In honor of Presidents’ Day tomorrow, which is directed at Washington’s birthday, a tribute to Thomas Jefferson, renown for being 3rd President of the United States among his many accomplishments.
We gardeners know that Mr. Jefferson was a gardener who was experimental and a bit ahead of his time. He kept a diary of his gardening when he was at Monticello, chronicling what he planted, how it grew, the soil he grew in, and the weather conditions. Maybe he just had the money to back up his interests which made people pay attention – who knows? Anyway, he devoted himself to growing crops with a goal of self-sufficiency and had the means to reach out to his contemporaries who had the same interests.
Jefferson had a plant named after him, Jeffersonia. The plant was first described by Linnaeus in 1753, who assigned it to the Podophyllum genus. Almost forty years later, Jefferson’s friend, Benjamin Smith Barton, professor of botany and natural history at the University of Pennsylvania sought to have it renamed as a distinct genus, and so it was named Jeffersonia. Soon thereafter, the plant became featured in the gardens of Philadelphia, and later was introduced into English gardens by Scottish plant collector John Lyon.
Jeffersonia is an endangered species in many states; care should be taken to not disturb it in its native habitat. Here’s the wikipedia page: Jeffersonia
In his autobiography Jefferson wrote, “the great service which can be rendered any country is to add a useful plant to its culture.” I concur…..
Have a nice Presidents’ Day!
