May 14, 2021
Today we celebrate a happy lyricist and poet.
We'll also remember a charming diary entry from 1938 by a Canadian
conservationist and naturalist.
We’ll honor a poem by Walt Whitman that inspired a beautiful
composition that premiered this day in 1946.
We hear an excerpt about the healing power of the garden.
We Grow That Garden Library™ with a gorgeous book about Wave Hill
garden in the Bronx.
And then we’ll wrap things up with a little story about the origin
of ketchup.
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Important Events
May 14, 1840
Today is the birthday of the American poet, lyricist, and
hymn-writer George Cooper.
Today, George is remembered for his happy song lyrics, which were
often set to music written by Stephen Foster.
And George wrote a little poem dear to gardeners called, My
Garden.
When fields are green, and skies are fair,
And summer fragrance fills the air,
I love to watch the budding rose
That in my pleasant garden grows;
But when old Winter, fierce and free,
Has hushed the murmur of the bee,
And all the fields and hills are hid
Beneath his snowy coverlid,
Oh! then my only garden-spot
Is just this little flower pot.
May 14, 1938
On this day, the Canadian conservationist and naturalist Charles
Joseph Sauriol wrote in his journal,
“I have some most beautiful Pansies from the seeds of last
year. Pansies are a surprise packet. You never know what to expect,
and you are never disappointed if you [don't?] expect
much."
We found on Thursday night a section of Pine root with a
Dogwood growing from its wood and rotted mold. Transplanted it to
the Wild Flower garden. It will be exactly what I will require for
certain Wild Flowers.
Planted a Bleeding Heart. Have wanted to do so for several
years. It's an old-fashioned flower. Mother always used to have one
in her garden when I was a small boy.”
Bleeding heart is in the poppy family. Additional common names for
Bleeding heart include “lyre flower” and “lady-in-a-bath.”
Native to Siberia, northern Asia, and North America, there are
several cultivars for gardeners to consider, including ‘Alba,’
which has white flowers, ‘Gold Heart,’ which has yellow leaves; and
‘Valentine,’ which has red-and-white blossoms.
Auntie Dogma’s Garden Spot blog says,
“No other plant bears perfect heart-shaped flowers like those
of the Bleeding Heart. If you press the flowers between the pages
of a heavy book, you’ll have papery-thin little hearts to adorn
letters or valentines. If you turn a flower upside down and pull
the two halves apart, you’ll see a lady in a pink bathtub, or
perhaps you’ll see a white lyre with strings of silk.”
And then, she shares the interactive story of the bleeding heart
that uses a blossom to tell the story.
“(To begin narration of the story, hold a heart blossom in the palm
of your hand.)
Long ago, there lived a noble prince who tried in vain to win
the heart of a very beautiful princess. The prince had brought the
princess wonderful gifts from his travels far and wide. Yet, she
had taken no notice of him. One day the prince returned from a long
journey with very special gifts to surely win the love of the
princess. First, he presented her with two magical pink
bunnies.
(Peel off the two outer petals and set them on their sides to
display two little pink bunnies.)
The princess only sighed and barely looked at the little bunnies.
The hopeful prince had one more gift saved for last – he presented
a pair of beautiful enchanted earrings.
(Remove the two long white petals and hold them next to your
ears.)
Again, the princess hardly noticed the prince’s gift. Now the
poor prince was utterly heartbroken. He could try no more to win
the heart of the princess. He rose up, pulled a dagger from his
sheath, and stabbed himself in the heart.
(Remaining in the flower is a heart shape with the stamen,
appearing as a dark green line down the center. Hold the heart up,
carefully remove the dagger-like line, and plunge the dagger
through the heart.)
The princess was overcome by the dedication of the dying prince
and his unending love for her. She realized too late that she loved
him also. “Alas,” she cried out. “I have done wrong. My own heart
is also broken. I shall bleed for my prince forevermore!” And her
heart bleeds to this very day.”
May 14, 1946
On this day, Paul Hindemith's composition When Lilacs Last in the
Door-Yard Bloom'd: A Requiem «For Those We Love»
premiered.
The music was inspired by a poem of the same title by Walt Whitman,
When Lilacs Last in the Door-Yard Bloom'd.
Walt Whitman wrote his poem in the summer of 1865. The country was
still mourning the assassination of President Lincoln.
In 206 lines, Walt does not mention Lincoln’s name or the
assassination. Instead, he uses nature and nature imagery to move
the reader from grief to acceptance.
Lincoln was killed in the springtime - on April 14, 1865. Walt was
at his mother’s home when he heard the news. Later he recalled,
“I remember… there were many lilacs in full bloom… I find
myself always reminded of the great tragedy of that day by the
sight and odor of these blossoms. It never fails.”
When Walt 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 had helped heal him. He wrote,
"How it all nourishes, lulls me, in the way most needed; the
open air, the rye-fields, the apple orchards.”
Unearthed Words
But spring twilight found her barefoot in the garden, planting
beans and helping me fill my pail with earthworms that were severed
by her shovel. I thought I could nurse them back to health in the
worm hospital I constructed beneath the irises. She encouraged me
in this, always saying, “There is no hurt that can’t be healed by
love.”
― Robin Wall Kimmerer, mother, plant ecologist, writer, and SUNY
Distinguished Teaching Professor, Braiding
Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the
Teachings of Plants
Grow That Garden Library
Nature into Art by Thomas Christopher
This book came out in 2019, and the subtitle is The
Gardens of Wave Hill.
In this book, Thomas introduces us to Wave Hill - a garden that
opened to the public in 1967.
A public garden in the Bronx, Wave Hill is known for its daring and
innovative horticulture. Thomas takes us on a tour of the different
areas of the garden — the flower garden, wild garden, shade border,
and conservatory. In addition, Thomas reviews the plants and design
principles that underpin Wave Hill.
Enchanting and inspiring, Wave Hill manages to delight and instruct
gardeners all year long.
This book is 296 pages of a private tour of a jewel of the Bronx -
the iconic Wave Hill.
You can get a copy of Nature into Art by Thomas Christopher
and support the show using the Amazon Link in today's Show Notes
for around $3
Today’s Botanic Spark
Reviving the little botanic spark in your heart
May 14, 1846
Today is the anniversary of the death of the American scientist,
horticulturist, and physician James Mease.
A son of Philadelphia, James was a passionate gardener, and he
consistently referred to tomatoes the way the French did - as “Love
Apples.”
In 1812, James published the first known tomato-based ketchup
recipe. Although Ketchup had existed in China for centuries, James
added the tomato base - something that caught on not only in the
United States but also in England.
For his unique recipe, James used tomato pulp, spices, and brandy.
Unlike many other recipes, James did not use sugar or vinegar. He
named his recipe “Love-Apple Catsup."
Thanks for listening to The Daily Gardener.
And remember:
"For a happy, healthy life, garden every day."