Today we celebrate a man who was regarded as the most revered British field-botanist of his time. We’ll also learn about the botanist who considered China to be his real home. We’ll hear thoughts on holly and ivy from one of my favorite gardeners. We Grow That Garden Library™ with a book of Sunday poems inspired by the natural world. And then we’ll wrap things up with the woman who wrote a book called Garden Cinderellas – what an excellent title. Subscribe Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart To listen to the show while you’re at home, just ask Alexa or Google to “Play the latest episode of The Daily Gardener Podcast.” And she will. It’s just that easy. The Daily Gardener Friday Newsletter Sign up for the FREE Friday Newsletter featuring:
A personal update from me Garden-related items for your calendar The Grow That Garden Library™ featured books for the week Gardener gift ideas Garden-inspired recipes Exclusive updates regarding the show Plus, each week, one lucky subscriber wins a book from the Grow That Garden Library™ bookshelf. Gardener Greetings Send your garden pics, stories, birthday wishes, and so forth to Jennifer@theDailyGardener.org Curated News Experts Predict Gardening Trends for 2021 | Candide | Marc Rosenberg Facebook Group If you’d like to check out my curated news articles and original blog posts for yourself, you’re in luck. I share all of it with the Listener Community in the Free Facebook Group – The Daily Gardener Community. So, there’s no need to take notes or search for links. The next time you’re on Facebook, search for Daily Gardener Community where you’d search for a friend… and request to join. I’d love to meet you in the group. Important Events January 13, 1834 Today is the birthday of the botanist and former Keeper of the Herbarium at the Royal Botanic Garden Kew, John Gilbert Baker. Regarded as the most-revered British field botanist of his time, John had a profound understanding of plants and an earnest desire to preserve them. Professionally, John was referred to as J.G. Baker. The scope of his work brought him into contact with an incredible span of plant species. In addition to his impressive collecting, John identified ten plant families, and he wrote helpful handbooks on plant groups, like the Amaryllidaceae (“am-ah-rilla-DAY-see-ee”), the Bromeliaceae (“bro-mee-lee-AYE-see-ee), the Iridaceae (“eye-ri-DAY-see-ee”), the Liliaceae (“lil-ee-AY-see-ee”), and the ferns. And in addition to all of that, John described and developed the very first key for the Hemerocallis or the daylily. And, here’s a little fun fact about John: He once met Beatrix Potter (who was an amateur botanist in her own right in addition to being an author). And, as luck would have it, Beatrix wrote about meeting John in her journal on May 19, 1896 – although it didn’t seem like she was very impressed with him. She wrote, “We met Mr. Baker… A slim, timid-looking old gentleman with a large thin book under his arm and an appearance, of having been dried in blotting paper under a press.” John was mentored by the botanist Hewett Cotrell Watson. Hewett was a few generations older than Darwin, and he was one of the first botanists to research plant evolution. And it was Hewett’s work that paved the way for a new science now known as ecology. In his old age, Hewett burned all of his botanical correspondence. But thankfully, John persuaded him not to burn his herbarium. And so, upon his death, Hewett Cotrell Watson left his house and his land – as well as his books and botanical collections – to the person he thought would most-appreciate them: his protégé, John Gilbert Baker. In 1899, John was awarded the Gold Medal of the Linnean Society. Eight years later, he received the Veitch Memorial Medal. Both of these awards were well-deserved. Today, Wikidata has several pages of data devoted to the plants named by John. It’s an impressive list. Conversely, John Gilbert Baker is honored by many plant names, including the Iris bakeriana. January 13, 1884 Today is the birthday of the eccentric Hawaiian-based botanist, anthropologist, and explorer Joseph Francis Rock. Joseph was born in Austria but ended up immigrating to the United States before eventually settling in Hawaii, where he was beloved. In fact, Joseph became Hawaii’s first official botanist. Joseph started teaching as a Botany professor at the University of Hawaii in 1911, and he also served as a botanist for the Hawaiian Territorial Board of Agriculture. After working for 13 years in Hawaii, Joseph left to explore China – and that quest would become his primary passion. It was 1920 before Joseph left Honolulu for China for the very first time. And when he traveled, Joseph always carried a copy of David Copperfield to remind him of his own terrible childhood. And although Joseph knew he was beloved in Hawaii, he always said that he considered China to be his “real” home. In fact, when comparing…