Sensitive Plant

Jefferson planted seeds of the Sensitive Plant, a tender annual, at Shadwell in 1767 and in a Monticello oval bed in 1811. The Sensitive Plant has been a favorite curiosity of gardeners for centuries, and was included in many early nineteenth-century seed lists. The one-foot-high plants produce pink, mimosa-like, pompom flowers in mid-summer. A favorite feature of a child's garden, the unusual leaves of the Sensitive Plant curl up to the touch.