I do historic preservation work in the Atlanta area. Most of my training was related to buildings, but since my graduate program was an outgrowth of a landscape architecture program I had classes in the history of landscape architecture and preservation of landscapes. My studies began with designers and landscapes, but since I garden, I've expanded into studying the plants themselves.

I tend to work mostly with buildings but I 'm also involved with an Olmsted (FLO & sons) project, a rural landscape preservation project, and preservation of historic cemeteries.

I attended the Southern Garden History conference in Old Salem last fall and enjoyed it greatly.

I'm not interested only in US history, its just what I'm most familiar with.

Ginny, Hillwood "peaks" at two times: April/May, when the beds full of azaleas and rhodos are in bloom, and in the fall, when a couple of thousand mums are planted out everywhere they can be squeezed (plus, the azaleas color up remarkably). In the summer, the cutting garden is full of color, and the formal rose garden of floribundas should look okay (the roses in the cutting garden will be better, but that's because of the relative skills of the gardeners). Any time of the year there will be orchids in the greenhouse, and the bold use of a great variety of colorful conifers and broadleaf evergreens means that there is still plenty to see even when things are not blooming. Of course, the Japanese-style garden looks great all year, but as I'm in charge of it, I'm prejudiced! Reservations are required, and you really have to plan ahead since zoning restrictions mean we can have only 250 visitors a day.

Hee, hee, I know what you mean, Puggy, about those terrible herb gardens. Then there's colonial revival and its claim to being historic, which is why I quit my previous job. Where did you consult in Virginia?

I just found this forum and I think it's already pretty wonderful. What a wealth of knowledge and variety of regions already represented. I certainly hope it keeps growing. We just moved to Connecticut from Arlington, Virginia (wonderful to see a gardener from Hillwood, one of the MOST beautiful places in the world!). I love (and love) Virginia and the South, but now Connecticut is a whole new fascinating world, too.

Our "new" house was built not later than 1880 (there's some indication it might have been 1840) and redone over the years, the major renovation being in the 30's some time, and that's the aspect of the place we really love the most, that sort of Cary Grant-Katharine Hepburn "Christmas in Connecticut" look. (I'll guarantee you the house looks more like it could be in a movie than the occupants!!) It's basically a very simple farmhouse, on about 1 and a half acres. There are lovely very large evergreens and pines and viburnums and maples (not quite as much direct sun as I'd like!), and whoever laid the place out in the first place had an educated eye, I think. The people before us lived here for 40 years and they did a wonderful job, too. But they were getting a little slow in the gardening department toward the end (they moved to a smaller place), so there's lots of work to do. So I've been researching Connecticut houses and gardens in the 1930s and 1940s, and it's amazingly difficult to find information. I think old "House and Gardens" magazines might be a good bet so I'm going to follow up on that. Sometimes I think I'll just rent a lot of old movies and keep an eye out for the yards! I'd like to keep that 30s feel of very quiet, plain, Yankee restraint but beautiful, too. This is all EXTREMELY ambitious, of course, but it's nice to have big ideas, at least! Mainly I'm hoping not to completely screw up what's already here! Anyway, this is a very long introduction, but thanks, everyone, for this forum and I hope to follow it closely. And if anybody has any good ideas for sources I could look at for gardens in Connecticut in the 30s and 40s, let me know! Thanks so much. (I might post that question as a separate thread, also, so if you see all this all over again, forgive me.)

Ten avocational garden hx posters and 3-4 vocational garden hx posters to date on this thread. Great! Lets keep the intros coming. This is a good way for people to find out what other's interests and areas of expertise are.

Then, if someone(besides me!)would take the leap of faith and actually post something of interest to start a thread -we'd be talking . . .

Ginger

Keeping this from falling off the page . . .

Hi, everyone. I'm a lurker, and I'm new to gardening, and have become very interested in it. I've started a compost pile, started a butterfly garden, and will start a (very small this year) vegetable garden.
I admit i haven't given much thought at all to garden history, but since this forum started, and i clicked on it to see what it was about, i am intrigued. I go to botanical gardens, and just became a member of the Lady B Johnson WIldflower center here in Austin.
My goals include learning about this subject- which i barely even knew existed (seen a few shows on HGTV about historical gardens). I will see if my library has/can get the book Redthistle suggested (thank you!) and making the garden of my dreams come to life- problem is the dream keeps changing.

I can't say i'm a history person, but i want to learn. THanks,
Angie

Hi - I just found this forum, having concentrated, since I found GardenWeb, on plant ID and propagation. I'm interested in historic gardens of various periods and locations, both as part of the larger social history, and as a gardener.
A friend of mine just mentioned that a friend of hers is interested in creating a reasonably authentic medieval English garden of medicinal plants, and I wondered if anyone here shared that interest.

Gardenpaws,I lurk a lot in the Kitchen Garden area and if you go to the Herbalism and Herb forums and post you will find folks there that will lead you onto the right path!! (and then some.lol.)
Perry

I'm a gardener that loves old houses, always have, so that's my connection. I've learned a lot here already, and have been inspired to do more study/research on my own, both on garden history and gardening in general. Frequent moves mean lots of 'renovation' over the past 10 years or so.
Jo

I'm an experienced gardener who's more into the "renovation" aspect of this forum than the "history" aspect -- mainly because the gardens I've worked on don't evidence any "history" other than the one or two really long-lived perennials that remain.

This house was built in 1925, but I suspect that a smaller house (with a smaller foundation) stood here until it was razed to make room for this one. (Our basement is very odd, about two feet smaller than the outline of the house, so there's a two-foot wide ledge everywhere around the "full" basement.)

The long-lived perennials in our yard are peonies, scilla, sweet violet, and wild Bleeding Heart (Dicentra formosa var. oregona).

Oh, and let me not forget: Dracuncula vulgaris! I haven't seen it bloom yet, because this is the first year I've been able to pull the ivy away from it before it got so big that I was afraid I'd pull the plant while pulling the ivy. It is now ivy-free, gets more sun than it used to (due to trimming surrounding trees to provide high partial shade), and I hope to see (and smell) its lurid, fetid blooms this year.

Of course I don't "like" Dracunculus, and I'd never have bought one myself -- but since it's there, and not native, I'll keep it and enjoy it as part of the "history" of the garden. Somebody loved it once, that's for sure.

The peonies may bloom this year, too, after being de-ivied and given more light. If not, I'll move them carefully to a brighter spot.

Anyway, it's hardly "history" -- but I do love and appreciate all the odd garden plants I find here. My rule of thumb is, "If it's listed as a garden plant and it isn't obnoxiously invasive (like the Mahonia repens), then I'll find a place for it and do my best to keep it healthy."

Which is my idea of working always to improve and add to a garden, never detract from it.

Love,

Claudia

I put myself in the camp of folks who are very interested in garden history, though I am at the newbie level of expertise.
I do have a background in art and architectural history, and as my interest in gardening has grown, I've become more curious about the history of this endeavor as well.

I live in a small c. 1870 brick rowhouse in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Washington, D.C. It's a designated historic district, and in the course of doing renovations on the house (which must be done in accordance with guidelines from the Historic Preservation office) I've become pretty familiar with the history of doors, windows, doorbells, etc. that were used locally around the time my house was built. I want to start doing some similar research about local gardens and gardening habits of that period.

On the more theoretical or philosophical level, in my previous career I spent quite a bit of time reflecting on the presentation and interpretation of history in museums, historic homes, etc. I'm interested in exploring some of these same issues in the context of garden and landscape design, and look forward to learning from all of you.

Kate

P.S. Special note to Fran (if you're still here): I very much share the views you expressed on the now infamous thread-that-has-been-deleted. I hope for selfish reasons that you will stick around at least a little longer; if a critical mass of us post on historic-type issues, we can in fact make the forum the place we would like it to be. I noted that there were a number of posters who said that while they were not experts in garden history, that is what drew them to this forum in the first place, so I am hopeful that there will be support and interest in such discussions. And P.P.S.--thanks for the reminder about needing reservations for Hillwood, I'be been meaning to get there since the re-opening and you have inspired me anew.

Kate, definitely come to Hillwood and have a look around! What did you used to do that you were concerned with museum interpretation issues? I used to work for the National Trust, where authenticity took a back seat to expediency. I'll be looking in here from time to time, don't worry.

Fran, glad to see you're still here! I expect I'll be a time-to-time person myself.

The reference to my earlier "career" was late-night shorthand for the period of my life that I spent as a graduate student in art history. (Didn't mean to oversell myself!) Much of my work and study was focused on how artists chose to represent history in their work, and also how museums, in turn, have portrayed the history of art and history more generally in their exhibitions. During this time, I also had the experience of working with a team of colleagues from various disciplines to develop interpretations for a set of historic properties in a small New England town. Never worked for the Trust myself, but as the saying goes, "Some of my best friends . . . ."

I wish I had been at all interested in gardening during this epoch, because I can now think of many garden- and landscape- related projects it would have been fun to pursue.

Who else is out there lurking? Please chime in.

Hi all,

Just wanted to introduce myself. I teach American history at Central Connecticut State University. My interests in historic gardening are both personal and related to teaching: I'd love to develop a historic garden for my students as a window onto nineteenth century American life: what people grew and how they grew it, what they ate, what food meant for them, and ultimately, what they tells us about American culture. I am fairly new to gardening myself so the learning curve will be steep. I've got some heirlooms growing in the basement under lights but I've yet to delve into the gardening history books yet.

Michael

Okay, what other history buffs are lurking out there? Please chime in!

Friends, I volunteer in a garden belonging to the Old Saybrook Historical Society. On this smaller than an acre lot stands a house built in 1767 as well as several other buildings. The rest of the yard is given over to lawns and gardens growing native and other plants which might have been grown by the original owners. We study to learn what is apropriate to the time, the lifestyle, experiences, education and quality of the then inhabitants of the house, though sometimes we are seduced by beautiful newcomers. We are open to the public. We count ourselves among "history folk" of sorts.
Marianne

Hello, Michael and Marianne!
Welcome! We need interested "history folk of sorts" as Marianne aptly puts it. We have quite a few "experts" here(I am not one of them), so ask away re any questions you may have. This is what makes the forum go; people do check the forums before posting and often don't post at all if there seems to be little action--all the top threads have old dates. More postings beget more postings and vice versa, keeping the forum alive or killing it.

Check the early threads on the beginning pages of this forum for lists of recommended garden hx books, websites, gardens to visit, etc. Add your own, too. FAQs still need to be done and we can use the input.

Best,
Ginger

Thank you for the welcome, Ginger.
Our history project at the General William Hart House gardens in Old Saybrook has been going for about twentyfive years. The old guard is fading away (into history) but new volunteers have taken over. We have no documentation on the garden but know quite a bit concerning the people who lived here on a property which was considerable larger than what it is today. The Hart family lived here between 1767 and 1820.They were merchants and ship owners who traded with Jamaica. They were upperclass folk, with a fine house, and were known for lavish parties. A son and a small niece resided in the house along with servants and several slaves. On the basis of all this we are "restoring" the property as an enjoyable core area given to hobbies and amusement. A large sunken lawn was most probably a bowling green (a popular sport in that day).We have added an espalier pear tree, (for a military man might likely be a control freak), a native wild flower and fern woodland area (a possible hobby of educated patriots),perennial beds with plants from all over the world (as might be collected by world travelers), as well as the required herb garden. Does this qualify as historical restoration?

You will have to get an anwer from Fran, Ginny, INKognito, or any of the other garden historians who post here. There are many versions of what constitutes a "historical restoration." We have had interesting discussions about the restorations of restorations of restorations, for instance - which era are you really restoring??? A lot of food for thought.

To my amateur, untrained way of thinking, you would be doing an approximate historical restoration as you are assuming this is what might have been, rather than knowing what was. There is probably a term for this and hopefully the more knowledgeable posters will respond.

This would be a good post to cut and paste and start a new thread so it doesn't get lost in this introductions thread,
Gnomlet.

Ginger

Thanks Ginger, I took your advise and started a new thread. My first attempt at such, being a fairly new Web member and somewhat reticent.
Gnomlet

Good job. And I see you are getting responses too.
G.

Just found this forum, so I'll offer some Canadian perspective, I guess. I'm an enthusiast, but an amateur. My own garden here in Canada was designed in 1941 by a (then-famous) landscape architect, Carl Borgstrom, who was also the master designer of our Royal Botanical Gardens in Hamilton -- one of our most famous Canadian gardens. He was a personal friend of the couple who then owned our house. He studied with the younger Olmstead in the US, and adhered to many of the same precepts. Borgstrom was a founder of the Canadian Landscape Architect's Association and I think that some of his extant gardens in Hamilton are now National Heritage sites. I don't have any information about any other private gardens that he might have done. Most have probably been swallowed up by subdivisions.
I'm travelling to England next month to pursue my favourite hobby: touring the famous gardens of the UK. This time, I'll visit Sissinghurst, Knole and the "lost gardens" of Heligan (plus Kew, Mottisfont, Longleat and some other lesser-known spots). I'm a great admirer of the landscape school (Capability Brown and William Kent in particular), my favourite garden to visit is Powerscourt in Ireland, and my favourite garden writers are Penelope Hobhouse and Roy Strong. I'm currently reading about the continental influences of William and Mary of Orange on English gardening. I've got a growing bookshelf dedicated to the history of garden styles. Roy Strong's "the artist and the garden" is an interesting romp through the historical (political, sociological) context of garden styles. Did you know that a very practical English monarch once suggested planting the St. James Park (the garden running down from what is now Buckingham Palace) with turnips? He asked his advisors how much it would cost. "Only three crowns" was the reply (his, the queen's and the prince's). The garden was wildly popular with the people.
Anyway, enough rambling. Garden history is one of my latest passions.

Oops... umm... that's Olmsted. Sorry.

Welcome rosegardengirl -- it's great to get some cross-cultural perspective here. I too am finding that my developing interest in garden history is a great excuse for making travel plans! Kate

Very interesting thread and forum! Somehow I missed this thread in my earlier lurking. It's really interesting to hear the details of restoring a garden to a particular period. Thanks.

I started gardening when I moved into my current house 5 years ago. My house was built in 1911. It is young in comparison to the ages of houses posted above! It's a craftsman style foursquare. I have since then been interested in Arts& Crafts and have found some interesting websites discussing not only famous English gardens such as Sissinghurst, Munstead and others but the design of gardens throughout the ages. Very fascinating.

I am not necessarily trying to recreate the garden as it was but to create something in the style or feel of the house and original garden, while working with the large, old plants that are already there. Mainly camellias and yews.

Looking forward to more interesting discussions!

Welcome Jeanne -- hope you saw the thread on 1920s houses - a little later than your house but there was some good info there on craftsman style houses, if I recall. Kate

Ginger- New to this forum -- what a great opportunity to learn and share information about your interests in the historical aspects of the plant world! The gardening field is huge with so many specialties. My passion is the humbler side of gardening --- the rural cultural context of gardening. This area can include cottage gardens through diverse family home gardens -- typically called vernacular or folk gardening. Hope there are others out there that share my interests in this type of gardening. I will attempt to contribute what I can to this forum. My background includes an MA in cultural anthropology and historic preservation and 50 years of "hands in the dirt" gardening. I teach gardening, write on the subject and occasionally consult. I am glad to have found this site!

Welcome, Mustardgreens!
Interesting background and experiences that you reference. "Vernacular gardening" or "folk gardening" uses the language well to elevate the everyday. I find myself often drawn to the homely marigolds, bright zinnias, small patch of snowdrops,simple pansies, small flowering almond centerpiece, and wildflowers in the lawn of my working class childhood. Less is more. The "muchness" of sophisticated garden design (which I attempt to do as a livelihood)is sometimes stifling.

Where do you teach gardening and what aspects do you specialize in?
Ginger

I'll pick up here. Our house was built in 1811. Here in Lexington MA that's pretty old, but not real old! While cultivating our garden We've dug up an 18 something coin (can't quite remember the date now) clay pipe stems, clay marbles and others, and more hunks of farm machinery than one can count. Oh yes, an animal jawbone too.

I love gardening and plants so much that I'm incapable of limiting myself to heirloom plants. I've been gardening for 25 years, beginning with vegetables, moving on to perennials. My 16 year old became very interested in an organic vegetalbe garden this year, so we've come full circle and planted vegetables this year like we did in our 20's. The funny thing is my daughter hardly has the concept that the plants have produced stuff to eat. It never crosses her mind to go harvest something. Nevertheless I am very happy that she's shown an interest at all.
The front of the house is very spare, in part out of respect for its original design (Federal) and in larger part because of the two maples in front. Unfortunately they are Norway maples...although we have some huge sugar maples in the back.

My biggest mistake was a patio of Boston Pavers...I was too ignorant at the time to notice that these would never, never look old. They have a bit of mica in them, and a hard edge and I hate them so much. However, my dh laborously laid the brick and did a damned good job. I'm not about to pull up them up now.

Some day, though........

We just connected to the municipal sewer and now the side yard is cleared and ready to plant. Here however I will plant native trees and shrubs with an eye to the birds, and spring color since it's the "sink" view.

Now a question, how can I hone in on past discussions or threads about gardens with houses of my period (Federal?)

Idabean

1730's French settlement landscaping and food gardening in Atlantic Canada----Does anyone have any good info sources for design and plant selection? Books, web pages etc. This is for a new site on Prince Edward Island, Canada where Jean Pierre Roma established a feudal farming and fishing center. I want to get an appreciation of the typical landscape architecture and gardening of the day

Edgar-
Please post your request as a new message; start a new thread. I'm afraid no one will ever find it at the bottom of this introductions thread!
One of the regular posters here, INKcognito, is a Canadian who may be of help to you.
Ginger

I found it ginger, I thought edgar would have made more of an effort though. There were just over 300 French settlers on "le St-Jean in 1730, farmers and fishermen who grew wheat and peas. The farmers brought their own cattle and the fishermen brought their own boats. The houses would not have been up to much and the effect on the landscape minimal, Roma did make some roads around about where edgar lives and some weatherproof buildings but these were destroyed by the British up from New England.
There would have been no landscape architecture or gardening.

Just found this forum and its great to see so many garden history buffs. I came into garden history via herbs and knot gardens and went back from there. Consequently I tend to view Capability Brown as a destructive influence rather than a positive one (as the post above does). He was remarkable though. I love formal garden designs and some of Browns work does come under that flag - one cannot doubt that Longview Gardens with its fountains and grand avenues is formal in design, whilst still being the grand landscape.
Currently I am delving further back into Roman and medieval garden designs - great fun.

I have a thread started on the IRIS FORUM concerning a descendant of a "blue flag" iris brought from the Netherlands to CT in 1635 by the wife of Lion Gardiner, the builder of Fort Saybrook and later the settler of Gardiner island. If any of you history folks are interested in commenting or helping to ferret out the history of this iris, I would be thrilled. Gnomlet

Yes, there are garden history folk out and about. I am especially interested in kitchen gardens in Texas and the South, as well as Mexico. I have been gathering information about them for some time. More is always welcome. I especially like to see designs or plans for old kitchen type gardens.

Received a brochure in the mail today announcing a 2-week workshop sponsored by The University of Virginia, Monticello, and The Historic Landscape Institute on "Preserving Jefferson's Gardens and Landscapes," to be held June 12-24, 2005. For more information contact:
phatch@monticello.org

Garden history, for both homeowners and professionals, is a burgeoning field. I wonder why this forum isn't more active. Do you think people don't know it is here? Or don't feel they have anything to contribute? It is puzzling to me that such a great subject isn't busier here on GW. What do you think?

I don't post much on this forum because I have an interest in garden history, but not enough knowledge to feel comfortable contributing much. My posts, when I do have something to say, are usually about garden restoration/renovation more generally.
But I do enjoy reading the posts of others.
Jo

Hello all!

Is this forum still active?

Sad to say, it doesn't look that way. I think it is the name. I don't think people are really sure what this forum is about. Maybe Garden History would work, or Historic Gardens, or This Old Garden. Or going in another direction, Fixing up a Garden, Repairing a Garden, or something like that. In other words, go clearly one way or another. Or two separate forums, one emphasizing garden history and another fixing up a neglected garden. I would really love to see garden history have a forum.

Ginny, I agree very much. I'm sorry not to have been a contributor for a while -- I've been away on unexpected and extended 'medical leave' for about a year, but have recently begun to ease back into my former Gardenweb habits via the Landscape Design forum. I'love to see an active discussion here as well.

Many will remember that there was quite a discussion, if not controversy, at the time this forum was created concerning what it should be called and what topics it should encompass. I don't want to necessarily rehearse that here, but my suggestion at this point would be to rename the forum "Garden History and Restoration." I think this would increase the number of visitors from people who search the internet for "garden history" links, while still leaving room to discuss the type of practical rejuvenation and restoration issues of interest to people who are dealing with old or overgrown gardens but may not be aiming for a historic restoration or not. A similar alternative would be "Garden History and Rejuvenation."

As previous posts on this topic have suggested, there are a number of people interested in learning about garden history, but to have a good discussion, you need to draw in people with expertise and experience, in addition to we novices. I think adding "History" to the title stands a chance of doing this.

As I recall, at one point, ginger_nh, the exuberant person who started this forum, contacted the former webmaster about a possible title change, but his view was to stick with the title that had been agreeed upon. In the interim, though, more time has passed, and Gardenweb has passed over to new management, who might be more amenable to such a request.

But the important question is, what do others think? Any alternative proposals? Ginger, in particular, are you still out there? I'm willing to try to contact the mgmt folks if others support such a change. Best to all -- Kate

Those are excellent ideas, Kate. There is a Suggestions forum, with some interesting threads and maybe we could contact GW that way. But I agree as well--Where is Ginger? This is her baby and it would be good to get her input.

Hello-
I received an email from Kate and am responding. Thank you for being so thoughtful. For various reasons I am no longer spending time on Garden Web.

IMO, two separate forums might be helpful: a Garden History forum and a Garden Restoration and Rejuvenation forum.

There have not been any new forums in some time, have there?

Ginger

Ginger, thanks for stopping by and chiming in with your thoughts. It is a good point that new management might also be amenable to starting a totally new forum specifically titled "Garden History," and it's also consistent with Ginny's suggestion above.

So far, then, there are three suggestions on the table to mull over, in no particular order:

*A) create a separate garden history forum, and change this forum (perhaps renamed?) to deal with solely with "garden renewal" issues;

*B) add "History" to the title of this forum, and leave it (as it currently does) to deal both with historical and renewal issues; or

*C) change the forum title and focus, to deal clearly with either garden history, or with garden renewal, but not both in the same place.

Personally, I can see some advantages--and some risks--to each approach, though I am too sleepy to elaborate at the moment. What do others think? Additional suggestions are welcome, of course.

I note that at some point we can solicit input more broadly, both by creating a new thread (to catch the eye of those who might not read the 'history') threads and perhaps by a shout out over on the Landscape Design forum, which seems to have produced a number of drop-by posters over here. At the moment, though, I am curious to see how many people are checking this forum and potentially drawn to the title of this thread . . . Kate

Ginger, it was good to hear from you. I hope you will find time to post again when you have more time.

Alas, I don't think many people visit this forum, judging by the number of threads and posts. Since it started, the forum has not even filled the allotted ten pages. Maybe people just were not clear on the focus of the forum.

I vote for two separate forums--or at least a new one called Garden History. I'd love to see GW give the subject a chance.

The Garden History forum could cover garden history, historic gardens and gardening at an old house. I think the subject of garden restoration seems to be addressed by other forums--regional, specific plant types and so on. Kate, do you want to contact GW?

Ginny, I'm happy to take the lead in contacting GW; however, based on what I've seen in the past, I think it would be better to see if we can gin up some more support before pitching the idea to GW mgmt. Otherwise, new forum suggestions often seem to die on the vine. Let me create a new discussion thread here, as I suggested above, and let's see if we can get a critical mass of folks to chime in first. New thread shortly. Kate

Actually, if I may interject, the term "restoration" is being misunderstood by most of the people who come here. It isn't necessarily just redoing a rundown landscape at a property you just bought, or replacing an old patio with a new deck, or redesigning a herbaceous border. It means exactly what the word says: RESTORATION. That is, taking a garden or landscape and returning in to the condition it was sometime in the past. In other words, "restoring" it. Most of what was getting posted here was just ordinary landscaping, because no one seemed to understand what the word "restoration" was really supposed to mean.

Fran

I agree completely with Fran--garden history and garden restoration are a match; garden rejuvenation, renovation, re-do, re-make, refashion, revamp, or overhaul describe what Fran has defined by example as "redoing a rundown landscape at a property you just bought, or replacing an old patio with a new deck, or redesigning a herbaceous border."

A Garden History and Restoration forum would be good, as would a Garden Renovation Forum. Probably would attract quite different groups, with some overlap.

It does not seem as if the new management (ivillage) is heeding any requests for new forums. If you go to the Suggestions and Comments forum, it seems as if they basically are communicating with Gardenweb participants around the efficacy of their advertising efforts. They seem not to reply to questions pertaining to content of the forums, new forums, and so on.

There is definately room for more than one thread. I, for one, have no interest in American garden history. My interest and study lies in ancient historical agricultural development, food availability, migration of plants and populace, etc. I am interested in history up to about the 16th C. Post that era there are endless books on the topic of plant explorers.... which, now that I think about it, is reason for yet another thread = plant explorers, how the names of plants are related to them, where they explored etc. This thread could also include the development of plant classification.

Well I just found this forum and this post tonight. I love history so I am happy to have found all of you history lovers.
I was just rereading a nice article on the Historical Garden at Williamsburg that was published awhile ago in one of my Organic Gardening magazines and wishing I could go visit it and also go see the one at Monticello this summer.I live near Pennsbury Manor in Fallsington and it is always a fun visit to see the restored manor where William Penn lived and his beautiful gardens.

I live in Levittown PA and I remember when I was a little girl and the house I am living in was first built(1953) and the landscaping was put in and watching the truck come down the street and drop in the trees and shrubs in a kind of assembly line fashion. It was probably one of the first developments where not just the house was built like that but the lawns and trees and all the landscaping was planted that way also. I sat down one day and tried to remember everything we had in the yard..Levitt planted fruit trees and lilacs and roses and all manner of trees and shrubs when he built here. Well anyway reading this thread kind of brought all these memories back! So here I am still in my little house thinking about all the garden history and being happy I found this forum!