In spite of having little of their own time, enslaved African-American families at Monticello cultivated a rich horticultural tradition. Through the maintenance of their own garden plots, the enslaved community seized a rare moment of independence to create something for themselves in a world that...
While we generally associate tulips with the peak of flower garden glory at Monticello, many bulb varieties are already gracing the borders with beauty and fragrance. Since early March the species French Roman Hyacinths have filled many beds with delightfully sweet clusters of blue, pink, and white...
Last fall, our staff installed a new CoolBot walk-in refrigerator at the Thomas Jefferson Center for Historic Plants (CHP). Previously, all seeds grown, harvested, cleaned, and packaged at Monticello were stored in one of two places: an ordinary household fridge, or an unglamorous shed with a...
The Heritage Harvest Festival at Monticello on Saturday, September 22. Celebrating the little gems -- the farming, the culinary arts and the craftsmanship -- of Virginia and beyond.
For those who have visited the Thomas Jefferson Center for Historic Plants at Tufton Farm, you have probably caught glimpses of our resident Eastern bluebirds ( Sialia sialis ). Tufton Farm provides ideal managed habitat for bluebirds with its abundance of pastures, fence perches and variety of...
“What would I not give that the trees planted nearest round the house at Monticello were full grown.” --Jefferson to Martha Randolph (from Philadelphia), 1793 Sometimes a good tree gets planted in what turns out to be a bad location. That’s exactly what an engineer recently discovered near...
When do you get ready for spring? At Monticello, our flower gardeners are at it October through December every year, planting 8,000 bulbs to ensure a beautiful bloom season. Tulips at Monticello Tulips were the most frequently mentioned plants in Jefferson's records. Monticello's Curator of Plants...
