Jefferson's Garden

Library Journal

If Thomas Jefferson were not known as a diplomat, architect, philosopher, and president, he might be better known as a gardener. His careful records and many letters to friends and colleagues, plus the historical attention paid to Monticello, mean that we can really understand his horticultural interests. Several books have been dedicated to Monticello's gardens (e.g., Edwin Betts and Hazelhurst Perkins's Thomas Jefferson's Flower Garden), but these works do not focus on the plants themselves, especially in their 18th-century context. Such context is provided by prolific gardening author Loewer (e.g., Thoreau's Garden; Solving Weed Problems), with plenty of gossipy detail on the sources of many of the plants. Take, for example, the Venus Flytrap, Dionaea muscipula. Loewer describes its discovery in the Carolinas in 1759 and the various attempts to ship it across the Atlantic to eager gentry in England, only to have it fall prey to Spanish pirates. Altogether, Loewer analyzes 55 annuals and perennials, six shrubs, eight trees, and five vines, presenting botanical and historical details on each. An excellent bibliography completes this great addition to the literature on Jefferson and Monticello. Recommended for all libraries with an interest in botanical history, especially early American botany and history, as well as those with a Jeffersonian bent.-Edward J. Valauskas, Lib. & Plant Information Office, Chicago Botanic Garden Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.