Catawba Rhododendron
Rhododendron catawbiense
This North American native is a large evergreen shrub that is notable for its clusters of spring-blooming lilac-purple flowers.
Among the hundreds of plants that Jefferson observed or cultivated at Monticello were over forty shrubs. In 1799, the plant collector John Fraser discovered Catawba Rhododendron growing in the Great Smoky Mountains on a summit "which commands a view of five states." Fraser and his son brought plants back to Britain in 1809 where it soon became a valuable Rhododendron for breeding with species from Russia and the Himalayas. Jefferson grew Rhododendron maximum, which he referred to as "Rosebay," and Rhododendron periclymeniodes, Pinxter azalea (also known as Pinxterbloom), which he called "Wild honeysuckle," as well as a related species, Kalmia latifolia.
In Bloom at Monticello is made possible by support from The Richard D. and Carolyn W. Jacques Foundation.
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Trees from Monticello
Thomas Jefferson had a special love for trees and often treated visitors to Monticello to tours of the grounds, which included a rambling survey of what one guest described as his "pet trees."
