Today we celebrate a man who wrote one of the most influential herbals in history and the French botanist who created the modern strawberry. We'll learn about the Father of Paleobotany and the sweet little Orchid known as the moccasin flower. Today's Unearthed Words feature words about winter. We Grow That Garden Library™ with the diary of a fabulous nurserywoman and garden designer. I'll talk about a garden item to get hung up on... and then we'll wrap things up with the fascinating birth flowers for the month of February. But first, let's catch up on a few recent events.   Subscribe Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart   Curated Articles Plant of the Month: The Sensitive Plant | JSTOR Daily JSTOR is a digital library for scholars, researchers, and students. Aw... it's The Sensitive Plant! Whenever you touch it, the leaves fold up like a fan along its stem. "At first glance, Mimosa pudica ("poo-DEE-cah") is a plant that most people would consider a weed. It grows close to the ground, with countless delicate leaflets, puffy pinkish balls of flowers, and small bunches of legumes. So it makes sense that Mimosa pudica would be known as the "Humble Plant," but what about its association with other names, like "Herb of Love" and "Sensitive Plant"?   When Linnaeus considered what separated living from non-living things he wrote, "Stones grow; plants grow and live; animals grow, live, and feel." With the Mimosa's apparent ability to feel, many people felt that the Sensitive Plant took on animal characteristics with its strong reaction to touch. The Sensitive Plant fascinated 18th-century botanists, scientists, and poets who often compared the plant to animals because of the reaction of the plant; contracting after being touched. In 1791, Erasmus Darwin wrote about the Sensitive Plant in a poem called The Botanic Garden. Weak with nice sense, this chaste Mimosa stands From each rude touch withdraws her timid hands; Oft as light clouds o’er-pass the Summer-glade, And feels, alive through all her tender form, The whisper’d murmurs of the gathering storm; Shuts her sweet eye-lids to approaching night, And hails with freshen’d charms the rising light.   Honey Plant Growth Stimulator - Using Honey To Root Cuttings This post is from Gardening Know How. "Many people have found success with using honey to root cuttings. It is, after all, a natural antiseptic and contains anti-fungal properties — allowing the little cuttings to remain healthy and strong. Some people have even added honey to willow water to aid in rooting."   Now, if you'd like to check out these curated articles for yourself, you're in luck, because I share all of it with the Listener Community in the Free Facebook Group - The Daily Gardener Community. There's no need to take notes or search for links - the next time you're on Facebook, search for Daily Gardener Community and request to join. I'd love to meet you in the group.   Important Events 1515  Today is the birthday of Valerius Cordus. Cordus was the author of one of the most influential herbals in history. In fact, centuries later, the botanist Thomas Archibald Sprague re-published "The Herbal of Valerius Cordus" with his older sister, who he considered to be the best botanist in his botanist family. After the book was published, Sprague gifted her with a personal and gorgeous bound copy. He had the book dedicated to her in Latin: "M. S. Sprague praeceptrici olim hodie collaboratrici d.d. T. A. Sprague" - basically, thanking her for all that she had taught him and collaborated with him. Valerius Cordus died young, at the age of 29. He had contracted malaria. In 1544, Valerius had spent the summer botanizing in Italy with two French naturalists. At some point, he had waded into marshes in search of new plants. When he became sick a short time later, his friends brought him to Rome, and then, they continued on to Naples. When they returned for him, they found their friend, Valerius, had died. We owe a debt of