Today we celebrate a gardener who was also a Founding Father and a Governor of New York. We'll also learn about a botanist who brought back the Bird of Paradise (Strelitzia reginae "strel-IT-zee-ah REJ-in-ee") as well as a plant that is now the oldest living potted plant at Kew. We hear a charming poem that takes us through the seasons by an English poet who was friends with many poets, including Mary Wollstonecraft. We Grow That Garden Library™ with a good ol’ garden book that teaches how to grow your own food. And then we’ll wrap things up with another delightful story about the Mistletoe - this one is a heart-warmer.   Subscribe Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart To listen to the show while you're at home, just ask Alexa or Google to “Play the latest episode of The Daily Gardener Podcast.” And she will. It's just that easy.   The Daily Gardener Friday Newsletter Sign up for the FREE Friday Newsletter featuring: A personal update from me Garden-related items for your calendar The Grow That Garden Library™ featured books for the week Gardener gift ideas Garden-inspired recipes Exclusive updates regarding the show Plus, each week, one lucky subscriber wins a book from the Grow That Garden Library™ bookshelf.   Gardener Greetings Send your garden pics, stories, birthday wishes, and so forth to Jennifer@theDailyGardener.org   Curated Garden News 6 Great Plants for a New Perennial Design | Fine Gardening | Greg Loades   Facebook Group I share all of my curated news articles and original blog posts with the Listener Community in the Free Facebook Group - The Daily Gardener Community. So, there’s no need to take notes or search for links. The next time you're on Facebook, search for Daily Gardener Community where you’d search for a friend... and request to join. I'd love to meet you in the group.   Important Events December 23, 1745 Today is the birthday of the American Founding Father and gardener John Jay. When he wasn’t serving as the second Governor of New York and the United States' first Chief Justice, John Jay loved to garden. John’s ancestral home was in Rye, New York. And today, the Jay Heritage Center oversees the Jay Estate and the incredible landscape, which includes stone ha-ha walls from 1822, one-and-a-half acres of historic sunken gardens from the 1700s, a meadow, an apple orchard, and elm tree allée. And here's a little fun fact about John Jay: His great-granddaughter, Mary Rutherfurd Jay, grew up on the ancestral Jay estate. She became one of America's earliest landscape architects and an advocate of horticultural education and women's careers. In 1801, John and his wife, Sarah, retired to their farmhouse in Bedford, Westchester County. Yet, their dream of settled farm life was cut short when Sarah died at age 45. John never remarried, and he lived out his remaining 30 years on this earth as a gentleman farmer. Today the John Jay Homestead features four gardens that reflect the John Jay family: The Formal Gardens feature a fountain and a sundial. The Terrace Garden features deer resistant plants and an apple orchard in a nod to John Jay’s original orchard. And the old cutting garden is now an Herb Garden that was re-designed by Page Dickey, who laid out a 17th-century English knot garden. There’s also a Teaching Garden to inspire kids to get involved in horticulture. Personally, I find the most touching garden of all is the blue and white North Courtyard Garden, which was inspired by a book of pressed flowers from John’s daughter, Maria Jay. This charming blue and white garden features violets, poppies, and irises, which bloom from spring to fall. And, I should mention that all of the gardens at the John Jay homestead are tended by local garden clubs.   December 23, 1805  Today is the anniversary of the death of the Scottish gardener, botanical illustrator, and the very first plant hunter for Kew, Francis Masson. After proving himself capable at Kew, Joseph Banks sent Francis on an expedition to