Gardens of Monticello
Jefferson's detailed historical accounts of his 5,000 acres provide much information about the ever-changing contents of the gardens.
Thomas Jefferson's interest in flowers and planting can be dated to 1766, when he began documenting his naturalistic observations in his Garden Book.
[2] Jefferson wrote detailed descriptions of the blooming patterns of various species of flowers in his family garden at his house in Shadwell, Virginia.
[7] After the land was cleared, roads were built, and trees and shrubs were planted, Jefferson began planning the layout of his gardens.
[8] The gardens contained many exotic species, including the empress tree from China and Japan [9] Jefferson also had flowers from nurseries sent to him up the James and Rivanna rivers to a town near Monticello.
In 1808 Jefferson began the construction of four cisterns to collect water channeled from the roofs of buildings into gutters.
[13] New owners plowed land and planted paper mulberries and silkworm, which had the potential to generate large profits at the time.
[16] The twenty oval beds were each planted with a different flower species with bulbs and seeds provided mainly by Bernard McMahon, a Philadelphia nurseryman.
[17] The plans for the winding flower border were laid out in 1808 and the garden was planted and tended to by Jefferson's daughters as well as elderly slaves.
[18] In 1806 a terrace system was introduced, to create a flat plateau that was hewed from the side of the hill and supported by a giant stone wall.
[19] The South orchards were planted around the vineyards and berry patches and included fruits such as apple, peach, cherry, pear, plum, nectarine, almond, apricot, and quince.
Jefferson incorporated many European trees into his fruit garden, while also maintaining a New World, Virginian feel.
He imported many exotic vegetables, and planted seeds from other American regions, which were brought back to Virginia by Lewis and Clark.
[24] At some plantations, some slaves were healthier than the white family living in the great house because they ate more fresh produce.
Records kept by Martha Jefferson's granddaughter, Anne Carey Randolph, show that she purchased goods from over forty slaves.
[28] Slaves developed bargaining skills by bartering with the mistress of the house or Jefferson's overseer when selling their crops.
[28] Although the strength of adult males was needed for groundbreaking and heavy work, most of the gardening was done by older slaves.
Older slaves were assigned less plantation work, and they needed the produce from the gardens because their rations were only half that of regular adults.
[29] Jefferson wanted to construct the gardens of Monticello from his own naturalistic point of view, and thus gathered materials from travelers all over the United States and other countries as well.
To complete his masterwork, Jefferson designed a pavilion to overlook his gardens and built four roads providing access to them.
[30] While Jefferson's gardens did provide his family with food, their primary purpose was to serve as his laboratory where he experimented with hundreds of different types of vegetables from all over the world.
Thomas Jefferson enjoyed experimenting with his gardens and working to produce fruits that were difficult to grow, such as pears, plums, and apricots, even though he rarely succeeded.
[30] He loved presenting his work to guests of Monticello and was proud that his gardens were constantly evolving throughout his life.
Uriah P. Levy, a 5th-generation American whose ancestors were early settlers in Charleston, purchased it in 1834 and restored it, investing in repairs which Jefferson and his family had been unable to make because of their debts.
In 1938, president of the Thomas Jefferson Memorial Foundation, Stuart Gibboney, contacted The Garden Club of Virginia about Monticello.
In addition, the Garden Club restored the cemetery of Jefferson's family, which is now owned and operated by the Monticello Association, a private lineage society of his descendants.
