Today we celebrate the Russian botanist who sought to end world hunger and created a seed bank. We'll also learn about a Landscape Architect known for her delicate illustrations and her love of realistic sculpture. We’ll hear some thoughts on growing bulbs in pots by one of my favorite gardeners. We Grow That Garden Library™ with a book that proves anyone can draw botanical illustrations - even me. And then we’ll wrap things up with a National Seed Swap Day the Pandemic Way.   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 News 5 Front-Yard Landscaping Secrets | Better Homes & Gardens    Facebook Group If you'd like to check out my curated news articles and original blog posts for yourself, you're in luck. I share all of it 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 January 26, 1943 Today is the anniversary of the tragic death of the Russian botanist and plant geneticist Nikolai Vavilov. Regarded as one of the giants of plant science, Nikolai established over 400 research institutes, and he brought Russian plant explorers on expeditions to more than 50 countries around the globe. Worried about genetic erosion and destruction, Nikolai marshaled his resources toward preserving plant genetic diversity at every turn. To that end, Nikolai hoped that seed banking and his St. Petersburg seed vault would prove invaluable. The goal of ending hunger drove Nikolai, and to that end, he worked to collect specimens and run experiments in order to increase crop yields. After concluding that genetic diversity was the key to his mission, Nikoli realized that most of the world's agriculture came from eight specific regions - places with ancient roots where plants were first cultivated. Nikolai got caught up in the politics of communism when a fanatical Soviet agronomist and geneticist, Trofim Lysenko, denounced Nikolai’s work as anti-communist. After being arrested in 1940, Nikolai was sent to a concentration camp at Saratov, where he eventually died of starvation on this day in 1943. He was 55 years old. Meanwhile, Nikolai’s loyal team of seed collectors also faced starvation - and some starved to death  - as they held up in the Russian seed bank. Despite being surrounded by many edible seeds, these valiant botanists successfully protected seeds from all over the world during the 900-day siege of St. Petersburg by German and Finish forces. Today this seed genebank is known as the Vavilov Institute of Plant Genetic Resources.   January 26, 1905 Today is the birthday of the Connecticut landscape architect Eloise Ray. In Ruth Harley’s book Pest-Proofing Your Garden, we get a little glimpse into Eloise’s approach to gardening: “Eloise confesses that she long ago gave up her battle with the local groundhog. Over the years, she determined which plants appeal to him.  Now she limits her crops to the plants the groundhog doesn’t eat — tomatoes, eggplants, red and green peppers, chives, all kinds of onions and, perhaps, parsley.” As a Landscape Architect, Eloise often worked with her husband, Jo Ray,