.
James Lockwood Belden–1774-1847-Wethersfield, Connecticut–
Established Wethersfield Seed Gardens in 1820 (or possibly 1811). Belden sold the company in 1838 to Judge Comstock and his son, William G. Comstock.
Information from the Smithsonian Institution Libraries and private research.
.
Thursday, December 12, 2019
Wednesday, December 11, 2019
Plants in Early American Gardens - Ducher China Rose
Formerly called Rosa indica ‘Ducher’ and Bengale Ducher, this white China rose was bred by Jean-Claude Ducher (1829-1874), of Lyon, France, and introduced in 1869. Like most China roses, ‘Ducher’ flowers in flushes throughout the season, but most reliably if the spent blossoms are removed; otherwise it will produce persistent, orange-red hips. The China roses bloom on new wood, so prune early to promote growth and flowering.
For more information & the possible availability for purchase
Tuesday, December 10, 2019
Primary Source - 1736 Gardens in Georgia
Frederica in Georgia the 12th of April, 1736.
THERE is a Town laid out here, and 37 Palmetto Houses built, in which all the People are sheltered till they can build better. The Town Lotts are already given out to each Family; those upon the Strand consist of 30 Feet in Front, and 60 Feet in Depth; those farther from the River are 60 Feet in Front; upon 90 Feet in Depth. The Garden Lotts of one Acre each which are within half a Mile of the Town, are already marked out, and Possession will be given to the People on Monday next; besides which the People in common plant Corn in an old Indian field of about 60 Acres. There is a Team of Horses and a Plough, with which there is some Ground turned up, and in it some Flax and Hemp seed sowed, as also half an Acre of Barley, which is come up very well, and some Lucern grass. We have a pretty deal of Potatoes in the Ground...
Pennsylvania Gazette June 24, 1736.
Monday, December 9, 2019
Plants in Early American Gardens - Mutabilis Rose
‘Mutabilis’, also known as ‘Tipo Ideale’, is likely an old Chinese garden hybrid of mysterious origins. It was introduced to the West before 1894. The silken flowers are constantly transforming from copper-orange buds to lustrous pale peach when opened. Because the flowers are delicately poised on their stems, the rose is also called “the butterfly rose.” It is often associated with old Southern gardens and thrives in the Deep South.
For more information & the possible availability for purchase
Sunday, December 8, 2019
Holding on to The Sweet Divine - Flower Still Lifes Instead of Real Flowers in the 17C
.
Abraham de Lust (Flemish artist, active mid 17th century) Flower Still Life
Now an abundant everyday item, cut flowers were prized luxuries in 17th-century Europe, England, and her colonies. Only the most affluent could afford to have them in their homes and gardens. That is why early explorers of Atlantic America described the flowers growing wild in the new colonies so carefully. A general growing prosperity in Europe during the course of the 17th century, however, eventually caused flower gardens to become more popular. The garden was considered an extension of the home and vice versa, with garden bouquets often decorating the home.
Abraham Mignon (Dutch Baroque Era Painter, 1640-1679) Hanging Bouquet of Flowers
Introduced from Asia around 1600, the anemone, crocus, hyacinth and tulips were immensely popular in Europe. The Dutch trade in flower bulbs, tulips in particular, proved a highly lucrative business. In around 1630, at the height of ‘Tulip Mania,’ an exceptional tulip bulb could cost as much as an entire house on a Dutch canal.
Alexander Adriaenssen (Flemish Baroque Era painter, 1587-1661) Flowers in Glass Vase
The average citizen simply could not afford a bouquet for home. The first flower still lifes appeared in the Netherlands during the early 1600s, as a means of meeting the demand for flowers. A painting of a flower was much less expensive than an actual bouquet and lasted for generations instead of days. Many early flower still life painters were German, Dutch, and Flemish. Some trained there, then moved throughout Europe and sailed to England, as the popularity of the genre spread.
Ambrosius Bosschaert the Elder (Dutch Baroque Era Painter, 1573-1621) Glass with Four Tulips 1615
Flower still lifes were still in vogue during the 18th and 19th centuries, when the rise of large-scale commercial bulb-growing transformed the Netherlands into the flower nation that it remains to this day. Now bulbs are exported around the world.
Balthasar van der Ast (Dutch Baroque painter, 1593-94–1657) Still Life with Flowers 1632
Cornelis de Heem (Dutch Baroque Era Painter, 1631-1695) Still Life with Bird
Elias van den Broeck (Dutch Baroque painter, 1649–1708) Vase of Flowers
Jacob Marrel (Dutch Baroque Era Painter, ca.1613-1681) Flower Study
Jan Davidsz. de Heem (Dutch Baroque painter, 1606-1683-84) Still Life
Jan Philip van Thielen (Flemish Baroque painter, 1618–1667) Still Life of Flowers
Jan van Kessel (Antwerp, 1626-idem, 1679) Still Life
Maria van Oosterwyck (Oosterwijck) (Dutch Baroque painter, 1630-1693) Flower Still Life 1669
Peter Binoit (German artist, fl 1611-1620) Flowers in a Glass Beaker 1620
Roelandt Savery (Flemish Northern Renaissance painter, 1576-1639) Flowers in a Niche 1611
Simon Verelst (Dutch Baroque Era Painter, c 1644-1721) Flowers in a Vase 1669
Willem van Aelst (Dutch artist, 1627-1683) Flower Still Life 1656
Now an abundant everyday item, cut flowers were prized luxuries in 17th-century Europe, England, and her colonies. Only the most affluent could afford to have them in their homes and gardens. That is why early explorers of Atlantic America described the flowers growing wild in the new colonies so carefully. A general growing prosperity in Europe during the course of the 17th century, however, eventually caused flower gardens to become more popular. The garden was considered an extension of the home and vice versa, with garden bouquets often decorating the home.
Introduced from Asia around 1600, the anemone, crocus, hyacinth and tulips were immensely popular in Europe. The Dutch trade in flower bulbs, tulips in particular, proved a highly lucrative business. In around 1630, at the height of ‘Tulip Mania,’ an exceptional tulip bulb could cost as much as an entire house on a Dutch canal.
The average citizen simply could not afford a bouquet for home. The first flower still lifes appeared in the Netherlands during the early 1600s, as a means of meeting the demand for flowers. A painting of a flower was much less expensive than an actual bouquet and lasted for generations instead of days. Many early flower still life painters were German, Dutch, and Flemish. Some trained there, then moved throughout Europe and sailed to England, as the popularity of the genre spread.
Flower still lifes were still in vogue during the 18th and 19th centuries, when the rise of large-scale commercial bulb-growing transformed the Netherlands into the flower nation that it remains to this day. Now bulbs are exported around the world.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)