Ann Marie led our discussion of
Founding Gardeners, which was as much a history book about four of our founding fathers as it was about their interests in gardens, trees, and agriculture. Washington, Jefferson, Madison, and Adams each had very large landholdings and was very anxious to stay involved in his properties and anxious to get back to them. (A good field trip would be to Adams's Peacefield Farm in Quincy, MA. See wikipedia for more info:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peacefield).
One thing that struck me was Washington's desire for a strong central government with a strong central location. He employed L'Enfant to design it. Originally larger, Washington DC is beautiful in my opinion. It wasn't finished when Jefferson was elected. The White House was not livable. Jefferson took no interest in completing it until near the end of his term, if I remember correctly. Reminds me of today's battles about the White House and its ballroom.
Margaret was able to host us on her perfect porch because the weather was just right! Thanks, Ann Marie and Margaret!
