It’s the 126th birthday of Helen Brooke Taussig (1898-1986), the humble children’s doctor who helped start heart surgery and used her fame to advocate for patients. So much of her work is ongoing: her 1938 plea that we systematically monitor children for high blood pressure is only catching on, and her campaign to protect us from unsafe drugs needs a reboot (17,000 deaths a year from legal opioids alone!) What of her work to cultivate and share beauty?

On a visit to her former gardens in Baltimore last week, I sniffed the delicate Bella Donna rose bushes she planted more than 70 years ago. Inspired by Helen, the current owners tend 50 rose bushes, 50 types of dahlias and about 80 varieties of daffodils – nearly twice Helen’s count. Helen famously timed her biannual doctor gatherings and lawn parties for maximum May bloom. Today she’d have to start three weeks early. Her work is not done, but her legacy continues. (More photos on my FB author page).