January 29, 2026 William Jack, David Douglas, Henry David Thoreau, My Garden by Jacqueline van der Kloet, and Ebenezer Howard

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Today’s Show Notes

Late January doesn’t bring much drama. No big turning point. No clear signal.

Instead, it gives us time.

Time to look closely at what’s already been shaped — by weather, by decisions, by people who came before us.

And today holds stories about distance — how far some people went for plants, and how others tried to bring nature closer to where people live.

Today’s Garden History

1795 William Jack was born in Aberdeen, Scotland.

He came from a scholarly family and moved quickly through his education, earning his degree and medical training while still very young.

At eighteen, he left Britain for India as part of the East India Company’s medical service.

And somewhere along the way, botany took hold.

While stationed in Calcutta, Jack met Stamford Raffles — the founder of Singapore and a passionate naturalist — and followed him to Sumatra to study the island’s natural history.

For four years, Jack collected, described, and documented plants in difficult tropical conditions.

The cost was high. His health steadily declined.

In 1822, he was placed aboard a ship at Bencoolen and sent toward the Cape of Good Hope in hopes that the sea voyage might restore him.

He died the next day — from tuberculosis complicated by malaria.

William Jack was twenty-seven years old.

His work did not vanish with him.

His name lives on in plant taxonomy — including the genus Jackia — one of the quiet ways botany remembers its own.

1834 David Douglas reached the summit of Mauna Loa in Hawaiʻi.

Douglas is easiest to remember by the tree that bears his name — the Douglas fir.

But his life was far larger than a single species.

He crossed oceans. Traveled thousands of miles on foot. Climbed mountains. Collected relentlessly.

Just weeks after that summit, Douglas would be dead.

He had arrived at the northern tip of Hawaiʻi with his faithful traveling companion — his small Scottish terrier, Billy.

One morning, as he often did, Douglas and Billy set out to explore after breakfast.

By noon, his body — and an enraged bull — were found in one of the deep pits used to trap feral cattle.

Billy was discovered above the pit, sitting beside his master’s pack.

Whether Douglas fell accidentally or was pushed has never been resolved.

What we do know is that he identified and introduced more than two hundred plant species to European science — more than any other botanist of his time, despite having no formal training.

A memorial in Honolulu reads:

“Here lies Master David Douglas — an indefatigable traveler. He was sent out by the Royal Horticultural Society of London and gave his life for science.”

Unearthed Words

In today’s Unearthed Words, we hear an excerpt from Henry David Thoreau, writing on this day in 1856.

He writes of Miss Minott:

“Miss Minott has been obliged to have some of her locusts about the house cut down.

She remembers when the whole top of the elm north of the road close to Dr. Heywood’s broke off — when she was a little girl.

It must have been there before eighteen hundred.”

What Thoreau is noting here is the particular kind of grief that follows the loss of a tree.

Remember, the year was 1856, and Thoreau points out that Miss Minott’s loss of her beautiful locusts had called to mind an earlier loss, more than fifty-six years before.

She had been a child when a great elm fell. She remembered it still.

In the days after trees leave us, our eyes often refuse to accept the loss of their form against the sky.

You can still see their shape in the void. Still expect their shadow on the ground.

And then one day, you look in the place where it stood and you see nothing.

You accept they are gone.

The tree’s ghost finally slips from your mind’s eye.

That’s the final cut.

Book Recommendation

My Garden by Jacqueline van der Kloet

It’s time to grow the Grow That Garden Library, with today’s book: My Garden by Jacqueline van der Kloet, published in 2025.

Jacqueline is a Dutch garden designer known for her naturalistic style and her extraordinary use of bulbs — layered so they feel like light moving through the year.

This book unfolds month by month. Not as a transformation story, but as a record of continuity.

She shows the same views again and again, so you can watch the garden change with the seasons.

Late January is when we start imagining.

And this book is a good companion for that — because it doesn’t push you to do more.

It teaches you to look longer. To notice what improves when you stay with it.

Botanic Spark

And finally, here's something sweet to ignite the little botanic spark in your heart.

1850 Ebenezer Howard was born — the founder of the Garden City movement.

Howard believed people shouldn’t have to choose between opportunity and nature.

He wrote:

“There are not only two alternatives — town life and country life — but a third alternative, in which the advantages of both may be secured in perfect combination.”

That idea still matters.

And it doesn’t require grand plans.

It can begin with trees in front yards, containers on balconies, plantings on rooftops, raised beds at schools and churches, community gardens — or even small bouquets tucked into mailboxes.

Nature belongs where people live.

Final Thoughts

As we close the show today, I keep thinking about legacy in our gardens.

William Jack didn’t live long enough to see the reach of his work.

David Douglas never knew how enduring his name would become.

And Thoreau reminds us that trees outlast our attention — until they don’t.

This is a good moment to plan for longevity. To think ahead. To plant trees and gardens where you can. To build resilience into the landscapes you’re shaping now.

And to build your own resilience as a gardener.

When it comes to leaving a legacy, persistence matters.

Thanks for listening to The Daily Gardener.
And remember, for a happy, healthy life, garden every day.