Hello. My name is P. Allen Smith, and I’m a history addict. In particular, American history. So what does that have to do with a garden column? Well, early Americans were just as involved in their gardens as their contemporaries across the pond, especially the gentry. Visiting a historic site is a great way to see how our forebears lived—and gardened—and with the Fourth of July just having passed, it’s a good time to take a walk down memory lane.
[oak alley plantation, restaurant and inn]
I visited Oak Alley shortly before Hurricane Katrina, which mercifully spared the grand oak alley that had been planted in the 18th century. Twenty-eight oak trees drape over the entrance that leads to the majestic manor. I highly recommend visiting this historic site, whether you’re a history buff or you just enjoy the beauty of historic homes and gardens. Oak Alley is like stepping back into antebellum days. It’s a place where you can truly feel both the beauty and sorrow that is part of the past.
oakalleyplantation.com
summer read: Capturing Oak Alley by Michael Ledet
[middleton place]
Another don’t-miss historic landmark is Charleston’s Middleton Place, the South Carolina home to America’s oldest landscaped gardens. The 65 acres of gardens were designed to have blooming flowers every month of the year! Camellias have bloomed for centuries during the winter season, and azaleas explode with color in the springtime.
middletonplace.org
summer read: Middleton Place: A Phoenix Still Rising by Middleton Place Foundation
[american queen steamboat]
If you really want to soak up the flavors of the South, the American Queen, the largest steamboat ever built, offers tours that include majestic homes. It’s the only authentic overnight paddlewheel in America, and the staterooms are filled with the Southern charm prevalent along the Mississippi River during an era when steamboat travel was common. Riverboat passengers will enjoy the seasonal cuisine of my friend Regina Charboneau, American Queen’s culinary director and native of Natchez, Miss. Y’all have a great July!
americanqueensteamboatcompany.com
summer read: Mississippi Current Cookbook: A culinary Journey Down America’s Greatest River by Regina Charboneau
[monticello]
When you visit Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello in Charlottesville, Va., you will find that Jefferson’s gardens and house reflect his personality, including his zeal for agriculture and domestic comforts. And Jefferson may have been America’s first ‘foodie,’ as he devoted much of the grounds to a vegetable garden, 400-tree orchard and vineyard.
monticello.org
summer read: A Rich Spot of Earth: Thomas Jefferson’s Revolutionary Garden at Monticello by Peter J. Hatch
By P. Allen Smith
Photo: Hortus LTD
Pictured: Monticello
[P. Allen Smith, host of two public television programs, is an award-winning designer and gardening expert. He is the author of several books, including his Seasonal Recipes from the Garden.]
