Thomas Jefferson's Flowers

The fascinating and innovative horticultural world of the Sage of Monticello

Contemplating the conclusion of his public life in 1809, Thomas Jefferson observed, “I retire to my family, my books and farms. . . . Nature intended me for the tranquil pursuits of science, by rendering them my supreme delight.” Drawing on a deep understanding of Jefferson as a scientific gentleman farmer, Monticello’s official curator of plants offers a definitive account of the planning and preservation of the paths, borders, and flowerbeds of Jefferson’s “little mountain.”

This richly illustrated book examines Jefferson’s gardening friendships in the United States and abroad, his many botanical and horticultural influences, and the role of his family relationships—as well as of enslaved individuals such as Wormley Hughes and Burwell Colbert—in his gardening pursuits. Informed by Monticello’s ongoing research and the preservation and educational efforts of the Center for Historic Plants, the book includes a comprehensive annotated list of the flowers documented by Jefferson in the gardens at Shadwell, Monticello, and Poplar Forest, affording visitors, gardeners, and scholars alike a handy reference that is eye-catching, substantive, and comprehensive.