History gardens

I'm not sure if this is the place to put this, but I will ask anyway. A few other DGers and I are planning to make ourselves History Gardens, We are looking for seeds or plants that pertain to different places or people in History. For instance, I have started my garden with Hollyhocks from an 1884 Homestead that was the birthplace of a District Representative here in the State of Missouri. I also have seeds from Robert Ford's Mothers farm (the one who shot Jesse James). We have been googling for different places that have seeds and such and are wondering if anyone here can helps us. ie. trading seeds/plants, ideas for the gardens, places we might obtain any of these.

My granddaughters class at school would like to make this garden a field trip in the future so I would like to get some big name people or places if possible. I have alot from our local area and would like to expand to include the whole USA and other countries.

If anyone would like to help us or could help, please contact me. or join in this discussion.

Try Thomas Jefferson's home in Virginia - Monticello. He was quite a horticulturist and I seem to recall that Monticello sells heirloom flower & vegie seeds from Jefferson's gardens.

And then there's George Washington's Mt. Vernon...others?

One thing I think would be fun would be to recreate a vicar's garden from England - remember Reverend Shirley who originated the Shirley strain of Papaver rhoeas? And then there was Reverend Pemberton, who hybridized hybrid musk roses.

And then...there's gardens & literature - need to research that one - how about a Beatrice Potter garden? replete with topiary Peter Rabbit & family...? That could be done with chicken-wire forms stuffed with sphagnum moss and planted with one of those tiny-leaved ivies, among other things. Potter's imagination had to be the epitomy of a "classic" cottage garden, since she was writing and drawing from the real thing.

Great ideas!, bluespiral! Robyn that's an educational and wonderful garden idea you have going. I wish you lots of luck with it.

Robynznest, how about Mary Washington House, Kenmore Inn, Ferry Farms, Belmont. All in the Fredericksburg, VA area. The Master Gardeners in the area help maintain the gardens at these sites. I'm a new Master Gardener intern and plan on participating in some of these programs as soon as the weather breaks.
I suggest you contact the Master Gardener Association of the Central Rappahannock Area at www.MGACRA.org or the local extension agent at gmussey@vt.edu. Guy should be able to put you in touch with people that can help you with this project.

Ya know, the Biltmore House in Ashville, NC comes to mind. They even have Green Houses in operation.

Thanks Bluespiral, I love the Beaatrice Potter idea, you always have such wonderful ideas about putting a garden together.

Doccat, congrats on your internship and thanks for the link up, I will certainly contact Guy, I can use all the help I can get.

Cordeledawg as always you come through with great ideas, too. Thanks.

I have 3 teenage boys that are with the local FFA that are helping me around the farm here and I plan on asking them for help with building this garden. I'm hoping we can get the whole club to help as a project for learning.

The more ideas the better. Looks like I'm going to have to plot off a bigger spot than I though. Yippeee! (less grass to cut)

You might also want to touch base with your local extension agent. This sounds like a project made for Master Gardeners :)

Good idea. I have to go into town next Monday and I will try to get by there and talk to them. Thanks

Thanks Karen because Monticello definitely came to my mind when you mentioned historic seeds. Here is a link to Monticello's on-line store where you can buy seeds from this historic site. http://monticellostore.stores.yahoo.net/plants---seeds.html

Plus, they even sell seeds from Lewis and Clark's garden too!
http://monticellostore.stores.yahoo.net/plants---seeds-seed-samplers.html

Hi, Robyn, You may want to try the Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Villiage in Michigan. They have beautiful gardens if I remember correctly. Its been a while since I've been.

http://www.hfmgv.org/

Thanks so much for thoses links. I'm trying hard to get things done in the yard so I know how much I can get to put in the ground. This has been very exciting for me.

robyn--what a cool idea--can we come!! i got a tree from Ikes garden--i guess it was from a seed from president isenhowers tree --anyhow i bought it one independence day so you might try his historical home (Kansas maybe?)--and lady bird johnson was so well known for her efforts to beautify the roadsides with wildflowers and there is a wonderful wildflower garden she helped create in austin i think---i think if you tell what your project is you will get nice letters of encouragement along with your seeds or plants etc and you can keep those in an albulm

robyn--this is strange but i sat down to look at old magazines and in a 2001 southern living there is a review of a book called-- america's famous and historic trees-- "author jeffrey meyer, a florida tree farmer, serves as director of american forest's famous & historic trees project and works to promote tree planting. Instructions in the book give planting detalils for each tree mentioned, including how to obtain seedling descendantes." there is a lot more if you want me to type more for you--i was so excited to see it after reading your plans!!

That sounds so wonderful. I will have to get in touch with 'Ike's' home and see what I can get out of them And of course ladybird too.

Yes please give me more details on the historic trees. I can pick out a couple to put in the yard maybe, can't do to many but would love to have something like that too.

AMERICA'S FAMOUS AND HISTORID TREES --BY JEFFREY G. MEYER WITH SHAORON LINNEA ---that is the name and outhor of the book aobut how to use historic trees --tells how to obtain seedling descendants --some they mentioned in the reviw were andrew jackson, elvis presley and even seeds that traveled on an appollo 14 lunur landing!! ---------------it sounds like you would get just what you need to know from this book--

so Cool, I'm going to have to do it, can't stop myself.

i know--i want an update too!!

Will try to keep everyone informed.