Sights to see in Charlottesville Virginia, do not miss Monticello and the Rotunda

Garden Pavillion overlook at Monticello

It seems often one doesn't take in popular area attractions. A nice perk to get locals to climb the mountain up to Monticello is free entry for residents. You must have an accompanying out of town guest and purchase a ticket, but that makes it 1/2 off. This weekend we finally took advantage of this offer when friends were visiting from California. One of my oldest friends that I grew up with was on the East coast for business and I had never met his wife. It was truly a thrill for me to see Danny again and had an immediate connection with his wife. Danny and I had not spoken in many years but he's a friend that I'll always be close to. It makes me think of my mother and her relationship with one of her dearest and oldest friends Sue. You may not speak with them often but you pick right up where you left off when you do.

Monticello overlooking Thomas Jefferson's vegetable garden

We could not have asked for a better day weather-wise. Humidity was low as was the typically horribly hot July temperature. No rain, plenty of fluffy cloud cover and temps in the 80s! Unheard of for this time of year in Virginia.

I don't often take the house tour at Monticello as I typically go during the Fall Heritage Harvest Festival and am totally focused on the tons of outside activities. Danny and I went on an Elementary school tour of Monticello way back before the Visitor and Education Center complex existed. This was only my second house tour since moving to Cville 10 years ago and I always learn a little more about the man that designed Monticello.

Cardoon bloom with Montalto ridge in background

All humans have faults and Thomas Jefferson was certainly not a perfect human being but he was a master of his time in so many fields. I just finished a book, The Founding Gardeners, about the gardening pursuits of our founding fathers and didn't realize how entrenched they were into agriculture and plants. Their private lives were totally immersed in planting, collecting, researching, and creating gardens (Washington, Madison, Monroe, Adams, and Jefferson). Especially craving the need to plant after retiring from the laborious political arena in which they all served.

In Jefferson Gardens: Sunflower and brilliant Castor Bean

Recently I've come across several quotes by Jefferson that are relevant to the current political climate in the United States. One being, "I never considered a difference of opinion in politics, in religion, in philosophy, as a cause for withdrawing from a friend." Often a truism in his behavior but at one point the political difference between one of his dearest friends, John Adams, was so broad that it took many years of aging before they forgave each other. Also interestingly, there was a bust of one of Jefferson's biggest political adversaries, Alexander Hamilton, at Monticello. It was placed here years after Jefferson retired from politics so he must of meant what he said. Jefferson apparently had a respect for smart minds no matter what their political view. Jefferson was all about educating his guests so one could imagine he also wanted to share the historic details with visitors.

N Plaza flight of stairs up to UVA Rotunda

Another wonderful place to take visitors is to the restored Rotunda. Previously closed for touring due to extensive restoration, it's back open again. Don't miss the 2 large  photos on display in the upper story showing the Rotunda when it housed the campus library during different periods. Be sure to poke around the book shelves as there might be a special exhibit on loan from the UVA Special Collections Library (another nearby campus treasure that one should explore). Also do not miss the many secret gardens behind the original campus, called the Academical Village.

Gazing over the Lawn from the lower level UVA Rotunda

A glorious day in Charlottesville, Virginia with friends!

~Rebecca

Where does Charlottesville Trash Go?

"Lawn Mower Art"

If you have trash pickup you probably have never ventured to the Ivy Material Utilization Center (Rivanna Solid Waste Authority or Ivy Center) in Albemarle County.  It's a magical thing, for your trash to disappear in the wee hours of the morning to never be seen again.  If you choose to dispose of your own trash, you can drive it out South of I-64 in Ivy to our old landfill for a fee of $2.00 for each 32 gallon bag.  The Charlottesville Landfill was closed in 2001 due to ground water contamination so our household garbage is either recycled or transferred to another jurisdiction for disposal. 

There are two places that take trash, the Ivy Center and Van der Linde, a privately owned center, down 250 E toward Richmond.  All trash waste of Albemarle County and Charlottesville City ends up down 250 E way outside of Richmond.  That's a lot of trash.   

One of the most interesting articles I have read was in Garbage Magazine about where your toilet water goes and what happens to it along the way.  I know, you are scrunching up your nose and making an eeeeuuuuu sound, but seriously now, it doesn't just dissipate into the atmosphere, it GOES somewhere.  Americans throw away 4.5 lbs of trash a day - that's the equivalent to a sack of flour.  Locally, we only recycle 34% of our trash -- bad, bad, bad.  You should spank yourself if you do not recycle! There are several places to recycle in Charlottesville, downtown McIntire Center and on the UVA campus.

As the world becomes more populated and resources more limited we all should stop and think about what we're consuming and ultimately what we're each contributing to the waste stream.  The more valuable land becomes and the less available spots in which to bury our discarded consumables, the higher our fees for disposal will climb.  Disposal fees keep going up at the Ivy Center, not significantly but it does show there was some need to gain more revenue.  Apparently this need was partly due to the Cville trash dramas concerning hauling fee collection or the lack thereof.  Trash hauling is a money maker, disposal seems to be an inconvenience for any jurisdiction.  No one wants to live by a landfill and most people have a trash collection service and never think about where their trash ends up.

Trash disposal at the Ivy Center varies from $8.00 - $66.00 a ton, depending upon what type of material you are bringing to the center.  There are spring and fall FREE disposal days for certain large household items.  We took advantage of this last fall and took our water heater to the center.  There is nothing worse than living next door to a neighbor that accumulates trash so before you make a large purchase, think of how you are going to dispose of that product (and how much it's going to cost you) after your done with it. You can also pick up a truck load of mulch for $24.00 a ton. 

Personally, I find the process quite interesting.  The Ivy Center has its very own Thrift Shop. The Encore Shop is the end of the road for disposed of "treasures".  I have actually purchased several storage racks, a filing cabinet, a cool rooster platter, and a box of glassware at the Encore Shop.  It would be any easy thing to just let people drive in, dump, and run so it is great that some of our waste is diverted from our earth.  It is a small moneymaker for the center and a good all the way around concept. 

Kudos for reducing, recycling, and reusing even at the end of the road.

-Rebecca

Tempting "Collage Table" at the Encore Shop

Virginia Historic Garden Week is nearly HERE

Maymont in Richmond in the Spring

Virginia Historic Garden Week is fast approaching and occurs April 26 - May 3, 2014.

Conveniently, the Garden Club of Virginia provides a 240 page booklet complete with graphic details about the tour featuring such Spring beauties as flowering Dogwood, Hydrangea, Tulips, and Daffodils. Look for the booklet at your local library or read details online. The tour features homes and gardens, some communities lean more toward gardens, some more to homes.

Historic home on tour in 2012, Ashland, Virginia

Since my relocation to Charlottesville, Virginia in 2009 I have not missed the annual tour and each year scour the booklet with several cups of tea (initially the book was smaller and one cup would suffice) for the perfect location to tour and blog about. I have yet to be disappointed. Each community offers a little something different than the other. I loved the smaller community tours in Staunton and Ashland and was blown away by the tour last year in Richmond.

Arrangement on Ashland Tour, 2012

This year, because of the great number of gardens featured, we have decided to go to Lexington.
Saturday, May 3: The Lexington tour is located within Monroe Park, a subdivision that began construction in the 1920s. This tour features 7 homes and/or gardens.

There are a few communities that have fantastic descriptions but given we limit our driving distance to 2 hours, they are out of reach.

Lynchburg, Richmond, Roanoke, and Petersburg sound really good but were not chosen for various reasons.

Old City Cemetery, Lynchburg, Virginia

Tuesday, April 29: I pass through Lynchburg often and check in on the Anne Spencer's Poet Garden and the Old City Cemetery Gardens so I ruled that out. If you have not been, I highly recommend this tour or go to the Rose Festival May 9th at the Old City Cemetery to choose from hundreds of roses.

Patio on tour in Ashland, Virginia 2012

Tuesday, April 29: If you love history, go to Petersburg. It's farther to drive than Lexington and on the same day so we ruled it out. The garden booklet is dripping with references such as, "symbol of the grandeur that characterized the aristocracy of Virginia in the 19th century".

Home on 2013 Tour, Richmond, Virginia

Wed - Fri, April 30 - May 2: Richmond features three different areas of the city on different days. It's never easy for me to decided which area to pick. If you are fortunate to live in Richmond, you can go to all three! Also don't miss the headquarters located at the Kent-Valentine house, it's amazing!

The Star City of the South, Roanoke, Virginia

Saturday, May 3: Roanoke often offers interesting tours, last year the home on top of Mill Mountain (where the Star is perched) was on the tour. This year the gardens only of the Avenham home of Mary Anne and David Wine are open. The home used to be owned by the Roanoke Council of Garden Clubs and was built in 1911. It is a well known Roanoke landmark and the Wine's have worked on their property since their acquisition in 2003. I rented space in Pulaski, Virginia for my coffee shop, MimiAnne's, from David Wine and the greatest of care always goes into their preservation efforts changing what once was discarded into something magnificent. I would expect the gardens to be beautiful.

I have to shut my eyes and not even dare read Williamsburg, Virginia Beach, Fairfax, Eastern Shore... all too far to travel but I'm sure offering outstanding tours.

Walking trail, at the foothill of Monticello

In Charlottesville:

Monday, April 28th: Free lecture and tour, 2 pm, Kitchen Road Restoration at Monticello (RESERVATIONS REQUIRED - website refers to 10 am but trust me, it's at 2 pm).

Tuesday April 29th: Free lecture, "Expanding Jefferson's Vision, Master Plan for the University of Virginia" will be held at the Albert and Shirley Small Collection Library on campus at 2 pm. I adore this amazing library which by the way, also hosts a wonderful summer lecture series.

If you have not toured the Academical Village Pavilion Gardens near the Rotunda on campus, add that to your list! The gardens are magical.

So much to see and so little time - 8 days, 250 gardens, 2,000 floral arrangements - WOW. 

Where ever you decide to go, you are sure to find beauty and surprises. Proceeds benefit historic garden preservation in Virginia and the list of success stories is quite a lengthy one! Currently nearly 50 gardens in the state are undergoing preservation projects.

-Rebecca

William Wells Brown Lecture

Two days ago I received an email announcing the Rare Book School (RBS) was featured in the New York Times. After perusing the RBS website, I discovered they host a Summer Lecture Series. Unfortunately, there was only one lecture remaining but I did make a point to go.   It was held in the beautiful Small Special Collections Library on campus next to the Alderman Library.  I had about 30 minutes to spare so enjoyed two exhibits. One being Sound in Early America which showed off numerous wonderful old music related manuscripts and books in their collection.

Last night Dr. Ezra Greenspan, "an archaeologist of the written word", spoke about the nineteenth century writer William Wells Brown.  For many years, Dr. Greenspan has been meticulously investigating physical locations, archives, and publications in attempt to recreate Brown's footsteps and will publish a book about his findings, due out in 2014.  Dr. Greenspan presented his fascinating journey and the twists and turns encountered while researching the nearly unrecorded history of the man he classifies as the most important African-American writer of the nineteenth century.


Familiar Childrens book for sale http://forsythiahill.etsy.com

I was unsure exactly what the lecture encompassed... was it on Browns life, or one of his published books, or the actual printing process of a book?  Given the short timeframe between my discovery of this lecture and the event, I went rather blindly to it but with eyes and ears wide open.  Dr. Greenspan enthusiastically led us on a journey through the history of an African-American that began his life as a slave and ended it as a renound writer.  An intriging journey of his attempt to research a mans life who had very few early family documents to support his existance.  In the early 1800's there were few mentions of slaves , other than number and if lucky their "American given" names. The only documents Dr. Greenspan had to use were slave owner family histories, which he has meticiously pieced together to ascertain the early history of William W. Brown.

The lecture brought back wonderful memories of my cousin Lee and I researching our own family history in the nearby library and driving around town to discover an actual road named after our family!  It was a great discovery and led us down another path to find more links to our past.
If you are an antique book lover, as I am, you must visit the Small Special Collection Library.  My Grandmother Hall was an avid book reader, school teacher, and writer, publishing one book.  I moved into her home 25 years after her death and the renters of 25 years had lovingly left her books throughout the house in various bookcases!  Twenty years after that, just a month ago, my mother and I were "cleaning the garage" and discovered boxes and boxes and boxes of more of my Grandmothers books!  We sorted through, donating a car trunk load to the Goodwill (of god forbid hopefully) non- valuable books.  What remained is mostly at my house... "mostly"... there is MORE.

Dr. Greenspan continues to look for leads into the past to fill in more missing links of William W. Brown and has given me the motivation to seek out old family history that might not be obvious on the written page.

-Rebecca

Historic Garden Week

Virginia's State Bird - The Cardinal 

The biggest week in the State of Virginia for Gardeners is this coming week, April 21 - 28 as this is the annual Historic Garden Week.  A state wide event sponsored by numerous Gardening Clubs that occurs in various municipalities.  Each locality opens primarily historic homes and gardens for tour on typically one day during the week.  I love reading through the 225 page booklet that can be found at coffee shops, book stores, libraries, etc (in host locals).  It contains details about each tour in 30 areas of the State.  These tours are annual fundraisers for historic garden preservation, COUNT ME IN!

I primarily perused details concerning road trips not more than 2 hours from Charlottesville.  It's a long day to drive 4 hours round trip and visit 4 - 8 homes!  My favorite selections were Staunton, Ashland, Fredericksburg, Winchester-Clarke, and Petersburg.  Last year we visited Staunton and it was outstanding.  It's hard to not go back once again, but we wanted to see a new town so Ashland (the center of the universe) it is. 

4/21, Sat, 10-5, $30.00 - Ashland is northwest of Richmond and a little over 1 hour drive, it sounds small and quaint.  Featured homes range in age from 1887 - 1974.  Garden details range from cottage gardens, chickens, large hardwoods, and a hidden garden room. 

4/21, Saturday, 10-5, $25.00 - Clarke County / Winchester features one of the oldest homes on the tour, built in 1753.  A pergola covered in Wisteria, Copper Beeches, and Stained Glass windows featured in three homes on the tour sound charming.  The State Arboretum is also in Clarke and I decided it was a temptation I could not resist will in the area so will plan to go up this Summer for a day long trek through the Bandy Experimental Station.

4/21, Saturday, 10-5, $25.00 -  Staunton is a wonderful historic town that also has one of the more vibrant restored Main Streets in Virginia.  You will want to plan on leaving time for a quick lunch downtown.  Architecture ranges from Queen Anne to Gothic Revival in this years featured historic Gospel Hill district.  During last years tour, the flower arrangements in homes blew me away and I assume the Augusta Garden Club members have been hard at work preparing for this special day.

4/24, Tuesday, 10-5, $30.00 - Fredericksburg has a wonderful historic downtown area that is not to be missed.  Large and expansive, much time could be spent here but you won't want to miss the Garden Day Tea hosted by the Rappanhannock Valley Garden Club (dressed up in colonial costumes).  There is also a free wine tasting, flower arranging demonstrations, and horticulture exhibit.  This tour is right up my alley as many of the homes have interesting accompanying gardens.  One home has a putting green below a pool.. cottage gardens and beloved plants collected from friends.  I love the sound of this tour!

4/26, Thursday, 10-5, $25.00 - The tour in Petersburg sounds outstanding but the drive is a little long so we opted for something closer. Petersburg is a wonderfully historic town dripping in old Southern charm. Sadly the historic district was nearly devoured by Hurricane Hugo but it survives and I highly recommend a trip to Historic Petersburg. The homes on the tour sound fascinating, Victorian-style, Italianate 19th Century, and a Mansion. Several homes have extensive renovation histories. This tour sounds more focused on homes than gardens but the homes sound wonderful.

4/21 - 4/24, Sat - Tues, 10-5, $40.00 - I can't leave out Charlottesville, Albemarle County.  The only 4 day tour in the State and the most expensive.  Homes are open Sunday AND Monday in Keswick (East of Cville in "Hunt Country").  Guaranteed breathtaking views and gargantuan homes.  One featured home was named Metropolitan Home's "House of the Year".  Expansive gardens (one home 25 acres), koi ponds, orchards, oak trees, and rose gardens.

4/24 - Tues - FREE - UVA - One of my favorite tours annually is the Academical Village on UVA Campus.  Tour through the extensive gardens located behind historic professors homes on the Lawn.  Giving a sneak peek at life back in Thomas Jefferson's day.  Across the street from the Rotunda is the Presidents home which is open this one day each year and don't miss meandering through the lovely attached gardens back down to the UVA Art Museum.

Whew - a lot to see and do.  ENJOY!

-Rebecca

McIntire Botanical Garden Plans

Plans are underway to add a Botanical Garden to McIntire Park.  The park is managed by the city Parks and Recreation and adding the proposed garden to the park requires approval by the Charlottesville City Town Council.  A vote as to the future usage of this space will hopefully be decided in 2012. 

If you think the Botanical Garden is a worthy addition to the City, please attend the next meeting.

ATTENTION NATURE LOVERS - IMPORTANT MEETING: 
The next scheduled meeting is Monday, December 12.

Nice old Oaks on top of the hill on the East side.

Today, I ventured to the park for the first time.  When I moved here two years ago, my first indication of the existence of the park were the posted signs "Save McIntire Park".  For years, there has been a road construction project planned that would slice off part of the Eastern most section and many local residents have fought this decision.  Currently the park is divided down the middle by a railroad track giving it an East section and West.  McIntire Park has long been an enigma for me, probably because I see it as a recreational park and not a place to go and convene with nature.

I discovered that the East section is a large green expanse dotted with magnificant old Oaks and of what used to be a small golf course.  Apparently long defunct, I had the entire 75 acres to myself this cold afternoon.  Still actively used,  and visible from the 250 bypass is the playground and vintage McIntire Wading Pool.   There is also a small sweet Vietnam Memorial.  All of the elements that are still in use will remain.  Wow, talk about a diamond in the rough.  I was pleasantly surprised to find such openness downtown and now understand why the protest to protect this space is still enduring today.  Thankfully, it sounds like the City is open to the proposal to keep this area natural. 

Lovely rose at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden

The proposed McIntire Botanical Garden will be located on the East side section of McIntire Park and feature native plants of the Piedmont Region of Virginia.  Detailed plans encompassing 75 acres have been professionally drafted.  A botanical garden is one that labels plant species.  When I think of gardens that I frequent several come to mind; the Richmond Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, the Roanoke Virginia Western Community Arboretum, the Lynchburg Old City Cemetery, and of course Monticello and the UVA Academical Gardens.   Given the setting is in a City on a hill, it reminded me of the stellar San Francisco Golden Gate Park Botanical Garden.  When I moved here I was a bit stunned that of all the outdoor parks and developed walking trails in the City of Charlottesville, there was not one Botanical Garden or Arboretum.  Sure, walking on natural trails that have not been landscaped is an equally wonderful experience and our Shenandoah National Park is outstanding but a Botanical Garden allows closeup contact with plants that might not always be spotted while hiking along a restricted trail path.  It's a different experience that is equally educational.

After visiting the site, I really can see this space becoming a nature lovers paradise.  There are some wonderful old Oaks, a Southern Magnolia, and Dogwoods.  Little Chickadees were following me around the Vietnam Memorial.  The park will become surrounded by traffic after the Meadow Creek Parkway opens, it will require a nice tree buffer to tone down the noise and that is exactly what this area needs!  The western side, by the railroad tracks, has a nice dense forested area.  I see no detriment of adding a Botanical Garden to McIntire Park.  The park is adjacent to neighborhoods where there are exercise paths, hiking trails, ball fields, a High School and Football Stadium, Condos, the 250 bypass, and Rio Road.  Our natural world is being chipped away with roadways and development.  This might just be the last place in the City for such a garden.

Planning meetings are open to the public.  The next scheduled meeting is Monday, December 12 where attendees will break out into groups and plan the future of the East side of the park!  All area interested gardeners are invited to attend this important meeting to aid in the planning of the area where the proposed Botanical Garden might reside.

-Rebecca

Save the UVA Rotunda Magnolias

It is estimated that for 100 years eight Southern Magnolia have flanked the 1826 UVA Rotunda that originally housed the campus library.  Thomas Jefferson's Rotunda is the pride of the University and has been undergoing renovation for years and will continue to be hammered upon for years to come.  Part of Jefferson's original Academical Village included lovely garden spaces.  The Magnolias were planted well after Jefferson's death (he would be nearly 270 years old if still alive today) and were not part of his original plan (he designed the hard scape and intended the Pavilion residents to design and maintain their own landscapes).  Aside from that, the local trend when it comes to Jefferson tends to be a complete restoration of his vision and that includes his plantings.  Given that Thomas Jefferson was a man of reason, constant invention, and change, I do not believe that he would expect the garden plantings to not be altered over a 200 year period!

The Board of Visitors has decided that the Magnolias must go because scaffolding must be erected (here we go again) to replace the roof.  Work on the Rotunda seems to be a constant theme, the interior was restored in 1976 and the columns have been falling apart for years and have finally been covered with boots to protect what remains. 

Students have created an online petition to save the trees.  I was absolutely thrilled to see that students are interested in campaigning to save trees!  I felt helpless when I read the news of the trees, as if campus can do whatever they want and is above any citizen outcry.  A student revolt is a totally different beast and should not be taken lightly.  Unlike the Obama appointed Super Committee failed attempt at compromise, I hope the Board of Visitors will listen to the students and alter their original plan so no one will chain themselves to a grand Magnolia (boy have I been tempted in the past to do just that).

Seems a little shaping up is in order

I visited the Rotunda two days ago to see for myself the positioning and size of the trees.  The Board of Visitors was quoted as saying the trees had to go because of scaffolding, which is ridiculous.  If the roofers can't erect scaffolding without harming the trees they need to go back to scaffolding 101 school.  Another often used excuse when cutting down older trees is that they have reached the end of their expected life.  Bah humbug.  There is something to be said for light cast inside the Rotunda.  Also mentioned is that the trees are massive and they might damage the Rotunda in a storm.  Anything is possible but historically it appears that the only damage incurred during a storm was to two of the eight Magnolia, not to the Rotunda (the most pressing damage it seems to me for the Rotunda is pollution from cars and coal).  The Magnolias are not even as tall as the Rotunda dome and are in desperate need of pruning.  I was a bit taken aback at the lack of pruning,, especially on the sides.  Given the structure is so large, the Magnolia actually flank the Rotunda quite nicely.  There is one particular Magnolia that is a lovely specimen and there is no reason to remove it.  It easily can be pruned to not overhang a walkway and is not directly beside the Rotunda.

 

Ground level with the magnificent Magnolia

Living among the trees for 20 years in my family home, I shudder at the thought of any tree being cut down.  One of my grandmothers favorite trees was her beloved Southern Magnolia and also on the "park like" property is an assortment of 75 year old trees; Maples, Chestnuts, Apples, Catalpa, Walnut, and Holly.  When we first moved into our family home there were two HUGE yews that I absolutely loved but they were literally growing into the house.  They were planted 2' from the house and were twice as tall as the house! After 10 years, I finally got the courage to cut down the trees when my mother told me that my Grandmother had said, those trees were planted way to close to the house and that she always regretted that decision.  Last year my mother had a 150' leaning Blue Spruce cut down that was also planted way too close to the house.  Both decisions were horrifying to make but were the correct ones.  The house was being gobbled up by the trees so much that you could not see it and the roof was being horribly damaged.  On the flip side, I watched my idiot neighbors hire jack legs to cut down 20 hardwood trees that were NOT up against their house.  I cried watching the destruction and hearing the chain saws for months on end.  I begged them to not do this but they continued (having some drop on our fence).  Our home place has just been sold and I have no desire to go back and possibly see the destruction of the majestic trees on the property for reasons such as... oh I don't like leaves, or we need to let more sun in, or that tree is so messy, or that tree is OLD.

So grand it would bring TJ to tears

Online it has been suggested that the Magnolias be relocated to another site on campus. When I headed to campus the other day, I was ready to battle to save the Magnolias.   I still am but my view has changed.   If judicious pruning doesn't improve the situation and you must remove then instead relocate, keep one where it stands, and make commemorative bowls out of the two storm injured trees (apparently "the thing" to do with felled TJ trees).

The main point in all this is that people young and old care about the nature that abounds on campus and don't want to see it destroyed just because it is convenient to do so.

2013 UPDATE:  The Magnolia are still standing as a consequence of the protests by students!  2021 UPDATE: Magnolia's were axed.

-Rebecca

Charlottesville Public Gardens

As part of Virginia Garden Week, we visited two of the best known gardens in Charlottesville, Monticello and the UVA Academical Village.  Monticello offered a free lecture and tour of the gardens that Thomas Jefferson designed in the early 1800's.

I've been to Monticello twice since moving to Charlottesville and have yet to go into the house.  The grounds keep me totally occupied.  There are flower gardens, orchards, and the enormously wonderful vegetable garden.  The Gardening Club of Virginia accurately restored the gardens utilizing Jefferson's meticulous records and plans.  During restoration, they discovered that if they shone their headlights on the yard they could SEE the old outline of the garden foot paths behind Monticello.


Crown Imperial Lily, Fritillaria imperialis

The speaker and key tour guide, Peter Hatch, the Director of Gardens and Grounds, is so impressive.  He has worked for 34 years restoring Jefferson's gardens and eloquently sharing his passion for Monticello.  Publishing several books on the topic, he can recite the history of the gardens like no other!

We strolled the grounds with Peter taking in his enthusiasm for gardening while our eyes feasted on the beautiful scenery.  Monticello's high elevation provides a scenic panoramic view of surrounding mountains and Charlottesville.  Winding our way through the largest Tulips I have ever seen, a trail of color lining the main pathways to the house, surrounding us.  Dancing Columbines, Jeffersonia Diphylla, Tree Peonies, and other spring bloomers were side notes to the Tulips.  The massive trees were leafing out and remnants of patches of the early showing of yellow Daffodils were lingering in the grassy hillsides.  The grounds of Monticello are amazing any season but Spring should not be missed!

We reluctantly sped away down into the heart of Charlottesville to another one of Jefferson's masterpieces, the UVA Academical Village.  This is the original area of the University of Virginia.  There are separate serpentine brick walled gardens behind each main buildings in this area.  Jefferson had no specific designs for the plantings within the walls but years following his death, these gardens have developed into lovely, restful spaces.

My next gardening week event is organized through the Newcomers Club and hosted by the Monticello Gardening Club.  Then, I will be returning to our family home to gather some cuttings and divide some plants while turning a half a century old on Easter Sunday. 

-Rebecca

Garden Week in Virginia

April 16 - 23rd is the annual Virginia Garden Week and there are a host of activities throughout the State of Virginia sponsored by the Garden Club of Virginia.
Yesterday we traveled to Staunton to tour the Newtown Historic District.  I fell in love with Staunton the moment I saw it many years ago.  It has made great strides since my first trip.  The Stonewall Jackson Hotel was not even under renovation at that time and I was near hysterical just thinking that this wonderful structure would fall into disrepair and ultimately be destroyed.  There were some shops on the main drag and businesses were opening along warehouse row, but it was not as "happening" as it is today.  I am so happy that Staunton has made such great strides and several years ago I was able to stay in the Stonewall Jackson Hotel which was saved and lovingly renovated.

Staunton's historic district is dripping with history.  Homes are vibrantly colored and it's not uncommon to see renovations in the works.  My main reason to tour was to see tucked in city gardens showing off spring colors of pink, blue, yellow, and green but was surprised to find the most unusual and fantastically gorgeous floral arrangements crafted by The Augusta Gardening Club.

Nearly every room, mantel, and porch had an arrangement displayed that illuminated a corresponding piece of art or furnishing.  The different varieties of Tulips and their smashing range of colors were a highlight.  An especially cute arrangement that I was not permitted to shoot, was a dainty row of halved egg shells each containing a little stem of a dwarf Narcissus.  The Augusta Gardening Club is amazing and they should be so proud of their hard work.

It was a rainy day but very often we found ourselves actually walking in very light rain, the only torrential downpour being later in the day while we were having a late lunch.  The restaurant kitchen was nearly flooded and had to be closed down it was such a huge rain.  Amazingly the skies cleared and we were off to check out some local thrift stores and head to the Crozet Mudhouse for the best Mocha in Charlottesville.

Tuesday the 19th is the big day in Charlottesville, offering free tours.  We will start in the morning at Monticello for a morning tour of Thomas Jefferson's restored gardens and then go on campus at UVA to see the walled gardens on campus which I highly recommend.  There is a short garden lecture on campus to be given by Shaun Spencer-Hester who lives in her grandmothers home and gardens.  It sounds very reminiscent of my past life in Pulaski.

Parts of the Presidents house and gardens and the Morea Gardens will be open.  There is a lot to do on campus and at Monticello Tuesday!  Local gardeners won't want to miss it.

-Rebecca