#January 7, 1776
#OTD Spencer Turner, Leyton #Nurseryman, died.
Spencer created the Turner's #Oak & gifted one to Princess Augusta for #Kew Gardens.
Planted in the1770's, the #Tree still stands w/ metal struts for support betw/ the PoW Conservatory & the Hive.
The Great Storm (1987) lifted the tree out of the #Earth, freed the #RootPlate from centuries of #Compacted #Soil, & inspired #Arborists to rethink compaction.
They now use air spades to inject #Nitrogen & #Mycorrhizal #Fungi.
#December 22, 1928
#OTD William Arnett, #Tulsa #Nurseryman, is born.
An #Industry #Leader, Bill #Mastered every aspect of growing flowers.
When the first jet flew out of Tulsa, Bill was onboard to see firsthand how fast he could ship #Roses across the country.
Bill's beloved #Wife, Louise, died after 60 years of #Marriage. One of their four #Daughters wrote about what it was like to grow up in the Arnett #Home:
“We were #Surrounded by flowers all our #Lives — there were #Flowers #Galore.”
#December 14, 1878
#OTD Edward Bunyard, #English #Nurseryman, #Pomologist, #Rosarian, & #Food #Writer, is born.
Edward #Wrote, A #Handbook of Hardy #Fruits & The #Epicure's Companion.
Every #Christmas, he enjoyed his #Favorite #Apple, Orléans Reinette, with a glass of #Port.
He is #Remembered for his #Landmark #Book, The #Anatomy of #Dessert, in which he wrote,
It is the duty of an apple to be #Crisp + #Crunchable, but a #Pear should have such a
#Texture as leads to #Silent #Consumption."
Many #Flowers are named for #Botanists as a way to give them #Credit for their work.
But in 1910, The #Rutland Daily #Herald in #Vermont shared this #Charming #Story:
A #Country #Nurseryman had a #Flower named Rhodum sidus that was selling like #Hotcakes.
It was popular w/ the #Ladies & the sage of the #Season.
When a #Botanist asked where the #Plant was #Discovered, the man answered:
"I found it on the #Road beside us, so I #Christened it the Rhodum sidus."
#November 29, 1978
#OTD Edward Hummel, American #Plantsman & #Hybridizer died.
Edward and his wife Minnie ran Hummel's #Exotic #Gardens of Southern #California for 43 years.
They specialized in #Cacti, #Succulents, #Bromeliads ("brow·mee·lee·ads"), and #Orchids.
#Gardening #Garden #Gardener #Nursery #Nurseryman #Catalog #GardenersofMastodon
#November 26, 1906
#OTD George Ellwanger, German-American #Nurseryman, died.
He & Patrick Barry claimed their #Rochester, NY #Nursery was the largest in the world (650 acres). Charles Sprague Sargent dubbed Rochester the "City in a #Forest."
George dotted the streets & parks with magnificent #Beech #Trees from Europe.
George wrote,
A Beech #Tree is always beautiful. In late #November, colors vary from rich #Roman #Ochre to deep-brown #Bronze & from pale rose-buff to lustrous, satiny #Gray.
#November 26, 1948
#OTD The Ponca City News (Oklahoma), shared:
During the filming of #Samson & #Delilah, the director, Cecil B. #DeMille, asked the film's #Nurseryman to create an #Olive #Tree to film under.
As the man attached #branches Cecil shouted,
"THAT's not an olive branch! Where did you get it?"
The man replied,
"From an olive tree."
After a pause, Cecil said,
"I don't suppose I'm in a position to say this is not an olive branch."
"No sir," said the man... and the scene went on.
Jennifer Ebeling