Azaleas and Architecture

It is "Historic Garden Week" in Virginia and boy do I wish that I could be there. Sponsored by the Garden Club of Virginia (an association of 47 garden clubs around the state), this year marks their 76th anniversary season. In addition to more than three dozen garden tours, visitors can also enjoy flower arranging demonstrations, cello duets and floral quilt displays. I am completely jealous!

I visited the University of Virginia for the first time last May and the campus is beautiful. "The Rotunda" (shown above) was designed by Thomas Jefferson to represent the "authority of nature and power of reason." Participants will meet on the steps of The Rotunda this week for a guided tour of the gardens.

Azaleas and Architecture?
Hmmm...guess where I want to go next April!

Dining at Monticello

I have always loved fine china. Covered vegetables, soup tureens, cake plates and formal tea services are so pretty on display. Every year I tell myself that I will entertain more with the dishes that I love so much.

For Thomas Jefferson, every day at Monticello was a special occasion. This photo (peeking into the Tea Room) shows the table set for afternoon tea.

It was a beautiful day and I love how the arched detail of the walkway reflects trees into the room.

I have added, Dining at Monticello, to my cookbook collection, so that I can learn more about the recipes, china patterns and traditions of dining at Jefferson's magnificent estate.

Bon Appetit!

A Room With A View

Can you hear the quiet? This is the view from the Garden Pavilion (shown here) at Monticello. Only a visionary would (in the early 1800's) build a 1-room building in the middle of a garden. The pavilion has full-length windows on all four sides to maximize the view and minimize the elements. It was constructed at the halfway point of the 1,000-foot-long garden terrace and provides unobstructed views of Jefferson's 8-acres of orchards, berry plots and vineyards. He built a room with a view. I want one.

Fruits, Roots & Leaves

Thomas Jefferson organized his spectacular 1000-foot-long garden terrace into plots by plant type: Fruits (tomato), Roots (carrot) or Leaves (cabbage). The beds look very "Martha Stewart" and I feel so lucky to have been to Monticello in Spring when the plants are at their best. I purchased seed packets from the Thomas Jefferson Center for Historic Plants to try in my own garden. One seed packet reads "Thomas Jefferson sowed 3 rows of Alpine Strawberry on March 31, 1774." Neat, eh? So this Summer it will be Fraise des Bois and cream for me! You can order seeds harvested from the gardens at Monticello and start your own kitchen garden!

Monticello in Spring

I am back from a beautiful long weekend in Virginia and Maryland. It was a picture perfect day when I toured Monticello - 73 degrees, full sun with a light breeze from the Virginia hills. I promise to show you the gardens & grounds in the coming days. But you should know that the overall theme of this trip was VISION. I love Thomas Jefferson's "mechanical novelties" that show how (in the late 1700's!) he designed his home to be beautiful, efficient and above all, cool. My favorite was the two-faced Great Clock in the main entrance hall. Not only does it have an indoor & outdoor face displaying the time simultaneously, but it was designed to tell the day of the week! As the pulleys move, the weights rest next to the day of the week marked on the wall. Yes, it still works, and right now the weight is resting next to "Wednesday." How cool is that?