Presidents can teach us about more than just leadership. Many presidents were accomplished organic gardeners too.
As I consider the contributions that former presidents have made to the United States this President’s day, I like to think about the presidents that enjoyed the same hobby I do: gardening. Many of the early presidents were accomplished organic gardeners, simply because that’s the only kind of gardening that existed. Chemical fertilizers and pesticides weren’t widely used until the 1930’s and 40’s.
In spite of their greatness, many former presidents faced the same humbling challenges we face in our gardens today. Worms ate their broccoli; black spot disfigured their roses. Although we can supplement our crop failures today with a trip to the grocery store or farmer’s market, gardening was more than a hobby for early American presidents and citizens: the food consumed in the White House came from directly from the garden in the early years. In fact, one of the principle goals of the Lewis and Clark expedition as ordered by Thomas Jefferson was botanical discovery. Americans hungered for new plants that had culinary and medicinal merit.
The presidents also faced the same winter doldrums that affect many of us in February. According to The White House Garden by W. Seale and E. Kvalsvik, an orangery was constructed on the White House grounds in 1835 to provide fresh winter fruits to the President, his family, and his staff. A larger greenhouse replaced the orangery in 1857, which provided a respite to the presidents from politics and war.
On this President’s Day, remember the horticultural struggles our early leaders endured. They deserve as much recognition as some of the other leaders’ accomplishments.
