Ep. 15 Lost Ladies of Garden Writing with Carol Michel
Carol Michel is a garden author and co-host of The Gardenangelists podcast. She boasts of having the world’s largest hoe collection…which is overshadowed only by her library-worthy collection of gardening books. Among the hundreds of volumes on her shelves are hard-to-find copies of books by a number of American women who were horticultural experts of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, but who have been all but forgotten by history. To honour them, Carol started a Substack called the Lost Ladies of Garden Writing. On this week’s episode of Plants Always Win, she invites us into some of their stories. Publishing styles and garden trends change over time, but some things stay the same. People want to know how to make their poinsettia re-bloom, how to get rid of pests, how to find the hottest new cultivar. Carol uses genealogical records, newspaper archives, and Google Books to piece together the lives of the women who were answering those questions in decades past, then shares them with her subscribers. It’s a project of passion and dedication, and it has given her some extraordinary stories to tell!Lost Ladies featured in this episode include:Cynthia Westcott, who saved the Azaleas of the southern United States Grace (G.A.) Woolson who was, as America’s foremost fern expert, often assumed to be a manViola Brainerd Baird, whose 1940s Wild Violets of North America is still unmatchedKate Brewster, whose book The Little Garden for Little Money was somewhat hampered by her own wealthAlma C. Guillet moved from Toronto to New York City and catalogued all the trees and shrubs in Central ParkMrs. L.L. Huffman, who wrote under her husband’s initials and was actually called Minnie EnolaSome better-known ladies of garden writing are also mentioned:Cassandra Danz, A.K.A. Mrs. GreenthumbsElizabeth Lawrence, whose Charlotte, North Carolina garden was so beloved it’s now part of a bird sanctuaryJean Hersey, whose book The Shape of the Year is still read and enjoyedTo enjoy more garden gab with Carol, find her in the following places:The Lost Ladies of Garden Writing Substack, which is updated weekly with new lost ladiesHer helpful weekly gardening newsletter, In the Garden with Carol J MichelThe Gardenangelists Podcast, which she co-hosts with Dee NashHer website, caroljmichel.com, where you will also find her books of humorous and helpful gardening essays:Potted and Pruned: Living a Gardening LifeHomegrown and Handpicked: A Year in a Gardening LifeSeeded and Sodded: Thoughts from a Gardening LifeCreatures and Critters: Who’s in my GardenDigging and Delighted: Live your Best Gardening LifeComments? Feedback? Want your garden question to be featured in a future Q&A segment? Email us, reach out over social media, or get Q&A priority by supporting us on Patreon. Bluesky: @plantsalwayswin.com TikTok: @plantsalwayswinpodcast YouTube: @plantsalwayswinpodcastWebsite: www.plantsalwayswin.com CreditsWebsite Design and Illustration by Sophia AlladinIntro and Outro Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/soundroll/when-my-ukulele-playsLicense code: GWOIMMBAS15FG6PHTimestamps00:30 Introducing Carol Michel01:30 The World's Largest Hoe Collection04:45 Carol's Gardening Book Library07:40 The Lost Ladies of Garden Writing Project10:30 Garden Writing Then and Now11:34 Cynthia Westcott, PhD: The Gardener's Bug Book13:48 Can We Trust Old Gardening Books?15:18 Buckner Hollingsworth, Gardening on Main Street16:51 Carol convinces Sean to Become a Collector19:57 G.A. (Grace) Woolson, Ferns24:39 Elizabeth Lawrence, A Southern Garden26:29 How Carol Does her Research27:38 Writing Under their Husbands' Names29:33 Kate Brewster, The Little Garden for Little Money30:41 Jean Hersey, The Shape of the Year34:36 Alma C. Guillet, Make Friends of the Trees and Shrubs 35:20 Cassandra Danz, Mrs. Greenthumbs38:54 Carol's "Humorous but Helpful" Gardening Books39:07 Find Carol Online40:53 Contact us and Outro
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