Today we celebrate the man who wrote extensively about the history and flora of Germantown and... We'll learn about the 11-roomed garden created to honor the tobacco magnate James Buchanan Duke. We'll hear some beautiful thoughts on nature by an English Victorian author who was born on this day in 1819. We Grow That Garden Library with an adorable old book on topiaries. I'll talk about foraging for a Yule Log, and then we'll wrap things up with a friendly post about November strawberries from 1843. But first, let's catch up on a few recent events.     Gravel Bed Garden Design: Tips On Laying A Gravel Garden  | @gardenknowhow By: Becca Badgett, Co-author of How to Grow an EMERGENCY Garden   I love gravel beds in gardens. I don't see them very often, but when I do, they definitely get my full attention. I especially love it when they are enhanced with a water feature like an urn fountain or a rain chain. Becca suggests incorporating: "Ornamental grasses, herbaceous perennials, and even trees or shrubs may be suitable. Install plants into the soil. Add any hardscape features such as benches, water features, clay pots, or tin planters. Large boulders complement the gravel garden construction." If you're thinking about installing a gravel bed in your 2020 garden, check out this post.     The Ultimate List of 30 Best Perennials for Landscaping | Richard Spencer @rs_garden_care Secretsofgardening.com recently updated this comprehensive post. I love how Richard starts this post out: "When choosing plants for your yard for the first time, it can be overwhelming without a lot of experience to try to find the best perennials for landscaping and the ones that give the highest value for your money. As we are visual creatures, we tend to pay at first more attention to external things, and that’s not always the right way to go." This is where advice from a seasoned expert comes in handy, and Richard's list is an excellent place to start.      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 track down links - the next time you're on Facebook, just search for Daily Gardener Community and request to join. I'd love to meet you in the group.       Brevities   #OTD  Today is the birthday of the Germantown historian, botanist, and writer Edwin Jellett who was born on this day in 1860. The town of Germantown owes such a debt of gratitude to Edwin Jellett, who devoted himself to capturing the history and the flora of the area now part of Northwest Philadelphia. He was a font of knowledge about the area, and he was beyond generous with his research and time, happy to help anyone with a question or a mystery about Germantown. Edwin had a column in the local paper that appeared for forty weeks during the year 1903. It was charming, and it was pretty extensive, and it covered his minute and astute observations and thoughts his two main passions: history and botany. Every entry concluded with a list of all the plants shared in the post, along with both the Latin and common names. Often, those lists featured upwards of 30 to 40 different species. Recently, the Awbury Arboretum republished Edwin's entries online in honor of its centennial in 2016. Here's what the Chair of the Awbury Arboretum Association, Mark Sellers, wrote about Edwin's final entry, which was published on December 4th, 1903. I think Mark perfectly captures Edwin's love for the area. "To trace his path in this last article is to watch as a magician pulls one improbable thing after another from a hat that appears too small to hold them... Hemlock boughs bend under the weight of the snow and ice, and as Edwin stops to inspect a bird’s nest that was occupied during his last visit, but now only contains snow. It is apparent Edwin knew this was his last column. He reached as far into his memory