The history of William Shakespeare and the plants mentioned in his works were brought together today at the Brainerd Public Library.

Gardening played an important role in Shakespeare’s life and his writing as he named plants nearly 200 times in his works. After participants learned about the history of Shakespeare, they were given some examples of specific plants that were important to him.

Even hundreds of years later, Shakespeare’s gardening influence can still be recognized in many areas as University of Minnesota Extension Master Gardener JoAnn Weaver points out.

By — Sarah Winkelmann