Jul 5, 2020
Today we celebrate the man remembered in the genus name for
Crape Myrtle.
We'll also learn about the botanist who served as the physician to
George Washington.
We celebrate the man remembered in the name of the largest flower
in the world.
And we also celebrate the practical gardener and journalist who
helped change the English landscape from formal to much more
relaxed and attainable for the masses.
We honor the beautiful Rose, queen of the garden, with today's
poetry.
We Grow That Garden Library™ with a book that shares "Age-Old
Advice and Tips for the Garden."
And then we'll wrap things up with the story of a botanist who
wanted to make orchids possible to grow in the "average man's
garden."
But first, let's catch up on some Greetings from Gardeners around
the world and today's curated news.
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Curated News
Quiz: Are
you a flower whizz? | Kew
"How clued up are you on flowers? Take our 15-question quiz to find
out (scroll down for the answers). Good luck!"
Hamilton
For Gardeners (Click to read the
Post)
Alright, that's it for today's gardening news.
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Important Events
1759The naturalist, and Director of the Swedish
East India Company, Magnus von Lagerstrom died.
In his work, Magnus was a friend and patron of Carl Linnaeus.
During his travels, he supplied Linnaeus with plants, and in
return, Linnaeus named the genus for Crape Myrtle after him -
Lagerstroemia.
Before we get into the plant details of the Crape Myrtle, we need
to talk about the spelling controversy. In the South, the spelling
is Crepe, as in crepe paper. This spelling supposedly came about
because the flowers resemble crepe paper. But, everywhere else, it
is spelled Crape like Grape.
Now, botanists have recorded close to 50 known species of Crape
Myrtle. Crape Myrtles are a member of the loosestrife family. Their
size can vary significantly from one foot to a hundred feet tall.
Crape myrtles are robust and can put up with severe growing
conditions - like high heat, humidity, and
drought. (Basically, what many parts of the country are
putting up with right now)
Their hardiness in sweltering conditions gives us a clue as to
their origins; Crape Myrtles are native to the Indian
subcontinent, southeast Asia, northern Australia, and parts of
Oceania.
In China, the Crape Myrtle is known as the "Monkey Tree." Crape
Myrtle trunks are slippery, which means the monkeys have a tough
time climbing them. The Chinese also called the Crape Myrtle "The
Tree of 100 days" in reference to the long bloom time. Gardeners
especially appreciate the Crape Myrtle's extraordinarily long bloom
time. Once the plant starts blooming in the middle of the summer,
it will continue to produce blossoms well into fall.
Medicinally, Crape Myrtle is used for constipation. The leaves,
bark, and even the blossoms are high in fiber. And, herbalists know
how to make a purgative decoction with Crape Myrtle leaves.
1817 Today is the anniversary of the death
of the American doctor, professor, and naturalist Adam Kuhn.
Adam was exceptionally well-trained for his time. His father had
been a physician - his parents were German immigrants - and Adam
grew up in Germantown, Pennsylvania. At some point, his family sent
him to Sweden, where he studied at Upsala University. He's believed
to be the only American student of Carl Linnaeus. Linnaeus wrote to
Adam's father with rare praise, saying:
"[Adam] is unwearied in his studies and daily and faithfully
studies materia medica with me. He has learned the symptomatic
history of diseases in an accurate and solid manner. In natural
history and botany, he's made remarkable progress."
Linnaeus clearly liked Adam, and he named the plant Kuhnia (Kuhnia
Eupatorioides), commonly known as False Boneset, in Adam's
honor.
Adam began teaching at the medical school of the College of
Philadelphia, where he became the first professor of medicine for
the 13 colonies. He's remembered for being the physician for George
Washington.
He's also recalled as a somewhat rigidly formal man - some
historical texts have used the word "pompous" to describe him. One
doctor recalled Adam this way:
"He was by far the most highly and minutely furnished specimen of
old-school [medicine] I have ever beheld.
He wore a fashionable curled and powdered wig; his breeches were
black, [he wore] a long-skirted buff or white
waistcoat...
He carried a gold-headed cane and a gold snuff-box; his knee and
shoe buckles of the same metal.
His footsteps were sternly and stubbornly regular;
He entered the sick-room at a given minute and stayed a given time
and never suffered deviation from his directions.
[Once a nurse asked] "'Doctor, if the patient should desire toast,
water or lemonade, he may have it?'
[Adam] would turn and reply with oracular solemnity,
'I have directed weak sage tea. Good morning madam.'"
1826 Today is the anniversary of the death
of Sir Stamford Raffles.
Eight years before he died, Raffles described the Arnold's
rafflesia, the largest flower in the world.
"The magnificent plants have no leaves, no roots, and no stem. The
entire flower measures about a yard across and weighs about fifteen
pounds. And, the Rafflesia flower lasts for only a few days before
it withers and dies."
The Rafflesia arnoldii, commonly called the corpse lily or stinking
corpse lily, is named to honor Raffles and his dear friend Dr.
James Arnold, who was with him during the discovery of the plant on
the island of Sumatra. Arnold was a surgeon, botanist, and a
naturalist in his own right, but sadly he died shortly after seeing
the bloom. The Rafflesia arnoldii was named in honor of them both
(Raffles and Arnold).
The Rafflesia flower is still regarded as the largest in the
world.
1838 It's the birthday of the Irish
practical gardener and journalist, the passionate William
Robinson.
A horticultural powerhouse, Robinson helped change the English
landscape from formal to much more relaxed and attainable for the
masses. Robinson wrote,
"The Medici Gardens in Rome, [offers] clipped walls of green,
formal walks, numerous statues, and the ever-present Stone Pine.
It's difficult to imagine anything more monotonous or uninteresting
than [this] type of garden."
I always say of Robinson that his gardens were chill, but the man
was hot - as in he was hot-tempered, opinionated, hoppin', and
happening. He developed the practice of planting the herbaceous
border, and he was an advocate for the wild garden. He wanted
everyone to do their own thing in their gardens - no need for a
cookie-cutter approach or formality.
And, Robinson had an artistic mindset; he wanted people to be free
to express themselves in their own way in their garden. Robinson
was ahead of his time, as is evidenced by the fact that many of his
ideas remain relevant and commonplace.
In 1867, Robinson visited the gardens of France and came home to
write his first gardening book. He called it Gleanings
from French Gardens. (I love that title!) Robinson's work and
books brought him financial security. By the age of 45, he had
enough money to purchase the Elizabethan Manor of Gravetye in
Sussex, along with almost two hundred acres of pasture and
woodland.
Now, Robinson became great friends with Gertrude Jekyll. In 1896,
Jekyll offered this summary of Robinson's impact on gardening:
"[Thanks to William Robinson] ... we may see how best to use and
enjoy the thousands of beautiful plants that have been brought to
us by the men who have given fortune, health, and often life in
perilous travel that our gardens may be enriched and botanical
knowledge extended. We cannot now, with all this treasure at our
feet, neglect it and refuse it the gratefully appreciative use that
it deserves."
Unearthed Words
Today's selections are all about the superstar of the July
garden - the Rose.
I have a garden of my own
But so with Roses overgrown
And Lilies, that you would it guess
To be a little wilderness.
— Andrew Marvell, English poet and politician
I haven't much time to be fond of anything ... but when I have a
moment's fondness to bestow most times ... the Roses get it. I
began my life among them in my father's nursery garden, and I shall
end my life among them if I can. Yes. One of these days (please
God) I shall retire from catching thieves, and try my hand at
growing Roses.
― Wilkie Collins, English novelist, The Moonstone
The serene philosophy of the pink Rose is steadying. Its fragrant,
delicate petals open fully and are ready to fall, without regret or
disillusion, after only a day in the sun. It is so every summer.
One can almost hear their pink, fragrant murmur as they settle down
upon the grass: 'Summer, summer, it will always be summer.'
— Rachel Peden, newspaper columnist
Where you tend a Rose, my lad, a Thistle, cannot grow.
— Frances Hodgson Burnett, English-American novelist, The Secret
Garden
I have a White Rose to tend
In July as in January;
I give it to the true friend
Who offers his frank hand to me.
And for the cruel one whose blows
Break the heart by which I live,
Thistle nor thorn do I give:
For him, too, I have a White Rose.
— José Martí, Cuban poet, A White Rose
The Lily has a smooth stalk,
Will never hurt your hand;
But the Rose upon her brier
Is lady of the land.
There's sweetness in an Apple Tree,
And profit in the Corn;
But lady of all beauty
Is a Rose upon a thorn.
When with moss and honey
She tips her bending brier,
And half unfolds her glowing heart,
She sets the world on fire.
— Christina Georgina Rossetti, English poet, The Rose
Grow That Garden Library
The Gardeners' Book by Diana Craig
This book came out in 2013, and the subtitle is: Age-Old Advice and
Tips for the Garden
In their review of this book, Amateur Gardening said, "Buried among
the tongue-in-cheek tips, gardening quotations and fascinating
facts aimed at making you the envy of the allotment, there are some
real nuggets of information that will benefit even the most
green-fingered."
The book is 160 pages of tips, ideas, anecdotes, and
inspiration.
You can get a copy of The Gardeners' Book by Diana Craig
and support the show, using the Amazon Link in today's Show Notes
for around $12.
Today's Botanic Spark
1985 Today is the 35th anniversary of the
death of the botanist and Northwestern University professor Margery
Claire Carlson.
In 1916, Margery was the first woman to major in botany at
Northwestern. Later, she earned a Ph.D. in botany, and then she
became the first full-time female professor at Northwestern.
During the 1930s, she was featured in many Newspapers for her work
with orchids. One popular article from 1936 said that Margery was
working on making orchids possible to grow in the "average man's
garden." Two years later, another article shared her unique
approach to raising orchids in bottles. Margery trialed different
ways of feeding the orchids, growing them specific food-based
cultures like carrots, beets, tobacco, sugar, or beef extracts.
Margery and her partner Kate Staley went on several expeditions
together to South and Central America. Margery's obituary said the
two were used to traveling, "by ox, truck, and airplane through and
over dense jungles."
Margery was always on the lookout for orchids and other rare
species. In 1948, on one expedition alone, she gathered over 4,000
specimens and discovered 15 new plant species.
Margery commented that during her many travels, she was never
afraid of snakes because they made so much noise cutting through
the jungle with their machetes that they scared the snakes
away.
Margery was born and raised in Illinois. Her parents, John and
Nellie, helped chart her destiny. They named her after the
Marguerite Daisy.