1. Probably the oldest botanical garden still in existence, that in Padua, Italy, was founded in 1545. It also had one of the first greenhouses, a heated building used for protecting tender plants in winter. - Millet

2. John McIntosh (1777-1843) of Dundas County Ontario, Canada, while at work clearing away the underbrush on his farm he came upon a clump of young apple seedlings, about twenty in all. No one knew how these seedlings had happened to grow there. Unfortunately the trees did not thrive and at length all of them died except one, which proved to be very hardy. When his son Allan grew older, he propagated his father's trees, and in 1835 sold the world's first McIntosh Red apple tree. All the McIntosh apple trees in orchards the world over came from this one tree. The original McIntosh tree that John found in his field lived to be over 100 years old, and sadly eventually died from damage resulting from a fire. - Millet

Interesting facts... although i'm not keen on mac

3. Cincinnati was America's original grape and wine center. Nicholas Longworth (1783-1863) the "Father of American Grape Culture", was the first millionaire in Cincinnati, Ohio. Among his many attributes he was a horticulturalist, abolitionist, author, wine maker, art collector, lawyer, banker, and a very successful merchant. He also ventured into real estate, which proved to be extremely lucrative. However, he is most remembered for introducing the Catawba grape into the Ohio River area around 1825, giving the area the nickname "The Rhine of America". It is estimated that by 1850's there were more than 1,500 acres of grapes growing on the hills out side of Cincinnati. - Millet

Millet, I want to thank you for always sharing your knowledge.
I have only been a member of this forum for a few months and I have already learnded a ton of information.

4. In colonial New England, the pumpkin was very popular among the people. It was so popular, Thanksgiving Day was referred to as Saint Pumpkin' Day. Pies were a must on every holiday dinner table. However, the pumpkin "pie" of this period was made in a manner much different than it is today. The top was cut off the pumpkin, the seeds and the attached loose flesh were removed, and then the shell was filled with spices, apples, sugar, milk, and then baked. - Millet

5. The tulip was introduced to Europe by the Viennese ambassador to Turkey, Ogier de Besbeque, in the 16th century. By the year 1610, the demand for the bulbs was so great that prices rose dramatically. One brewery in France was said to have been purchased with a single bulb. In the Netherlands, tulipomania raged from 1633 - 1637, a time when homes were mortgaged in order to acquire tulip bulbs. - Millet (375 ABO-)

6.The lawn-mower was invented in 1830 by Edwin Beard Budding, who did not like the bare patches and the circular cuts caused by the scythes. The apparatus was pushed from the rear, but for difficult mowing it could also be helped along with someone pulling at the front. "The Ladies Companion to the Flower Garden" a magazine of 1844 found the new machine was excellent exercise to the arms and every part of the body. - Millet (372 ABO-)

7. This gentleman needs to brush up on his geography:

In October, 1851, on Canada's west coast, James Douglas ordered seeds from England, with instructions that they be sent overland immediately, so that they would arrive he hoped, in time for spring sowing in 1853. - Millet

I think his knowledge of geography was why he ordered the seed 18 months early. First by sea, and then over land - a lot of land for 1851-3.

8. William Bartram (1739 -1823) was the first person in America to hybridize plants. From early childhood, William had a love of plants, which continued throughout his life. In 1773 William Bartram went on a 4 year journey by foot and horse, from Philadelphia through the 8 southern colonies, as far south as as Florida, making notes of all plants and animals that he encountered. In 1739 he wrote on what he termed "the male and female parts in vegetables". With his brother John they established the first nursery in the U.S. and printed the first plant catalog. One of their customers was Thomas Jefferson who often stayed with them and purchased plants for Monticello. The 1784 Continental Congress adjourned a session specifically to visit the gardens and nursery. In 1823 William died rather suddenly while strolling through the gardens at his sisters home. - Millet

NOTE: You can visit The Bartram's House and Gardens National Historical Site at 54th Street and Lindbergh Boulevard, Philadelphia, Independent City, Pennsylvania. The house and grounds were restored several years back under the direction of Mr. Roger Mower Jr. a valued friend of mine.

9. The air was so polluted in 19th-century London that it was nearly impossible to grow plants within the city limits. In an effort to keep his ferns alive, Dr. Nathaniel Bagshaw Ward (1791 - 1868) devised a method of growing plants, and his butterflies, under glass in structures that came to be named Wardian cases. These terrarium cases worked so well, that they found widespread use in transporting plants around the world. The modified cases with wire netting protecting the glass were lashed to the decks of ships, and served to greatly increase the survival rate of plants including banana, tea and rubber. He died at the age of 77 at St Leonards, Sussex. The doctor, famous in life, was buried in an unmarked grave in West Norwood Cemetery. - Millet

10. Eccentric Jonathan Chapman (1774 - 1847) the 2nd child of 10 children born to Nathaniel Chapman, traveled for more than 40 years on foot, between the Ohio River and northern Pennsylvania planting thousand of apple seeds every where he went. . Jonathan always traveled without shoe or sock, until the ground was covered with snow, and usually wore used donated clothes, even though he was a large land owner of some wealth. He believed the move he cheerfully suffered in this life, would bring greater happiness in the hereafter. While he was alive, and until this very day Jonathan Chapman is better known by his nickname of Johnny Appleseed.

A memorial in Fort Wayne's  Swinney Park purports to honor him but not to mark his grave. Also in Fort Wayne, since 1975, a  Johnny Appleseed Festival has been held in mid-September in  Johnny Appleseed Park. Musicians, demonstrators, and vendors dress in early 19th century dress, and offer food and beverages that would have been available then.

Johnny Appleseed Elementary School is a public school located in Leominster, MA, his birthplace.

Urbana University located in Urbana, OH, maintains the world's only Johnny Appleseed Museum, which is open to the public. The museum hosts a number of artifacts, including a tree that is believed to have been planted by Johnny Appleseed. In addition, the museum is also home to a large number of historical memorabilia, the largest in the world. They also provide a number of services for research, including a national registry of Johnny Appleseed's relatives. - Millet

11. The Aztecs, who were enthusiastic gardeners, created floating gardens called Chinampas. Made of willow branches and roots and covered with mud, these rectangular-shaped islands were planted with great numbers of plants, even including fruit trees. As much as 300 feet in length, they produced up to a whopping seven crops per year. - Millet

http://www.history.com/videos/engineering-an-empire-aztecs---chinampa#engineering-an-empire-aztecs---chinampa