Founding Father & Gardener Thomas Jefferson

On Independence Day 2012 we look back to 1776 to think of the Founding Fathers and in particular, the principal author of the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson. Eponym of Jeffersonian democracy, Jefferson was a political philosopher, architect, archaeologist, paleontologist, inventor, scientist, horticulturist and gardener.

The third president of the United States idealized the independent farmer and grew 250+ varieties of vegetables in his 2-acre kitchen garden and 170+ varieties of apples, peaches, grapes, raspberries, gooseberries, blackberries figs and so forth in Monticello's orchards, along with ornamentals such as pinks and iris, and his most beloved “pet trees” carefully sited around his landscape. For Jefferson, Monticello’s gardens were a source of endless experimentation and enjoyment.

Jefferson kept a detailed Garden Kalendar and recorded successes and failures in his Garden Book, an invaluable primary source today. His garden at Monticello was a botanical laboratory of ornamental and useful plants from around the world. For example, he experimented with imported broccoli and squash from Italy, salsify and beans collected by the Lewis and Clark Expedition, French figs and artichokes, Mexican peppers and so forth, selectively eliminating inferior types and choosing the best species or varieties for the hot, humid Virginia climate. In this same tradition, new Garden Debut® ornamental plant introductions have been selected as the best of the best.

According to the official Jefferson Monticello website, the kitchen garden was terraced and leveled to overlook the Virginia Piedmont, “the main part of the two-acre garden is divided into twenty-four "squares," or growing plots arranged according to which part of the plant was being harvested -- whether "fruits" (tomatoes, beans), "roots" (beets, carrots), or "leaves" (lettuce, cabbage). The site and situation of the garden enabled Jefferson to extend the growing season into the winter months and provided a microclimate for tender vegetables such as the artichoke. Jefferson successfully grew figs in Submural Beds, which were also situated to create a uniquely warm setting.”

Perhaps Jefferson’s most beloved quote and the one most gardeners understand best is found in a letter to Charles Wilson Peal in August 20, 1811. Jefferson declared, “But though I am an old man, I am but a young gardener. “ Be sure to visit the website for the Thomas Jefferson Center for Historic Plants,  to learn more about heirloom plants and seeds. Thomas Jefferson died on July 4, 1826.