Blame the Spencers
For the downfall of sweet peas, fragrance-loving gardeners still point an angry finger at Althorp and its longtime gardener, Silas Cole. I, but not my cousin Ben, am descended from the Spencer family of England, and even wear the name. Over the years my dear…
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Her Honor For A Potato Crop
Should a community garden director be free to hawk her Olympic torch? Sarah Milner Simonds was honored by the Olympic committee to carry the Olympic torch along part of its route to the 2012 summer games. Simonds, a 38-year-old horticulturist, was chosen for her work…
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Laura Pollán’s Gladiolas of Freedom
The leader of Cuba’s Damas de Blanco has died after winning the freedom of their family members. But the cause goes on, fortified by her defiant flower. Why symbolism? And, at the root, why flower symbolism? The direct floral action of Laura Pollán Toledo can…
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Hawaii’s Delegation to Selma
A feminist and psychologist in London amplifies our story of how leis joined the March from Selma to Montgomery in 1965. Many thanks to Nona Ferdon for filling in some of the gaps in our story of flowers in the history-making March from Selma to…
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