Mar 3, 2021
Today we celebrate the man who is remembered in one of the
garden’s sweetest summer annuals - the lobelia.
We'll also learn about the man who invented the telephone - he also
happened to love gardening and the natural world.
We hear a great memory about rhubarb from one of my favorite garden
books from 2020, and the author is an incredible artist to
boot!
We Grow That Garden Library™ with a book to help you develop
positive, meaningful mantras in your life.
And then we’ll wrap things up with some little-known facts about
the birth flower for March.
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Important Events
March 3, 1616
Today is the birthday of the Flemish physician and botanist
Mathias de l'Obel ("ma-TEE-us dew Lew-bell").
Mathias practiced medicine in England. And among his
accomplishments, Mathias was the first botanist to recognize the
difference between monocots and dicots.
Today we remember Mathias de l'Obel ("LEW-bell") with the Lobelia
plant. Before researching Mathias, I pronounced obelia as "LOW-
beel- ya". But now, knowing the French pronunciation of his name, I
will say it "LEW-beel-ya." It's a subtle little change (LOW vs.
LEW), but after all, the plant is named in Mathias's honor.
Now, for as lovely as the Lobelia is, the common names for Lobelia
are terribly unattractive and they include names like Asthma Weed,
Bladderpod, Gagroot, Pukeweed, Vomit Wort, and Wild Tobacco.
These common names for Lobelia reflect that Lobelia is very toxic
to eat.
Despite its toxicity, Lobelia is one of the sweetest-looking plants
for your summer containers. This dainty annual comes in pink, light
blue, and royal blue. Personally, every year, I buy two flats of
light blue Lobelias. But no matter the color you choose, lobelias
are a favorite of pollinators. The delicate blossoms frequently
host bees, butterflies, and moths, which only adds to their
charm.
March 3, 1847
Today is the birthday of the Scottish-born inventor, scientist, and
engineer credited with inventing and patenting the first practical
telephone, Alexander Graham Bell.
In 1855, Alexander co-founded the American Telephone and Telegraph
Company, known today as AT&T. And although most people know
about Alexander's story with regard to the telephone, most people
are unaware that Alexander had a love for gardening and the natural
world.
Early on in his childhood, Alexander was drawn to the natural
world, and he collected botanical specimens and conducted
experiments.
After attending school for only five years, Alexander took personal
control over his lifelong love of learning.
Growing up, Alexander's best friend, Ben Herdman, was from a family
who owned a flour mill. When Alexander was 12 years old, he created
a device that rotated paddles equipped with nail brushes and the
family used this dehusking machine in their mill operations for
years. As a gesture of thanks, Ben’s father made a space for the
boys where they could invent to their heart's content.
Now many people are unaware that Alexander’s mother was deaf, and
Alexander had dedicated himself to helping the deaf his entire
life. As a young man, Alexander opened a school for teachers of the
deaf. While he was in Boston, he even worked with a young Helen
Keller. Later on, he worked with a young woman named Mabel Hubbard,
who became deaf as a child from scarlet fever.
After five years of courtship, Alexander and Mabel married. At the
ceremony, Alex presented Mabel with a special wedding present:
nearly all the shares of the stock in a company called Bell
Telephone.
Alexander and Mabel shared a lifelong love of gardening. The couple
built a summer home in the charming village of Baddeck, Canada, in
1889. Mabel would stroll the neighborhoods and ask about the plants
that were growing in the gardens. Generous and kind, Mabel donated
many flowers to the people of Baddeck.
Today the Alexander Graham Bell National Historic Site features a
lovely garden that boasts flowers, shrubs, and trees - including a
magnolia which was a favorite of Mabel’s.
Recently Candian scientists revealed that they suspect that
Alexander may have planted Heracleum mantegazzianum, commonly known
as Giant Hogweed, in his garden.
Even now, there remains an impressive cluster of dangerous giant
hogweed near Baddeck. The sap of Giant hogweed causes sensitivity
to sunlight and UV rays, which can lead to severe skin and eye
problems — including blindness, which would have been very
upsetting to Alexander.
And, here’s a little-known fact about Alexander:
The gardener and children’s book illustrator Tasha Tudor learned to
love gardening from Alexander Graham Bell. Tasha’s well-connected
family had visited Alexander at his home in Maryland when he was a
young single man. Tasha was five years old, and she recalled that
fell in love with Alexander’s roses during that first visit. Tasha
always credited the vision of Alexander’s rosebeds with inspiring
her decision to become a gardener.
Unearthed Words
Every Sunday, my immediate and extended family gathered for dinner
at my grandpa's house. Everyone congregated in the kitchen, and
there was always a television on in the corner. There was a smiling
pink plastic pig from RadioShack that sat in the refrigerator and
oinked at you when you opened the door. We giggled in front of the
antique glass cabinet, peeking in at the vintage salt and pepper
shakers shaped like boobs that were supposed to be hidden. It felt
like an adventure to explore the house and play with old
decorations and trinkets.
When it was summertime, we gathered on the back porch, where there
were mismatched chairs and benches and another television in the
corner. A baseball game was always on, and you could hear the hum
and buzz of a bug zapper in the background. Rhubarb grew on a small
knoll near the house. My cousin, sister, and I were told not to eat
the big, broad green leaves, but we did pick and snack on the
ruby-pink stalks straight from the ground, our mouths puckering
from the intense sourness.
— Katie Vaz (“Voz”), My
Life in Plants, Rhubarb (Rheum rhabarbarum)
Grow That Garden Library
Find Your Mantra by Aysel Gunar
This book came out in 2019, and the subtitle is Inspire and Empower
Your Life with 75 Positive Affirmations.
In this inspiring book with a delightful botanical cover,
Aysel takes you through the steps to developing positive,
meaningful mantras in your life.
Now, this is not a gardening book, but it is about developing
aspects of life that many gardeners seek: peace, love, happiness,
and strength for your own personal journey.
Aysel’s book is full of beautiful illustrations and design. You’ll
find plenty of positivity and mindfulness. Aysel encourages us to
be present, embrace love and light, choose joy, and recognizing our
blessings.
If you're looking for something for yourself or a friend, Aysel’s
book is truly a gift.
This book is 144 pages of affirmations to help you be more present,
free yourself from worry and anxiety, and embrace all that is good
in your life - like our gardens and our many blessings - and lead a
more rewarding life.
You can get a copy of Find Your Mantra by Aysel Gunar and
support the show using the Amazon Link in today's Show Notes for
around $7
Today’s Botanic Spark
Reviving the little botanic spark in your heart
The birth flower for March birthdays is the Daffodil. Daffodils are
also the 10th-anniversary flower. A bouquet of Daffodils means
happiness and hope, but a single Daffodil is an omen of bad luck in
your future.
In England, back in 1889, the Reverend George Herbert Engleheart
began breeding Daffodils - some 700 varieties in his lifetime. Fans
of ‘Beersheba,’ ‘Lucifer,’ or ‘White Lady,’ have Reverend
Engleheart to thank. George spent every spare minute breeding, and
his parishioners would often find a note tacked to the church door
saying,
“No service today, working with Daffodils.”
Daffodils were highly valued in ancient times because the Romans
believed that the sap could be used for healing. Today we know that
all parts of the Daffodil are toxic, and the sap is toxic to other
flowers, which is why you must soak Daffs separately for 24 hours
before you add them to a bouquet. And if you do this, don’t recut
the stems because that will release more sap, and then you’ll have
to start all over. If you’re wondering, the compounds in Daffodil
sap are lycorine and calcium oxalate crystals. Found in the leaves
and stems of the Daffodil. the calcium oxalate crystals can
irritate your skin, so be careful handling Daffodils.
The toxic nature of Daffodils means that deer and other animals
won’t eat them - unlike other spring-flowering bulbs like
tulips.
And contrary to popular opinion, daffs can be carefully divided in
the early spring. Once the soil has started to thaw, you can take
divisions from large clumps and then pop them into new places in
the garden. As long as the bulbs are carefully lifted with plenty
of soil attached to the roots and promptly replanted, they will
still bloom this year.
Generally, it is advised to separate and move bulbs after they have
bloomed, but that can push the task into early summer when there is
already so much to do.
Finally, there's really one poem that is regarded as the Mother of
All Daffodil Poems, and it's this one.
I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden Daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.
Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.
For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the Daffodils.
— William Wordsworth, English Romantic poet, I Wandered Lonely as a
Cloud
Thanks for listening to The Daily Gardener.
And remember:
"For a happy, healthy life, garden every day."