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The cultivators of the earth are the most virtuous citizens —
Thomas Jefferson
The new President might be a big-city guy. But he also seems like the type of fellow who likes to get a little dirty and to shake things up.
1600 Pennsylvania Ave., is prime acreage. Judging from the looks of the Rose Garden, the soil is in good shape. It’s perfect for planting a National Vegetable Garden.
The South Lawn would be ideal.
Planting a vegetable garden may rankle some traditionalists. But making changes to the White House landscape is not without precedent. In fact, until the modern era, vegetable gardens at the White House were commonplace.
[img]298|left|||no_popup[/img] Our first President, George Washington, was an avid farmer and horticulturalist. His home in Mount Vernon, a suburb of Washington, D.C., was a shining example of plant diversity. In the first plans to build a presidential residence – Washington actually lived in Philadelphia during his Presidency – the Father of our nation imagined a lavish estate with self-sustaining gardens.
[img]299|left|||no_popup[/img] According to historical records, Washington’s passion for farming led to his death. On Dec. 12, 1799, Washington spent several hours inspecting his farms on horseback, enduring a combination of snow, hail and freezing rain. Upon returning, he failed to change out of his wet clothes and quickly contracted pneumonia. He passed away two days later.
After his inauguration in 1801, Thomas Jefferson, one of America's horticultural innovators, immediately began making plans for renovating the gardens on the Executive Mansion grounds.
Jefferson often retreated to garden planning as a calming distraction. He frequently traded seeds and plants with friends from Europe. After leaving office, Jefferson spent much of his time tending the gardens at Monticello. Jefferson was passionate about peas; he grew 22 varieties. His orchards held 170 varieties of fruit and his gardens grew 250 varieties of vegetables.
[img]300|left|||no_popup[/img] In a letter sent to President Washington, he once wrote: "Agriculture is our wisest pursuit because it will, in the end, contribute most to real wealth, good morals and happiness."
Executive chefs at the White House frequently relied on the Presidential gardens for fresh produce and herbs. When President Theodore Roosevelt needed room on the White House grounds to build the West Wing, he reluctantly took down a magnificent array of greenhouses and conservatories.
Throughout its storied history, the White House has always reflected the times.
[img]301|left|||no_popup[/img] During World War I, President Woodrow Wilson turned the South Lawn over to sheep grazing. Serious gardening didn’t return to the White House, however, until First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt installed her famous Victory Garden in 1943, during World War II.
Her example started a national movement and campaign. During a time of food shortages brought on by war time, victory gardens began springing up all over the country. Americans considered it their patriotic duty to supplement their diets with food grown in their own gardens.
After the war, and her return to private life, the farm lobby succeeded in convincing the White House to plough under Eleanor’s garden. But the idea remains.
Jimmy Carter, a farmer, had a tree house built for daughter Amy. But he also asked for culinary herbs, which continue to be planted among ornamentals in the White House gardens. Since the Clinton administration, the White House executive chef has been harvesting produce from a small vegetable garden on the roof.
Reportedly, Mr. Obama is a fitness freak and environmentalist. What better way to set an example for America than to put down real roots at the White House.
Grab a shovel, Mr. President.
To learn more about any of the plants described in this article, visit our website at www.thejungle.biz or email me at carlos@thejungle.biz.
Carlos Saez is the owner of The Jungle Nursery, a leading designer garden center specializing in unique sculptural plants, tropicals, succulents, bamboo and a wide selection of indoor foliage including orchids. The Jungle, 1900 Sawtelle Blvd., West Los Angeles. 310. 235.2875.
Mr. Saez’ gardening column appears on Wednesdays.
