Thomas Jefferson's birthdate recalls visiting Monticello, considered a Lab for Plants. We chat about the fascinating history of the plantation and Jefferson's Garden Book, which is filled with trials and tribulations. One is his remarkable Castor Bean Plants.
We chat about Castor Bean Plants overcoming the concern of toxicity in the garden and how I used them to "Hide Uglies."
The episode wraps up with a reflection on Thomas Jefferson's self-written epitaph, which suggests a sense of self-awareness and perhaps shame for offenses and imperfections. May we learn from history rather than erase or ignore it so that we continue to become better than we used to be.
Related Stories and Helpful Links:
Jefferson's Monticello Lab for Plants – Blog Post
Castor Bean Plants Hide Uglies – Blog Post
Episode 29 Aphid Invasion - Beneficial Ladybugs
Beneficial Ladybugs – Blog Post
Reasons to Prune – Blog Post
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I'd love to hear your garden and nature stories and your thoughts about topics for future podcast episodes. You can email me at AskMaryStone@gmail.com. Thanks so much for tuning in.
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Mary Stone, Columnist & Garden Designer
AskMaryStone.com
More about the Podcast and Column:
Welcome to Garden Dilemmas, Delights, and Discoveries.
It's not only about gardens; it's about nature's inspirations, about grasping the glories of the world around us, gathering what we learned from mother nature, and carrying these lessons into our garden of life. So, let's jump in in the spirit of learning from each other. We have lots to talk about.
Thanks for tuning in, Mary Stone
Garden Dilemmas? AskMaryStone.com
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Ep 156. Castor Beans & Jefferson's Monticello Lab for Plants
Sat, April 13, 2024 4:48PM • 10:25
SUMMARY KEYWORDS
plants, garden, castor bean, monticello, jefferson, learning, aphids, life, thomas jefferson, designed, virginia, toxic, porch, cultivated, world, independence, ricin, mary stone, garden, nature, inspiration
SPEAKERS
Mary Stone
Mary Stone 00:01
Hello, fellow lovers of all things green. I'm Mary Stone, and welcome to Garden Dilemmas, Delights and Discoveries. It's not only about gardens. It's about nature's inspirations, about grasping the glories of the world around us, gathering what we learned from Mother Nature, and carrying these lessons into our garden of life. So, let's jump in in the spirit of learning from each other. We have lots to talk about.
Mary Stone 00:26
Hello there, it's Mary Stone on the screen porch. It was sunny and beautiful yesterday it rose to almost 70 degrees in this early part of April. But today, the drizzle is drizzling. And it is cloudy. We have had a few anomalies since we last spoke. Of course, you know about the total solar eclipse. It was cloudy here, but I did get to see a glimpse of it partially eclipsed, breaking through the clouds without harming my eyes. Because of the clouds. Thank you, clouds. Seeing folks gathered on their porches while driving to client appointments was fun. How the sun and the moon doing something so rare brought people together was uplifting. Can you imagine what it would have been like hundreds of years ago when they didn't predict such things? What would people have thought, with their sun being shrouded by the moon, not even knowing what it was about, right? It must have been very frightening. And then we had a 4.8 Richter scale earthquake here in New Jersey, which is a mild quake compared to other disasters and everything was fine, but it was extraordinary to listen to feeling and seeing things shake. The loud booming sounds were the strangest thing. Many thought their furnaces were exploding. Let us not take nature, our world, and each other for granted. Do you hear the pileated woodpecker almost on cue.
Mary Stone 01:49
Thanks for those reached back after last week's chat about Spacing Plants and Splendid Smoke Bush, which involved rejuvenation pruning, bringing to mind a remedy after severely pruning the Leatherleaf Viburnum riddle with aphids we spoke about in Episode 29 Aphid Invasion - Beneficial Ladybugs, which leads to this week's story about Castor Bean Plants Hiding Uglies. In his Monticello estate, Thomas Jefferson cultivated castor bean plants in hopes of deterring moles. I look forward to sharing this story, and it starts like this.
Mary Stone 02:24
Hello, fellow listeners and readers. I previously told the tale of the desperate measure of hacking back leatherleaf viburnums plagued with aphids. Ironically, Betsy from Stone Church, Pennsylvania, asked about using castor bean plants in her garden, which I planted to camouflage the uglies of the leafless sticks while viburnums recovered. Betsy heard castor bean plants are dangerously toxic. It is true that technically, all parts of the plants are considered poisonous if eaten; however, the seeds contain the highest concentration of ricin and are especially toxic. But then, many of our ornamental plants, such as azaleas, yews, and daffodils, are toxic if ingested. You'd be nervous about planting many things if you review the list of poisonous plants, including the foliage of food plants, such as onions, garlic, tomatoes, lima beans, and potatoes. The bottom line, we should teach our children not to eat what's not intended to be eaten.
Mary Stone 03:21
Castor beans, which Ricinus communis is a tropical plant native to Africa, make a striking annual plant in our zone five B or six. The large leaves are reddish, and the plants grow five to seven feet or more, creating a commanding presence in the garden. They prefer full sun or light shade and can handle most soil other than constant wet feet. However, their fuzzy flowers are not their finest feature, and they hide behind their unusual foliage.
Mary Stone 03:50
Thomas Jefferson cultivated castor bean plants to deter moles. I cherish the last garden tour with my dear mom before her final stages of dementia. We toured Thomas Jefferson's Monticello estate in Charlottesville, Virginia. Jefferson was a collector of plants, and as the tour guide explained, he left his mark in the history of horticulture as a facilitator and a champion of using plants as an agent for social change. Meaning - plants can facilitate a livelihood for those who cultivate them and provide food. And don't we count on farmers today?
Mary Stone 04:28
It's fascinating to learn about Jefferson's trials and tribulations while deliberately planting Castor beans to deter moles was not a success. Perhaps oil distilled from the beans and applied to the soil may work, though as with medicinal castor oil, the poisonous ricin is removed during distilling. Thomas Jefferson cultivated a castor bean plant to grow 22 feet tall fitting for his competitive nature. Think of all the ugliest 22 feet could hide.
Mary Stone 04:59
There's an Old Farmer's Almanac calendar that's by my desk noting that April 13 is Thomas Jefferson's birthday. It will be as 200 and 82nd anniversary of his birth. Beyond being a founding father and the third President of the United States, Jefferson was a philosopher, a scientist, and a proponent of plants. His birthdate recalls my visit to Monticello, which some consider a lab for plants. It's located in Charlottesville, Virginia. According to the Select registry, Monticello comes from an Italian word meaning little mountain. When you visit you'll understand the name fits the plantation is on the summit of a peak in the southwest mountains. That peak is over 800 feet tall, so Monticello truly sits on a little mountain.
Mary Stone 05:46
Jefferson initiated the Lewis and Clark expedition to explore and map the acquired territory to the West Coast after the Louisiana Purchase to establish an American presence there. From May of 1804 to September 1806, the objectives of the expedition were also economically and scientifically driven - to discover and research the plants, animals, and geography of the region and set up trade relationships with Native American tribes.
Mary Stone 06:14
The essence of the history of Jefferson's Monticello plantation was moving, learning about his initiative to experiment with ornamental and edible plants found natively and around the world and about his pursuit to develop agricultural practices that he felt would be the backbone of our economy and independence. With that, the horrific and heartbreaking history of those enslaved who worked the land.
Mary Stone 06:37
Jefferson kept a log known as the garden book, documenting vegetation, diseases and insects of the vast gardens human tastelessly designed and monitored. His flower gardens comprise 20 oval-shaped beds around the house, each planted with a different flower and a winding flower border. Every 10 feet a distinct species encompasses the west lawn, which is the view on our nickel. The array of species reflected Thomas Jefferson's floral interest. A museum of sorts, about 25%, or North American native plants. The meandering border of the curving walk also reflected his interest in informal landscape design, transgressing from the formal designs of the earlier era. Then, there are extensive vegetable gardens that once served as a horticultural laboratory and source of food.
Mary Stone 07:27
Toward the end of his life, Jefferson designed his gravestone and wrote the engraved epitaph. Here was buried Thomas Jefferson, author of the Declaration of American Independence, of a statute of Virginia for religious freedom, and father of the University of Virginia. It's fascinating he made no mention of his presidency. Instead, he mentioned his contribution to independence, freedom, and learning.
Mary Stone 07:56
Standing before Thomas Jefferson's grave with his own words about his life stirred great pride in his remarkable contributions. Despite controversies and injustices, I sense a self-awareness and perhaps shame for offenses and imperfections. But I believe goodness and even beauty can shine above failings as they can in our garden of life. Garden Dilemmas, Ask Mary Stone.com.
Mary Stone 08:22
You know, it's not about being perfect. It's about being better than we used to be. I think I first heard that said by Wayne Dyer. We can learn from history rather than erase or ignore it. We can become better than we used to be. And we have in so many ways.
Mary Stone 08:38
I have to add a side note here. There's a photo of a dear client on the blog post with her plea. Enough is enough. I introduced castor bean plans to Barbara, who became a friend thinking we found a sure win on deer resistance because of toxicity. It turns out the darn deer chopped the plants and spit them out. I joke that Barbara moved to the Carolinas to run away from her deer dilemma. She hoped to find the culprit writhing in abdominal pain or worse, preferably dead. I should mention that Barbara is a kind, loving soul. But Enough is enough. As she said those words, I just laughed and cracked up and you know, we can say that about a lot of things, can't we? Enough is enough. May we all learn just to be kind to each other. Accept our differences, are uniquenesses, because in so many ways, we are the same. Wanting to enjoy our lives, take care of our families, and live comfortably and peacefully. That is my wish for all of us.
Mary Stone 09:37
So thanks for coming by. I so appreciate the time we spend together and I hope you've enjoyed it as well and if so, I would so appreciate if you could share the podcast with a friend or two so more can join us in learning and growing in the garden of life.Thanks so much. See you next time.
Mary Stone 09:54
You can follow Garden Dilemmas on Facebook or online at Garden Dilemmas.com and on Instagram at hashtag Mary Elaine Stone. Garden Dilemmas, Delights, and Discoveries is produced by Alex Bartling. Thanks for coming by. I look forward to chatting again from my screen porch. And always remember to embrace the unexpected in this garden of life. Have a great day.