Plants in Early American Gardens - Yellow-Horned Poppy

Yellow-horned Poppy (Glaucium flavum)

This unusual short-lived yet self-seeding perennial – native to the coastal regions of North Africa, Europe, Britain, and Western Asia – was observed naturalized along the New England coast as early as the 17th century. Thomas Jefferson planted seeds of Yellow Horned Poppy at Monticello in an oval bed southeast of the house in 1807. It has attractive, bluish-gray foliage and bears bright golden-yellow, poppy-like flowers followed by strange, “horned” seed pods.

For more information & the possible availability
Contact The Tho Jefferson Center for Historic Plants or The Shop at Monticello 

Garden to Table -

John S C Schaak (British artist, 1761-1769) Preparing & serving Serving a Meal in the Tavern Interior 1762    Detail

Plants in Early American Gardens - Blanket Flower

Blanket Flower (Gaillardia aristata)

As the Lewis and Clark Expedition crossed the Continental Divide on July 6th, 1806, this showy native species was collected. Blanket Flower blooms from summer through autumn, with yellow ray florets sometimes tinged red at the base, and reddish-orange central disk florets that are attractive to pollinators. Deer and drought tolerant.

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Contact The Tho Jefferson Center for Historic Plants or The Shop at Monticello 

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Woman selling Fruit & Vegetables, by Arnout de Muyser.    Detail

Plants in Early American Gardens - Purple Coneflower

Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)

Purple Coneflower is native to the central and southeastern U.S. and is valued for its showy pink daisy-like flowers, attractiveness to pollinators and birds, and its drought and deer tolerance. It was first exported to Europe in 1699 by John Banister, the Virginia botanist. In the 19th century, American garden writer Thomas Fessenden commented on Coneflowers: "many flowers . . . very durable . . . and much admired."

For more information & the possible availability
Contact The Tho Jefferson Center for Historic Plants or The Shop at Monticello 

Garden to Table -

Willem van Mieris (1662-1747) Trip to the Market for Vegetables 1731    Detail

Plants in Early American Gardens - Narrow-Leaved Coneflower

Narrow-leaved Coneflower (Echinacea angustifolia)

Narrow-leaved Coneflower is a summer-blooming perennial bearing daisy-like, rosy-pink flowers with reflexed petals; attractive to butterflies. Like the common Purple Coneflower (E. purpurea), this species is native to the Midwestern U.S. Also known as "Mad Dog Plant" because the Plains Indians prized it as a remedy for rabid dog and rattlesnake bites, this species was likely included in an 1805 shipment of plants sent to Jefferson by the Lewis & Clark Expedition. Deer-resistant and drought-tolerant.

For more information & the possible availability
Contact The Tho Jefferson Center for Historic Plants or The Shop at Monticello