THE REAL DIRT ON: Francis Griscom Parsons: Mother of School Gardens
By Susan Starr. This is the last column in our series, The Real Dirt on…. In February we launch a new series, on gardening with children....
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September 2024
The Real Dirt On
- Nov 1, 2018
THE REAL DIRT ON: Beatrix Potter's World Beyond Bunnies
By Susan Krzywicki. Beatrix Potter, of Peter Rabbit fame, was born in 1866 to a well-off British family. From an early age, she was...
- Oct 1, 2018
THE REAL DIRT ON: The Real Dirt on Derek Jarman
By Carol Buckley. One of the best-loved gardens in Great Britain reaches out to the English Channel seemingly at the wild edge of the...
- Sep 1, 2018
THE REAL DIRT ON: Barbara Menzies: Shunner of Flowers Stuffed in Milk Bottles
By Susan Krzywicki. Barbara Menzies and two of her friends were the impetus behind the Stinson Beach wildflower shows that ran from 1958...
- Aug 1, 2018
THE REAL DIRT ON: Edith Wharton's Pursuit of Excellence
By Carol Buckley. When one thinks of the novels of Edith Wharton—and indeed, her friend, Henry James—one thinks of Americans abroad...
- Jul 1, 2018
THE REAL DIRT ON: Canyoneers Co-Founder Helen Witham Chamlee
By Susan Krzywicki. Local naturalist Helen Witham Chamlee was one of the creators of the Canyoneers, the San Diego Natural History...
- Jun 1, 2018
THE REAL DIRT ON: Arabella Lennox-Boyd's Italian and English Sensibilities
By Carol Buckley. One of Great Britain’s foremost landscape designers for decades has been the Italian-born Hon. Lady Lennox-Boyd. Born...
- May 1, 2018
THE REAL DIRT ON: Mary Anning, or She Who Sells Seashells
By Susan Krzywicki. I am working on an exhibit for the La Jolla Historical Society about canyons in San Diego—the complex ecosystem of...
- Apr 1, 2018
THE REAL DIRT ON: Alice Eastwood: Ardent Conservationist and Explorer
By Carol Buckley. Alice Eastwood was a plucky and bright Canadian American who headed the Department of Botany at the preeminent...
- Mar 1, 2018
THE REAL DIRT ON: Calscape's Dennis Mudd
By Susan Krzywicki. Interested in native plants? Calscape, created by Dennis Mudd, is an online resource you won't want to miss. The...
- Feb 1, 2018
THE REAL DIRT ON: George Washington Carver: Educator, Botanist, and Champion for Poor Farmers
By Carol Buckley. I’ll never forget a talk about George Washington Carver given by an older student when I was in grammar school, but the...
- Jan 1, 2018
THE REAL DIRT ON: Norbert Rillieux: Engineer, Inventor, and Father of Sugar Processing
By Susan Krzywicki. Sugar production in California has a long and, excuse the pun, lumpy history. But understanding the history of sugar...
- Dec 1, 2017
THE REAL DIRT ON:Roberto Burle Marx: Brazilian Modernist Landscape Architect
By Carol Buckley. The story of landscape architect Roberto Burle Marx pivots on a paradox of colonialism. Born in 1909 in São Paulo, and...
- Nov 1, 2017
THE REAL DIRT ON: Harriet Williams Russell Strong
By Susan Krzywicki. Connections always make knowledge more fun. When I saw that Harriet Strong had been educated at Miss Mary Atkins'...
- Oct 1, 2017
THE REAL DIRT ON: Edna Walling: A Progressive Australian Landscape Designer
By Carol Buckley. One of Australia’s foremost garden designers was born in York, England, in 1895. Edna Margaret Walling began her love...
- Sep 1, 2017
THE REAL DIRT ON: Ynés Mexía: A Short (but Impressive!) Career in Botany
By Susan Krzywicki. There seems to be no end to the fascinating characters that have contributed to our state’s botanical and...
- Aug 1, 2017
THE REAL DIRT ON: Horace Mann Jr.
By Carol Buckley. Perched on a slope high above the Pacific Ocean on Kauai, 20-year-old Horace Mann Jr. collected a fern (to be named...
- Jul 1, 2017
THE REAL DIRT ON: Peter Raven, Biodiversity Maven
By Susan Krzywicki. Peter Raven is the beloved American botanist and environmentalist who has advised the Pope, run the famed Missouri...
- Jun 1, 2017
THE REAL DIRT ON: Mary Tyler Peabody Mann
By Carol Buckley. As a daughter of 19th century Massachusetts, Mary Tyler Peabody Mann, born in 1806, was exposed to the...
- May 1, 2017
THE REAL DIRT ON: Katharine Brandegee
By Susan Krzywicki. Mary Katharine (Layne) Brandegee was born in 1844 in western Tennessee and frequently moved westward with her parents...
- Apr 1, 2017
THE REAL DIRT ON: Dame Sylvia Crowe
By Carol Buckley. In these times of growing concern about land use and the need for development, the British landscape architect Dame...
- Mar 1, 2017
THE REAL DIRT ON: Ed Peterson (Consummate Native Plant Seedsman)
By Susan Krzywicki. Ed Peterson (1905-2005) was “seedsman and volunteer extraordinaire” for the Theodore Payne Foundation for Wildflowers...
- Feb 1, 2017
THE REAL DIRT ON: Sir Harry James Veitch
By Carol Buckley. Perhaps the Chelsea Flower Show’s existence owes more to one person than any other: Sir Harry James Veitch. Born in...
- Jan 1, 2017
THE REAL DIRT ON: Betty Young
By: Susan Krzywicki. Betty Young is a major figure in California native plant restoration nursery management. She’s “written the book” on...
Our Mission To inspire and educate the people of San Diego County to grow and enjoy plants, and to create beautiful, environmentally responsible gardens and landscapes.
Our Vision To champion regionally appropriate horticulture in San Diego County.
© 2024 San Diego Horticultural Society
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