Page 459 [459]
Histroric.. GARDENS (OF: VIRGINIA
— —. = ——— —— mT OT EE es SS site a
down the path from the house, emerging through an avenue of old¬
fashioned shrubs into the full sunshine of the formal flower garden.
Just at the point where the visitor alights from carriage or
motor may still be seen the old-time shrubs on either side of the
path leading to the house. A large clump of lilacs and syringa
with modern privet hides the exit of the underground passage to the
house. From this it is said that Jefferson escaped on the occasion
of Tarleton’s raid. Two wonderful copper beeches flank the north
and south sides of the house on the western lawn and other hand¬
some trees testify to Jefferson’s love of the beautiful in nature.
In 1793, in some of his writings, he mentions that ‘The trees
planted nearest the house at Monticello are not yet full grown."
The Arnold Arboretum calls attention to the fact that in the
year 1784 [Thomas Jefferson, in his ‘“‘Notes on the State of Vir¬
ginia, published the first comprehensive list of the plants of Vir¬
ginia, among which are some of the most beautiful trees and shrubs
of the world.
The Marquis de Chastellux, who visited Monticello in his
‘Travels in North America,” speaks of the scores of deer in the
park.
Many trees from foreign countries are planted on the eastern
and western lawns, and his granddaughter says ‘‘much time and
expense were devoted by him to improving his house and grounds.
While in France and England, Jefferson visited gardens with a view
of reproducing them in Virginia, and of importing trees and shrubs
from other countries. In a notebook of his is found a description
of Blenheim, the home of the Duke of Marlborough. His grand¬
daughter speaks also of a garden book, and says, ‘This book, in
which he began to make entries as early as the year 1776 and which
he continued to keep all through life, except when from home, has
everything jotted down in it from the date of the earliest peach
blossom to the day when his wheat was ready for the sickle.”’
Thomas Jefferson was known as an intelligent and progressive
farmer and was most careful to keep account of the operations of
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