Pennsylvania
Gardens - An Historical Vignette
When Pennsylvania was
founded in 1682, horticulture was an unfamiliar word,
having been used only since 1678. In this period, seeds
could only be distributed locally until a good postal
system was established under Benjamin Franklin. There
is a record of seeds being sold in Boston in 1719 and
three years later in Philadelphia. In these early days,
one could usually only buy seeds and plants from women
in milliners' shops.
Quaker farmer, John Bartram (1699-1777) is thought to
be the greatest botanist and plant explorer of 18th-century
colonial America. Though self-taught, his avid interested
ignited by scientific curiosity and enthusiasm, Bartram
left a great legacy. Bartram corresponded with many botanists
of the time. Linnaeus wrote of him with high praise. James
Logan, complimented him, "He had a genius perfectly
well termed for botany". In 1765 Bartram was appointed
royal botanist by King George III. One of many public
figures to visit Bartram's garden was George Washington,
who remarked that the garden was "stored with many
curious Trees, Shrubs, and Flowers ...neither large nor
laid out with much taste." Washington obtained some
seeds later used for Mount Vernon. Bartram's son, William,
became a famous botanical illustrator.
Philadelphia with the University of Pennsylvania became
the center of botanical study in the United States until
almost 1850. Historic Bartram's Garden in Philadelphia
is the first botanical garden of the United States. Bartram's
original stone house still stands on the grounds of this
44-acre National historic landmark on the banks of the
Schuylkill River.
Shown: Mountain Laurel ( Kalmia
latiflolia )
