Founding Gardeners: The Revolutionary Generation, Nature, and the Shaping of the American Nation, by Andrea Wulf
“For the Founding Fathers, gardening, agriculture, and botany were elemental passions: a conjoined interest as deeply ingrained in their characters as the battle for liberty and a belief in the greatness of their new nation.”
Read an excerpt here.
We discovered the book via William Yosses, author, activist and White House Executive Pastry Chef, who mentioned Founding Gardeners, in his talk at TEDxManhattan:Changing the Way We Eat, which you can view along with all the inspiring TEDxManhattan speakers, here. William “Bill” Yosses speaks during Session 2: EDUCATE at about 1:45 timestamp.
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The book American Canopy also touches on the founding fathers’ interest in botany, particularly Washington (Mount Vernon) and Jefferson (Monticello).
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Thanks for the recommendation! American Canopy: Trees, Forests, and the Making of a Nation by Eric Rutkow looks fascinating. Adding it to the reading list.
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