9/13/12
Thomas Jefferson's Garden Topic For Talk At St. Lawrence
CANTON - "Thomas Jefferson's Revolutionary Garden" is the title of a talk by Peter Jonathan Hatch, former director
of gardens and grounds for the Thomas Jefferson Foundation, on Thursday, September 27, at 7 p.m. in Room 123 of the Griffiths Arts Center at St. Lawrence University. It is open to the public, free of charge, and will be followed by a book-signing of 'A Rich Spot of Earth', Thomas Jefferson's Revolutionary Garden at Monticello, Hatch's 2012 book.
Jefferson wrote that "the greatest service which can be rendered any country is to add a useful plant to its culture," and his terraced garden at Monticello was an experimental laboratory for the cultivation of some 330 varieties of vegetable novelties from around the world. In this talk, Hatch will explore the variety of themes that defined the garden and also discuss its recreation in the 1980s, called "the most accurate garden restoration that had ever been attempted." Jefferson's legacy in food and gardening, including his love of vegetable cuisine, support for local farmers and devotion to the improvement of the soil provides a model and inspiration for gardeners today, from Michelle Obama's White House kitchen garden to the "slow food" movement inspired by California chef Alice Waters.
Hatch was responsible for the maintenance, interpretation and restoration of the 2,400-acre landscape at Monticello from 1977 to 2012. While there, he managed restoration projects including the eight-acre vegetable and fruit garden and The Grove, an ornamental forest of 18 acres. In 1987, Hatch initiated the Thomas Jefferson Center for Historic Plants, a nursery to preserve historic and Jefferson-related garden plants.
The lecture and book-signing are part of the University's Contemporary Issues Forum series.
