NEWSLETTER ARCHIVE
A NEWSLETTER from LUCRETIA WEEMS
STORIES: Empress Josephine
The Empress Josephine was an amazing plantswoman. Her home outside Paris, Malmaison, would become a showcase for a global plant collection as well as for her famous roses. Of its 650 acres, she landscaped 300. READ MORE
FIREWISE MAGNOLIA
Here in firewise country we are so grateful for the mighty Magnolia grandiflora, our one non-flammable broadleaf evergreen tree.
On learning that magnolias were around before bees but alongside dinosaurs, I was even more enamored.
They are in fact pollinated by beetles.
MILKWEED & BUTTERFLIES
I took this photo ot tiger swallowtail butterflies feasting on milkweed at the pollinator garden here in Ashland. Their presence has been super plentiful this year here, and I've heard of numerous sightings of monarchs as well.
Even if you have room for only one or two milkweed plants the butterflies will be glad.of it.
HUMMELO GARDEN
This month I have added pictures of Hummelo garden, home of the landscape design giant Piet Ouldorf in the photo gallery..
Ouldorf has deeply revolutionized how we think about garden design, "I put plants on a stage and let them perform," he says. With magical results! Take a look at his design drawing, a great study in the way he harmonizes plants in space.
THIS WILD LIFE
Heroines in the History of Botany 1650-1850
The women in these pages led amazing lives. Some encountered pirates, some witnessed historic earthquakes, some received visits from the Queen.
Each was a true heroine who contributed dramatically to our knowledge of plants before the term botany even existed.
They explored, collected and propagated plants alongside men. Courage, determination and intelligence underscored their work yet their historic endeavors were too often barely acknowledged.
Hundreds of years have passed, and their names have been largely forgotten. Here are the remarkable stories of their lives and work, that we may know them and that their stature be reclaimed and celebrated anew.
