I am merrily reading The Founding Gardeners by Andrea Wulf and let me just say that approaching history through gardening is absolutely delightful! I always thought George Washington was a pretty righteous dude, but knowing he shivered in his tent during the revolution and distracted himself by thinking of his garden at Mount Vernon and writing letters to his estate manager telling him what to plant and where, well that just endears him to me all the more.
Picturing Jefferson and Adams going on a whirlwind tour of English gardens over the course of a week while waiting for the British parliament to decide whether or not they would sign a trade treaty (they declined) is a hoot.
And learning that delegates at the Constitutional Convention enjoyed talking gardening during breaks and over meals and, when they had reached an impasse, took a day’s break to go visit Bartram’s garden, well that just tickles me. Imagine all these important men hopping into their carriages to go make an impromptu visit to William Bartram.
Who is William Bartram you ask? He was a famous naturalist, plantsman and gardener and son of John Bartram a man equally famous for the same thing. Except William hobnobbed with Jefferson and Washington and Adams and the like, and received requests from England and Europe for American plants and seeds. He also published a number of books about his travels and produced some gorgeous botanic and ornithological drawings and paintings.
And while it is all so very interesting reading about America’s founders and their passion for plants, I have suddenly found myself fascinated by William Bartram, a man I had never heard of before. And so today I had a little bit of a flurry requesting books from the library about and by Bartram. I don’t know why Bartram has wiggled my imagination and interest, but he has.
And this, my friends, is the danger of reading. You read happily along and then, wham! You are struck by a sudden need to know more about someone or something in your book. And the reading pile grows ever taller.
So consider yourselves forewarned, you’ll be hearing more about William Bartram in the coming weeks. And if you have ever been to Bartram’s garden, feel free to tell me how wonderful it is so I can envy you and curse your good fortune.
Sounds delightful, even if you are not a garden lover. I don’t view it as dangerous and I’m sure you don’t either. It is the pleasure, the multiple pleasures of reading. I am reading a book about Leopardi and I read he is compared to Orpheus so I goggle Orpheus, and I learn Leopardi was born in Recanati so I google Recanati, and in one of the volumes of Iris Origio’s biography of Leopardi (Leopardi: A Study in Solitude), I read that an introduction was written by Shirley Hazzard, so I google her Introduction and so it goes and I have just started the book.
LikeLike
Richard, it is a wonderful book that shows how the founder’s gardening and agricultural passions were themselves revolutionary and this in turn had a huge influence on the creation of the country. Leopardi is an interesting fellow! Have you read The Leopard? It’s really good. I am only in chapter two of my book so we are both being sent off on interesting tangents. No, I don’t think such things are truly dangerous, only disruptive to well-laid reading plans. But then that is also part of the pleasure of reading in the first place. What’s the point really if you aren’t curious to know more?
LikeLike
Since Bartam’s garden is in my back yard I will make an effort to go there & report back to you!
LikeLike
Helen, oh yes! And take LOTS of pictures 🙂
LikeLike
One book ALWAYS leads to many others!
LikeLike
Ian, it does and that is one of the best things about reading I think even though it always messes with my plans!
LikeLike
As much as I hate Philadelphia, Bartram’s Garden is here, tucked away at a bend of the Schuylkill River in southwest Philly. I’ve been there, but it’s time for another visit. Bartram is a fascinating guy. You’ll have fun reading about them and their plant explorations. We have a guest room, Stefanie, so maybe it’s time for a road trip.
LikeLike
Joan, oh you are a temptress! 🙂 So excellent you have been there. If you go again, let me know so I can live vicariously. And now you have me even more excited to read about Bartram!
LikeLike
I know! So true. But following that logic, it’s also very dangerous to read blogs because I always end up putting something on that ever growing list.
LikeLike
Grad, Ha! You got me! Wulf has another book I want to read called Brother Gardeners that includes John Bartram, William’s father and all the biggies from his generation.
LikeLike
Books talk to each other, didn’t you know? They nudge the one next to them in the bookshop or library and say, “Get her to read me as well.” You have to be really strong willed to beat them at their game, especially when you don’t really want to.
LikeLike
Alex, oh, so that’s what all the strange whispering is about! Those books, they’re tricksy! 🙂
LikeLike
I know exactly the feeling about reading and where it takes you. You start with one thing and end up somewhere else!
LikeLike
Mystica, it’s fun, isn’t it? Sort of like going down the rabbit hole with Alice.
LikeLike
Stefanie…thank god!! I am not the only one who does it…I always thought this chain reaction reading was kinda of something only I did….I link things up from countries to people to history to ….you know you read something, that sparks a thought and then you read something more and then there is another idea and so on and so forth!!
LikeLike
I am really enjoying this, too! She makes history so interesting. I am just about to start the third chapter–I think you are way ahead of me, and hopefully I will eventually catch up, but there is so much to take in I hate to rush it. I love creating images of each man in my mind–she makes them so real, doesn’t she? And I think it’s cool that they all thought of themselves as farmers first and politicians second–too bad we don’t have that sort of government these days. I was thinking I need to google some of those English gardens–I wonder if they still exist and I can see what they saw when they toured them?
LikeLike
I have heard good things about this book before. I can’t recall if I’ve ever sold you The Morville Hours by Katherine Swift before now? I must have done. I am not a big reader of gardening books but I absolutely loved that one. I heard about it the same time as the Andrea Wulf was recommended, but I never followed up on it. Perhaps I should. I am catching up with your posts, Stefanie, and there is definitely a distinct gardening bias going on lately – it’s clearly the season to be outdoors! 🙂
LikeLike
Two of my favorite subjects–early American history and gardening. I did know about Adams and Jefferson’s garden tour from the McCullough bio on Adams, but the rest is new to me 🙂
I can definitely relate to the rabbit warren of reading–chasing new ideas that poke their heads up. Have fun!
This book is on my wish list and I’ll be getting it soon! Enjoyed your review.
LikeLike