Filed under: gardening, Great Reading, Nature | Tags: botanical garden, botanical gardens, environment, flowers, Founding Gardeners book, Garden reading, gardening, New York, plants, public garden, public gardens
We love our volunteers at QBG. They’re a fun group of folks working in all areas of the Garden. Plus they’re always reading great books! Sue Nicholas, Rose Garden volunteer, shares her review of her latest read, The Founding Gardeners:
I’ve had a wonderful summer working with Karl in our beautiful Rose Garden (though the weeding never stops…). I feel most fortunate to have this privileged fun and to see the wonderful results of his planning and our labor.
Now with winter coming, it’s time to catch of on my reading! I just finished The Founding Gardeners by Andrea Wulf. Focused on Washington, Adams, Jefferson, and Madison and their respective “home places” (Mount Vernon, Peacefield, Monticello, and Montpelier), Wulf describes their common trait: all were passionate botanists with visions of an independent, agriculturally self-sufficient republic in the New World.
I was especially struck by Madison’s contributions — he was truly our first environmentalist. In May 1818 he delivered a famous speech to the Agriculture Society of Albemarle in Virginia, providing a voice to the principles of soil, forest conservation, and the delicate balance of nature. The benefits and importance of nature were not hot topics in the 1800s — nature existed entirely for human benefit (clearly no one realized that trees give off oxygen!). Madison’s alternate vision had wide repercussions — his speech was made into a pamphlet and read across the world and revolutionized farming methods.
All four founding fathers did not limit themselves to farming concerns. They also took the first steps in public gardens by trying to create a national botanical garden. Their initial attempt failed until the first national garden was created in 1870.
Founding Gardeners was brought to life on a recent trip to Richmond, Virginia for a family wedding at the very lovely Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden. My visits to nearby Monticello and Montpelier were greatly enriched by reading Wulf’s engaging book, and I had a better understanding of the world in which these gardens were created.
As the gardening beds are put to rest and tools returned to storage for the winter months, enjoy the new free time by checking out Founding Gardeners. I promise you a good read!
This book available through QBG’s Amazon Associates store — a portion of your purchase will support our programs and gardens.
