Stranica 459 [459]
OCR
Histroric.. GARDENS (OF: VIRGINIA — —. = ——— —— mT OT EE es SS site a down the path from the house, emerging through an avenue of oldfashioned 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 handsome 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 Virginia, published the first comprehensive list of the plants of Virginia, 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 granddaughter 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 [282]
