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"From the author of the acclaimed The Brother Gardeners, a fascinating look at the founding fathers from the unique and intimate perspective of their lives as gardeners, plantsmen, and farmers. For the founding fathers, gardening, agriculture, and botany were elemental passions, as deeply ingrained in their characters as their belief in liberty for the nation they were creating. Andrea Wulf reveals for the first time this aspect of the revolutionary generation. She describes how, even as British ships gathered off Staten Island, George Washington wrote his estate manager about the garden at Mount Vernon; how a tour of English gardens renewed Thomas Jefferson's and John Adams's faith in their fledgling nation; how a trip to the great botanist John Bartram's garden helped the delegates of the Constitutional Congress break their deadlock; and why James Madison is the forgotten father of American environmentalism. These and other stories reveal a guiding but previously overlooked ideology of the American Revolution. Founding Gardeners adds depth and nuance to our understanding of the American experiment, and provides us with a portrait of the founding fathers as they've never before been seen"--… (more)
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Interestingly, this book also casts subtle overtones about America's inherent trajectory in agriculture as envisioned by Jefferson- only to be derailed by Treasury Secretary and British loyalist Alexander Hamilton by his plan for trade, industry, and the central bank. Other subtleties personify the power of botany in establishing national alliances, the habits of Washington during key battles, as well as the location selection for the nation's capital.
All in all, the founding fathers (and gardeners) were for the most part virtuous, principled men who envisioned an America free of dependency from Europe through national agricultural innovation. Wulf helps us to revisit the intended purpose of the United States of America by highlighting the importance of horticulture in the shaping of America after the Revolutionary War.
And he was so clearly a farmer at heart, longing to be back at home
I would have stood in line to dance with the man, too.
When Washington was leading the Continental Army, he would correspond with his estate manager at Mount Vernon and remind him to only plant American native species such as tulip poplars. One exception to native species was a fragrant lilac, to plant around outhouses in hopes of covering up the odors.
While Adams and Jefferson were working behind-the-scenes in Europe, they visited many gardens in their free time and these experiences informed them of how to plan their own gardens back home in America. Not much is discussed in here about Adams’ Peacefield property near Boston, but Jefferson’s Monticello is better known and covered more extensively here.
And Madison could be considered the founding father of environmentalism. Madison thought a lot about nature’s balance and ecology, even giving speeches on the topic.
Wulf also sensitively acknowledges the role of enslaved people in maintaining the founding fathers’ gardens. This is one aspect of history, along with others, incorporated in this volume. There are illustrations and photos. Planting and growing advice will need to be found elsewhere.