behn, (Books By This Author), the first professional woman playwright in Britain, whose novel 'Oroonoko', played a crucial role in the development of English fiction, was buried in Westminster Abbey #OTD in 1689. 'All women together ought to let flowers fall upon the tomb of Aphra Behn, for it was she who earned them the right to speak their minds' - Virginia Woolf. Aphra was one of the first women in England to earn a living through writing, inspiring future generations of women to write. 'That perfect tranquility of life, which is nowhere to be found but in retreat, a faithful friend and a good library' – Aphra Behn Today's book recommendation Adventurous Women: Eight True Stories About Women Who Made a Difference By Penny Colman (There's a profile of Mary Gibson Henry in this one) Today's Garden Chore Todays chore is to get ready to direct sow. Radish, turnip, and parsnip seeds - get ready to suit up! Something Sweet Reviving the little botanic spark in your heart #OTD Emily Dickinson's brother, William Austin Dickinson was born today (1829-1895). Of her brother she said, "There was always such a Hurrah wherever you was" William was the oldest of the three Dickinson kids. William was about eighteen months older than his sister Emily. He tried his hand at teaching but ended up becoming a lawyer; following in the footsteps of both his grandfather Fowler and his father Edward. When they were young, Emily was very close to her brother. When he was away from home, her letters to him show their common interests and her love for him. She wrote, "Our apples are ripening fast—I am fully convinced that with your approbation they will not only pick themselves, but arrange one another in baskets, and present themselves to be eaten". Thanks for listening to the daily gardener, and remember: "For a happy, healthy life, garden every day."