Final Thought on President and Gardens: Washington the Gardener

The Founding Fathers of the United States of America were avid gardeners, who knew?  Not only avid gardeners, but passionate horticulturists whose infatuation with the natural and growing world inspired the birth of our great nation.  By admiring the imposing homes of George Washington at Mt. Vernon, Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello, or James Madison’s Montpellier, any visitor would be struck by equally impressive gardens and farmland surrounding the estates.  Even John Adams on his modest 40 acres in Boston was a model gardener.  The sincere and deep interest these men had for gardening and growing was vital to the success of the country; this is especially true of George Washington.  George Washington’s views and leadership of the newly-formed United States of America due in large part to his well established love of the natural world and outdoors.  Washington’s zeal for agriculture supported his success as leader of the United States military in the Revolutionary War and as the first president of our country.

          

History had revealed that George Washington was a great lover of the outdoors.  Ever since he chopped his father’s cherry tree down, Washington’s best past times have been spent outside.  As a young man, Washington was an avid foxhunter, breeder of hunting hounds, fisher, and gardener. Considering what is required of a hunter: patience, contemplation (where the game is located, how to best hunt it, the weather, etc), and understanding of the outdoors.  The same can be said about breeding hounds or gardening: patience, understanding failures in breeding or growing one strand or gene and using this information constructively to improve his kennels or gardens.  In Andrea Wulf’s book, Presidents and Gardens, she reveals that Washington thought so deeply about his gardens that during the war, he would write home to his gardener about new ideas he had for planting, growing, and developing American plants.  His outlook for our nation was one of an agrarian state; Washington believed so much in the power of gardening, he believed a whole super power of a nation would be based on farms.  Washington’s conviction that an agrarian culture posses potential to become a great civilization is revealed in his passion for planting.  Similarly, Washington’s passion for plants is revealed by his belief that an agrarian culture posses potential to become a great civilization.  As a powerful leader, Washington was required to have strong convictions.  These convictions were so strong and made him such an extraordinary leader because they were rooted in sincere passion and love for gardening. There is a psychological phenomena which explains that when a person has an idea, that person will work extremely hard to make this idea work, on the other hand, if this person is asked to work on someone else’s project or idea, the effort put forth to make the idea work diminishes.  Washington loved gardens.  Washington incorporated gardens into shaping the United States of America. Combining gardening and the development of America was a natural step for Washington to take.  And because Washington had such passion for his ideas about gardening, he placed extra effort towards making the United States become a successful country.

Furthermore, if the new nation of the United States of America is to be compared to a seed or small plant, who better to raise it than a farmer?  As ridiculous as this sounds, a new country and a baby garden require the same sort of attention.  As mentioned above, firstly, patience.  A garden doesn’t grow over night, just as a country doesn’t either. And the leaders or gardeners will always encounter disappointments, but a successful leader embraces these misfortunes and reworks them into a more measured plan.  A country and a garden always need attention and tending to, but the leader must decide when certain plants or laws just wont work anymore, and when more of something is needed.

In conclusion, no man is better prepared to run a nation than a gardener.  Thinking of the Founding Fathers as gardeners should be a thought to consider for all voters and modern politicians. Be particular and deliberate.  Gardens, just like countries require patience and care; qualities needed in our government today.