Gardens, Landscape History

Monticello + University of Virginia: Historic Landscape Institute

August 8, 2018

It somehow seems appropriate that my 100th post celebrates the week I spent as a participant of the 2018 Historic Landscape Institute held jointly by Monticello and the University of Virginia.

Titled “Preserving Jefferson’s Gardens and Landscapes”, the institute provides a unique opportunity to immerse oneself in the gardening/landscape world of Thomas Jefferson, America’s most famous gardener.

The Institute, offered annually, uses the landscapes designed by Thomas Jefferson for case studies and outdoor classrooms as an introduction to landscape history, garden restoration and historical horticulture. The week includes lectures, walking tours, workshops, field trips, and hands-on experience in the gardens.

Set amid the rolling foothills of the Piedmont region, Monticello was Jefferson’s primary residence where from the age of 26 he integrated his passion for the natural world with that of the garden.  It is a breathtakingly beautiful landscape in which Jefferson explored and experimented while carefully recording his observations.

Described as “one of the earliest and best-preserved examples of the English-type landscape garden in America,” Monticello’s design was influenced by Jefferson’s 1768 visit to England where he (and fellow patriot John Quincy Adams whose garden at Peacefield in Quincy, Massachusetts I wrote about in a previous post) toured sixteen English landscape gardens.

Original manuscript from The Coolidge Collection of Thomas Jefferson Manuscripts at the Massachusetts Historical Society.

This is evidenced in the west lawn (seen above in a sketch from about 1807) which is framed by a serpentine walkway ornamented by flower borders, laid out in 1808.

The painting below The View of the West Front of Monticello by Richmond artist Jane Braddick Peticolas dates from 1825.   It is one of two by the artist painted at Monticello during the time that Jefferson lived there and depicts his grandchildren on the lawn.

Jefferson retired to Monticello in 1833. An ardent vegetable enthusiast (who grew his own vegetables when he resided in Paris) in retirement Jefferson cultivated 330 varieties of ninety-nine species of vegetables and herbs in Monticello’s iconic south-facing, 1,000-foot-long, terraced vegetable garden.

In “A Rich Spot of Earth,” Peter Hatch, Monticello’s former Director of Gardens and Grounds, describes Jefferson’s vegetable garden as “an Ellis Island of introductions” that is truly American in scope and  practical, expansive and “wrought from the world of edible immigrants.”

The vegetable garden is supported by a brick wall separating it from the six-acre fruit garden below which grew 170 varieties of celebrated varieties. An orchard was originally planted at Monticello in 1769 and included pears, pomegranates, cherries, New York apples, peaches, apricots, almonds, nectarines and figs which Jefferson was purportedly fond of. Grapes were also cultivated.

Sited at the mid-point of the garden in the center of the south long walk is what Jefferson interchangeably described as his temple or garden pavilion. With sweeping views of Montalto, it was one of Jefferson’s favorite spots.

Jefferson was a keen and generous gardener who traded both seeds and plants with great enthusiasm (including yearly contributions from the Jardin des Plantes in Paris).

Images of seeds available for purchase on Monticello’s website

This tradition continues today through the Thomas Jefferson Center for Historic Plants at Tufton Farm where seeds (including heirloom varieties) that are harvested from Monticello’s restored gardens are cleaned and packaged by the horticultural staff.

A visit to Poplar Forest, the rural retreat where Jefferson escaped, often with a grandchild in tow, from the scrutiny of public life, provided further insights into Jefferson’s gardening philosophy.

Described as his most personal landscape and architectural creation, Poplar Forest’s design draws from elements of Roman and Palladian traditions. Its landscape, a blend of ornamental and functional spaces, contains both naturalistic and formal elements.

At the University of Virginia Jefferson designed his ideal academical village giving physical form to a learning environment steeped in cross-disciplinary exchange.  Its central lawn serves as a meeting ground  for students and faculty alike, whose rooms open onto its common space.

1856 Engraving of the lawn

Anchored on one end by the library (also known as the Rotunda) and at the other by a panoramic view of the mountains (like the vegetable garden at Monticello) the design of the University embodies Jefferson’s intellectual ideals.

Private gardens, restored/reconstructed by the Garden Club of Virginia in the 1950’s are sited behind the housing while an arcade and series of pathways, bordered by an iconic serpentine wall, provide a connective framework of walkways throughout the campus.

In 1987 Monticello and the University of Virginia’s Academic Village were together named a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

Representing a masterpiece of human creative genius that exhibits an important interchange of human values they were recognized for their architectural features that symbolize the ideals of the enlightenment and the awareness of Monticello’s natural surroundings during construction.

As for enlightenment, perhaps not everyone would find planting tomatoes, building trellises and harvesting seeds from the flower gardens at Monticello during the blistering heat of Charlottesville in June an enlightening experience.  However, for me this was one of the highlights of the week, enhanced by my appreciation of Jefferson’s extraordinary achievements as a gardener and landscape designer.

Many thanks to Peggy Cornett, Monticello Curator of Plants and Mary Hughes, UVA Landscape Architect for coordinating the Institute.  I do hope that my tomatoes are thriving.

Copyright © 2018 Patrice Todisco — All Rights Reserved

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  • Bonnie Blayney August 9, 2018 at 2:01 am

    I learned more from this than I think I ever did as a ‘tourist’ my senior year in High School. Then later in life as a ‘tourist’ along with my parents.

    • Patrice August 10, 2018 at 4:07 pm

      I am glad you found the post informative. It’s a pleasure to research the places I visit and more so to know that readers enjoy seeing them through my eyes.

  • Judy@NewEnglandGardenAndThread August 9, 2018 at 11:41 pm

    I have visited a couple of times, and the experience you describe here quickens my pulse. What a wonderful opportunity.

  • Patrice August 10, 2018 at 4:18 pm

    Indeed, it was a wonderful opportunity to learn about Jefferson’s garden world in the company of truly interesting people from around the country.