Herbs
A list of herbs Jefferson listed as growing in the gardens at Monticello.
Thomas Jefferson listed 16 herbs in his garden book in 1794 under "Objects for the garden this year":1
- sage [Salvia officinalis]
- balm [Melissa officinalis - known as lemon balm]
- mint [Mentha piperita]
- thyme [Thymus vulgaris]
- lavender [Lavandula angustifolia]
- marjoram [Majorana hortensis]
- camomile [chamomile - Anthemis nobilis]
- tansey [tansy - Tanacetum vulgare]
- rue [Ruta graveolens]
- wormwood [Artemisia absinthium]
- southernwood [Artemisia abrotanum]
- rosemary [Rosmarinus officinalis]
- hyssop [Hyssopus officinalis]
- perywinkle [periwinkle - Vinca minor]
- marshmellow [marshmallow - Althaea officinalis]
- beargrass [Yucca filamentosa]
Martha Jefferson Randolph's notebook includes a list of specific herbs:2
- sweet marjoram
- sweet basil
- tansey
- savory
- gar[ ]
- thyme
- southernwood
- sage
- [ ]lm
- mint
- worm wood
- catnip
- camomile
- hyssop
- fennel
- anise
- mustard
- carraway
- [cori?]ander
- lavender
- madder
- rosemary
- rhubarb
- calamas
- [ ]m seed
For further references to herbs, see Thomas Jefferson's complete garden book.3
Footnotes
- Garden Book, 1766-1824, page 28, Thomas Jefferson Papers: An Electronic Archive (Boston: Massachusetts Historical Society, 2003). See also Betts, Garden Book, 208.
- See page 29 in Note and Cash Book Owned by Martha Jefferson Randolph, 1824-1826, Accession #5385-g, Special Collections, University of Virginia Library. Transcription by Lucia Stanton, October 28, 1988.
- Garden Book, 1766-1824, by Thomas Jefferson [electronic edition], Thomas Jefferson Papers: An Electronic Archive (Boston: Massachusetts Historical Society, 2003