Garden Variety
We grow them, live among them, and eat them … but do we really know them? In a series that blends history and botany, writer and illustrator Edith Zimmerman tells the stories behind the plants of our lives — the fragrant, the edible, and the obscure.

Edith Zimmerman
Spiralbound editor. Formerly at The Hairpin. Also now making a newsletter: https://drawinglinks.substack.com
Audio available
Proteas and the Case for Googling Your Plants
A few weeks ago, my boyfriend brought me flowers for the first time. They were a strange choice — not conventionally pretty, but beautiful…
Audio available
Sperm, Poison, and Lily of the Valley
In 2003, a study published in the journal Science claimed that human sperm were able to literally smell the distinctive springlike…
Audio available
The Strangeness of the Colchicum
Tracing the history of the autumn crocus, from murder weapon to medicine