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In Search of the First Flower

February 10, 2021

By Dr. David Galbraith, Head of Science, Royal Botanical Gardens. Flowers are everywhere in our world today. The majestic Magnolias, Lilacs, and Roses are all ...

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Celebrating RBG’s Wetlands

February 2, 2021

By Barb McKean, Head of Education, Royal Botanical Gardens. What’s so special about wetlands? While the department at RBG that cares for and manages our ...

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Botanicult Fiction: “This Plant Eats Bits of Meat!”

February 1, 2021

By Alex Henderson, Curator of Living Collections, Royal Botanical Gardens Growing up in the north of England was frequently an austere experience spending my formative ...

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How Micro-Plastics Impact Plant Health and Our Food

January 28, 2021

By Nina Hunt, Herbarium Intern, Royal Botanical Gardens. Scientists estimate that one third of all plastic waste ends up in soils and freshwater. Most of ...

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Botanicult Fiction: 2001: A Space Odyssey

January 25, 2021

By Dr. David Galbraith, Head of Science, Royal Botanical Gardens More than fifty years after its premier, 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968, directed by Stanley Kubrick, written ...

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Being a Sub-Zero Locavore; eating local in winter

January 14, 2021

By Nadine Nesbitt, Public Programs Coordinator, Royal Botanical Gardens. Eating locally isn’t just good for our health, but helps to support our neighbourhood businesses and ...

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Is There a “Perfect” Time of Year to Hike?

January 12, 2021

By Jackson Hudecki, Special Programs Coordinator, Royal Botanical Gardens. I try not to use the word “perfect” to describe much in life, but recently some ...

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Winter Hiking on the Trails

January 4, 2021

By Barb McKean, Head of Education, Royal Botanical Gardens. Taking Care When Hiking Hamilton and Burlington have to be the hiking-est cities around. Linked by ...

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The Everlasting Battle of the Oak King and Holly King

December 23, 2020

By Alex Henderson, Curator of Living Collections, Royal Botanical Gardens. The day that many celebrate Christmas has its origins in the deep history of ancient ...

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Keeping Cozy in Winter: Squirrel Dreys

December 17, 2020

By Danielle Barrett, Education Resource Interpreter/Interprète de la nature, Royal Botanical Gardens. It is December and you go for a walk in your neighbourhood and ...

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Botanicult Fiction: Something Wicker This Way Comes

December 15, 2020

By Alex Henderson, Curator of Living Collections, Royal Botanical Gardens The Wicker Man is a 1973 film directed by Robin Hardy, written by Anthony Shaffer ...

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Botanicult Fiction: Star Trek’s The Infinite Vulcan

December 8, 2020

By Dr. David Galbraith, Head of Science, Royal Botanical Gardens Many Star Trek stories have become interconnected since the original series ran in the late ...

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Sustainable Gifting Guide

December 3, 2020

By Chris McAnally, Environmental Sustainability Coordinator, Royal Botanical Gardens. December is a time of celebration for many folks across several faiths and belief systems. For ...

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3 Sustainable Wrapping Ideas

November 30, 2020

The holidays are a time full of cheer and beauty, from the festive meals and brightly coloured lights, right through to the décor that brightens ...

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Botanicult Fiction: This Side of Paradise

November 25, 2020

By Dr. David Galbraith, Head of Science, Royal Botanical Gardens This Side of Paradise, the 24th episode of the first season of the original Star ...

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Exploring Conifers

November 24, 2020

By Jon Peter, Curator & Plant Records Manager, Royal Botanical Gardens. As we approach the holiday season and winter ahead, there is one division of ...

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The Art of Trees

November 20, 2020

By Iona Whatford, Garden Interpreter, Royal Botanical Gardens. Have you ever wondered what happens to fallen trees at RBG? Some become works of art which ...

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A World of Botany in a Piece of Cake

November 19, 2020

By Barb McKean, Head of Education, Royal Botanical Gardens. Not too long after we put the clocks back each fall, a harbinger of the holiday ...

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Botanicult Fiction: The Happening

November 18, 2020

By Alex Henderson, Curator of Living Collections, Royal Botanical Gardens The Happening is a 2008 film by M. Night Shyamalan starring Mark Wahlberg, Zooey Deschanel, John Leguizamo, ...

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How a Common Wildflower became the Symbol of Remembrance Day

November 11, 2020

By Dr. David Galbraith, Head of Science, Royal Botanical Gardens. The common poppy (Papaver rhoeas) has for thousands of years been a familiar sight in ...

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Botanicult Fiction: Tomatoes, are they Fruit, Vegetables, or Murderers?

November 10, 2020

By Dr. David Galbraith, Head of Science, Royal Botanical Gardens Since the 1978 release of the movie Attack of the Killer Tomatoes! it has become ...

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A Botanical Perspective on Tea

November 5, 2020

By Nadia Cavallin, Field Botanist, Royal Botanical Gardens. I love tea so, as a botanist, it’s funny that I had not considered the plant much. ...

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You Otter Hear About This!

November 3, 2020

By Jackson Hudecki, Special Programs Coordinator, Royal Botanical Gardens. Out getting her nature fix and looking for birds this weekend, one of our staff came ...

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Supernatural Botany and Halloween

October 30, 2020

By Alex Henderson, Curator of Living Collections, Royal Botanical Gardens. 2020 has been the strangest year in most people’s living memories but as we approach ...

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The Mystery of Martimas, the Horse of Hendrie Park

October 29, 2020

By Lauren McAusland, Interpretation Intern, Royal Botanical Gardens. As the colourful leaves begin to fall and a chill enters the night air, you may have ...

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Bats at RBG

October 28, 2020

By Iona Whatford, Garden Interpreter, Royal Botanical Gardens. What comes to mind when you hear the word “bat”? Unfortunately, bats tend to get a bad ...

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On Outdoor Environmental Education

October 21, 2020

By Barb McKean, Head of Education, Royal Botanical Gardens. The pandemic has been a major disrupter in every sector of our society, shining its germy ...

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5 Reasons to Visit the Arboretum

October 16, 2020

By Jackson Hudecki, Special Programs Coordinator, Royal Botanical Gardens. If you have never heard of a “tree museum” before, you are probably not alone. One ...

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Charming Chrysanthemums

October 15, 2020

Chrysanthemums, also known as mums, are a fall favourite for many; they add beautiful fall tones to any garden or container. They come in many ...

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Botanicult Fiction: Will the Real James Bond Reveal Himself

October 8, 2020

By Alex Henderson, Curator of Living Collections, Royal Botanical Gardens. All life on earth depends on Plants. For this reason, I think we can thereforetalk ...

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All About Fall Colours

October 1, 2020

By Iona Whatford, Garden Interpreter, Royal Botanical Gardens. Fall is often celebrated for its cozy temperatures, yummy foods, and of course, colourful fall foliage. Beautiful ...

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Botanicult Fiction: Plants in Space, Fact or Fiction?

September 28, 2020

By Dr. David Galbraith, Head of Science, Royal Botanical Gardens It might seem like living plants in space is in the realm of science fiction, ...

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Evergreens vs Conifers

September 25, 2020

By Lauren McAusland, Interpretation Intern, Royal Botanical Gardens. As autumn arrives, you may have noticed that some leaves are already starting to turn those beautiful ...

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Botanicult Fiction: The Body Snatchers

September 23, 2020

By Alex Henderson, Curator of Living Collections, Royal Botanical Gardens. The Body Snatchers is a 1955 science fiction novel written by Jack Finney, originally serialized ...

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4 Ontario Trees on the Brink

September 23, 2020

By Christie Brodie, Interpretation Projects Coordinator, Royal Botanical Gardens. Trees are an important part of nearly all ecosystems. They provide us with shade, clean air, ...

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Growing Your Own Garlic

September 18, 2020

By Nadine Nesbitt, Public Programs Coordinator, Royal Botanical Gardens. With autumn’s breeze in the evening air, the end to an abundant growing season is seemingly ...

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Saving Seeds from Your Garden

September 17, 2020

By Rita Shaw, Volunteer, Royal Botanical Gardens. There are several reasons for saving seeds from your garden. Using seeds you have collected will save the ...

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Botanicult Fiction: The Flowering of the Strange Orchid

September 15, 2020

By Alex Henderson, Curator of Living Collections, Royal Botanical Gardens. The Flowering of the Strange Orchid is a short story by H.G. Wells, first published ...

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Growing Milkweed in Ontario

September 10, 2020

By Karin Davidson Taylor, Education Officer, Royal Botanical Gardens. Over the summer, milkweed plants have played a critical role in the lives of the Monarch ...

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Botanicult Fiction: Getting to Know Groot

September 9, 2020

By Dr. David Galbraith, Head of Science, Royal Botanical Gardens (with thanks to Tomasz Wiercioch) The Flora colossi are an amazing species. Able to grow ...

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Botanicult Fiction: Wakanda’s Heart-Shaped Herb

September 2, 2020

(In Memoriam, Chadwick Boseman, 29 November 1976 - 28 August 2020) By Dr. David Galbraith, Head of Science, Royal Botanical Gardens. Traditional societies are often ...

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Essential Pollinators in Your Edible Garden

August 27, 2020

By Karin Davidson Taylor, Education Program Officer, Royal Botanical Gardens. Each winter and spring, we spend time sorting through our seeds to decide what we’d ...

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Botanicult Fiction: Doctor Who The Seeds of Death

August 25, 2020

By Alex Henderson, Curator of Living Collections, Royal Botanical Gardens. H.G. Wells’ War of the World’s is the story that probably first springs to mind ...

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Where are the Monarchs?

August 20, 2020

By Karin Davidson Taylor, Education Program Officer, Royal Botanical Gardens. More than once this summer, I’ve heard the comments, “I haven’t seen as many Monarchs ...

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Planting for Monarchs

August 18, 2020

By Christie Brodie, Interpretation Projects Coordinator, Royal Botanical Gardens. The bold and beautiful Monarch butterfly is a welcome guest in any garden. As an insect, ...

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Botanicult Fiction: The Day of the Triffids

August 17, 2020

By Dr. David Galbraith, Head of Science, Royal Botanical Gardens. Many people encountered science fiction for the first time in high school when assigned John ...

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In Praise of Wasps

August 13, 2020

By Gabe Comezzi, Education Programs Coordinator, Royal Botanical Gardens. Few insects evoke sharper reactions among people of all ages as wasps do. After all, while ...

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Botanicult Fiction: The Ash Tree

August 12, 2020

By Alex Henderson, Curator of Living Collections, Royal Botanical Gardens. In recent years we have become familiar with the decline of ash trees thanks to the ...

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The Importance of Rose Evaluations

August 10, 2020

By Alex Henderson, Curator of Living Collections, Royal Botanical Gardens. As beautiful as the rose garden is it also provides RBG with several great educational ...

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Botanicult Fiction: E.T.(B.): The Extra-Terrestrial (Botanist)

August 6, 2020

By Dr. David Galbraith, Head of Science, Royal Botanical Gardens. In a California forest not far from Los Angeles, a gentle hand comes down to ...

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Celebrating Melons at RBG

August 5, 2020

By Gabe Comezzi, Education Programs Coordinator, Royal Botanical Gardens. For many home gardeners and fruit lovers, summer in Ontario would not be complete without the ...

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Botanicult Fiction: Maneater of Hydra

July 27, 2020

By Alex Henderson, Curator of Living Collections, Royal Botanical Gardens. Have the restrictions for COVID-19 left you feeling bored, frustrated and in need of new ...

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The Moths Eating Our Trees

July 22, 2020

By Christie Brodie, Interpretation Projects Coordinator, Royal Botanical Gardens. If you’ve walked along our trails recently, you may have noticed an abundance of caterpillars and ...

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Botanicult Fiction: The Dyson Tree – Spreading Leaf on a Comet

July 22, 2020

By Dr. David Galbraith, Head of Science, Royal Botanical Gardens. In early 2020 the world lost Dr. Freeman Dyson (15 December 1923 - 28 February ...

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Caring for Roses

July 16, 2020

By Christie Brodie, Interpretation Projects Coordinator, Royal Botanical Gardens. For many gardeners, it’s tricky to have thriving roses. Our northern climates and pesticide bans make ...

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Botanicult Fiction: Botany and the Werewolfery Connection

July 13, 2020

By Alex Henderson, Curator of Living Collections, Royal Botanical Gardens. Werewolf of London is a 1935 horror film produced by Universal Studios as part of ...

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Invasive Worms of Ontario

July 10, 2020

By Gabe Camozzi, Education Programs Officer, Royal Botanical Gardens A tunnelling menace is underfoot, threatening the biodiversity of our forests and the quality of our ...

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Botanicult Fiction: Freeman Lowell, Space Gardener

July 8, 2020

By Dr. David Galbraith, Head of Science, Royal Botanical Gardens. In the third decade of the 21st century we’re used to epic science fiction films ...

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Botanicult Fiction: Creepshow and the Danger of Space Weed

June 30, 2020

By Alex Henderson, Curator of Collections, Royal Botanical Gardens. Creepshow is a classic 1982 horror film written by Stephen King and produced by George A. ...

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Re-Growing Table Scraps In Your Garden

June 26, 2020

By Gabe Camozzi, Education Programs Officer, Royal Botanical Gardens Have you ever looked at the green onion root ends, unused celery stalks, and other table ...

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Heirloom vs. Hybrid

June 25, 2020

By Danielle Barrett, Education Resource Interpreter, Royal Botanical Gardens What is an heirloom vegetable? Heirloom plants including vegetables are old cultivars that were usually passed ...

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Botanicult Fiction: The Man-eating Tree of Madagascar

June 23, 2020

By Dr. David Galbraith, Head of Science, Royal Botanical Gardens. If you had been an avid reader of newspapers in the later part of the ...

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Solar Flares & Purple Rain: Funky Plant Names

June 18, 2020

By Alex Henderson, Curator of Collections, Royal Botanical Gardens Perambulating around the garden this week again offers an insight into some interesting plants not just ...

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Collecting Clematis

June 17, 2020

By Jon Peter, Curator & Plant Records Manager, Royal Botanical Gardens. Clematis is a highly collectable genera of herbaceous perennials and climbing vines. There are ...

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Rejoice! It’s Peony and Iris Peak Bloom

June 15, 2020

By Alex Henderson, Curator of Collections, Royal Botanical Gardens Its an interesting time to be in the plant collections and gardens this week. Mid season ...

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Botanicult Fiction: Doctor Who and the Seeds of Doom

June 15, 2020

By Alex Henderson, Curator of Collections, Royal Botanical Gardens Doctor who and the seeds of Doom, written by Robert Banks Stewart, was the final story ...

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Fantastic Foliage

June 11, 2020

By Jon Peter, Curator & Plant Records Manager, Royal Botanical Gardens As we approach the summer solstice, we come to the time of year when ...

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Strong Youth in a Confusing World

June 9, 2020

By Jackson Hudecki, Special Programs Coordinator, Royal Botanical Gardens It has been 5 years since RBG’s Young Environmental Science (YES) Alliance started. This club for ...

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Botanicult Fiction: Nero Wolfe and An Obsession for Orchids

June 8, 2020

By Dr. David Galbraith, Head of Science, Royal Botanical Gardens Somewhat obsessive, meticulous detectives have been favourite characters in fiction since 1887 when Arthur Conan ...

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Lilacs: What’s in a Name?

June 5, 2020

By Alex Henderson, Curator of Collections, Royal Botanical Gardens The lilac collection has reached peak bloom perfectly in time for the reopening of the Arboretum. ...

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World Environment Day: “Celebrate Biodiversity”

June 5, 2020

By Dr. David Galbraith, Head of Science, Royal Botanical Gardens Every year on June 5 is World Environment Day, and in 2020 the theme is ...

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Photo Tour: June Views at Rock Garden

June 4, 2020

By Jon Peter, Curator & Plant Records Manager, Royal Botanical Gardens I had the privilege to visit Rock Garden on a beautiful day to start ...

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Reflecting on Birding at RBG

June 1, 2020

By Jackson Hudecki, Special Programs Coordinator and Not Just a Birding Club Leader, Royal Botanical Gardens With spring migration coming to an end, I find ...

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Botanicult Fiction: The Thing From Another World

June 1, 2020

By Dr. David Galbraith, Head of Science, Royal Botanical Gardens The classical era of science fiction films began long before 1977’s Star Wars. Several wonderful ...

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The Malus Collection

May 29, 2020

By Jon Peter, Curator & Plant Records Manager, Royal Botanical Gardens The genus Malus is a member of the Rose Family (Rosaceae) and includes edible ...

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Boraginaceae Botanicals

May 28, 2020

By Jon Peter, Curator & Plant Records Manager, Royal Botanical Gardens The borage or forget-me-not family (Boraginaceae) includes approximately 2,000 species of woody and herbaceous ...

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A Celebration of Lilacs

May 27, 2020

By Alex Henderson, Curator of Collections, Royal Botanical Gardens Lilacs (scientific name Syringa) are beloved garden plants and much admired for their showy and fragrant ...

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Botanicult Fiction: The Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster for a Weekend Treat

May 25, 2020

By Alex Henderson, Curator of Collections, Royal Botanical Gardens The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams follows the adventures of Arthur Dent who ...

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Botanicult Fiction: The Arboretum Aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise

May 20, 2020

By Dr. David Galbraith, Head of Science, Royal Botanical Gardens Star Trek hardly needs an introduction. It began over 50 years ago with the TV ...

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Royal Botanical Gardens as a Museum of the Land

May 15, 2020

By Dr. David Galbraith, Head of Science, Royal Botanical Gardens Monday May 18, 2020 is International Museum Day. Museums today are much more exciting and ...

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Scrumptious Succulents

May 14, 2020

By Jon Peter, Curator & Plant Records Manager, Royal Botanical Gardens Have you jumped on the succulent bandwagon? For the past ten years or more, ...

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Botanicult Fiction: Horticultural Horror (The Rose Garden by M.R. James)

May 13, 2020

By Alex Henderson, Curator of Collections, Royal Botanical Gardens Montague Rhodes James (1862-1936) was a prolific mediævalist scholar and Provost of King’s College Cambridge (1905-1918) ...

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Botanical Bloodroot

May 8, 2020

By Jon L. Peter, Curator & Plant Records Manager Bloodroot is a timeless spring ephemeral from the genus Sanguinaria, which comes from the Latin sanguinarius ...

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Sakura Zensen: The Advance of Cherry Blossoms

May 7, 2020

By Alex Henderson, Curator of Collections Flowering cherries are deciduous trees with showy, ornamental flowers in spring, oval serrated leaves, with many species or cultivars ...

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Throw a Garden-Themed Mother’s Day at Home

May 7, 2020

Celebrate Mom with an RBG-inspired day of music and food! Host an elegant Mother's Day Afternoon Tea at home, or let the kids treat Mom ...

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Botanicult Fiction: The Red Weed from Mars

May 5, 2020

By Dr. David Galbraith, Head of Science, Royal Botanical Gardens British author H. G. Wells (1866–1946) was a prolific and imaginative contributor to classic science ...

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Spring Bud Break

May 5, 2020

Contributed by Jon L. Peter, Curator & Plant Records Manager As spring continues to unfold, it reveals a multitude of delight from early spring flowers, ...

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Happy 90th Birthday!

April 29, 2020

Contributed by Jon L. Peter, Curator & Plant Records Manager Some of the best historical records we have from the beginning of RBG are found ...

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Botanicult Fiction: Mutant Island

April 27, 2020

By Tomasz Wiercioch, Coordinator, Cootes to Escarpment EcoPark System Len Wein, Marvel Comics, 1975 A small island in the Pacific is exposed to radiation by ...

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Botanicult Fiction: The Flora of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle Earth

April 22, 2020

By Dr. David Galbraith, Head of Science at Royal Botanical Gardens It’s hard to imagine a landscape without plants: they’re nearly everywhere on earth. Plants ...

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Slow Down and Smell the β-Damascenone

April 18, 2020

Dr. David Galbraith (Head of Science, Royal Botanical Gardens) There is a lot of science involved in sniffing a flower. Flowers in cultivation have been ...

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Dazzling Daffodils

April 14, 2020

Contributed by Jon L. Peter, Curator & Plant Records Manager Daffodils, the genus Narcissus, are prized plants for historical, ornamental and economical importance. This is ...

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Wicked Witch-Hazels

April 6, 2020

Contributed by Jon L. Peter, Curator & Plant Records Manager The Hamamelidaceae family contains some of our finest trees and shrubs. From the intricate bark ...

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The Science of Springtime

April 6, 2020

Dr. David Galbraith (Head of Science, Royal Botanical Gardens) We enjoy a great variety of weather in Canada, which perhaps is why talking about it ...

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Botanicult Fiction: James Bond and the Orchid Connection

April 6, 2020

Are you a fan of martini’s shaken not stirred, James Bond and also like orchids? If so the book for you during self isolation might ...

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