Blooms in the Beltway: The Secret Gardens of 19th Century Senators

October 9, 1887

On this day in 1887, the Los Angeles Herald unveiled a treasure trove of horticultural delights, dear readers.

William Smith, the esteemed superintendent of the botanical gardens, regaled us with tales of senators in Washington during the 1880s who harbored a most fervent passion for flora. Allow me to paint a picture of this remarkable man before we delve into his verdant vignettes.

Picture, if you will, a small brick cottage nestled among the lush greenhouses on the National Mall.

This humble abode was home to our dear Mr. Smith, a Scotsman of considerable charm and erudition. For nearly sixty years, he presided over the gardens, cultivating not only rare and beautiful plants but also the most extensive collection of works by the poet Robert Burns in the world.

One newspaper account of Smith upon his death said he was, "Regarded as One of Most Lovable Characters in Washington."

Oh dear gardeners, is there any higher compliment for a poet-lover and gardener?

Next, allow me to share Smith's verdant vignettes, which shall surely titillate the senses of any discerning gardener.

Senator Charles Sumner from Massachusetts was a great enthusiast...

He used to tell me that when traveling he would peer out of the car windows by the hour, on the lookout for a beautiful tree, and when his eye for the lovely and symmetrical was satisfied he would go into raptures. ...

The last enjoyment I had with him, shortly before he died, was in visiting a favorite elm of his own Boston Common.

One can almost picture the good senator, his nose pressed against the glass, eyes alight with arboreal anticipation.

What a delightful traveling companion he must have been for those with a similar appreciation for nature's majestic canopies!

Charles Sumner, a titan of the abolitionist movement and a key figure in Reconstruction, served in the Senate from 1851 to 1874.

His passion for trees seemed to mirror his unwavering commitment to justice and equality.

Senator John James Ingalls, of Kansas, ...is a most devoted student of arboriculture.

Some of the most valuable suggestions about distributing plants in the west come from him.

Ah, the challenges of cultivating in the wild west!

One can only imagine the wealth of knowledge Senator Ingalls must have accumulated through his studies.

Ingalls, who served as President pro tempore of the Senate from 1887 to 1891, was known for his oratorical skills.

How fitting that a man so adept with words should also be fluent in the language of trees!

Senator William Pitt Fessenden, of Maine, was an ardent apostle [of gardening] all through his long public life.

I remember that his wife had a sweet verbena in their home in Maine, of which she was very fond.

She watched it tenderly as a child, and Mr. Fessenden shared the feeling so thoroughly that for thirteen sears ho would journey home from Washington to take up the plant in autumn and make another trip in the springtime to set it out.

No pressure of public business could make him forget that verbena. It was really a paternal devotion.

What a touching tale of horticultural devotion! Fessenden, who served as Secretary of the Treasury under President Lincoln and later returned to the Senate, was known for his integrity and financial acumen.

One can't help but wonder if the sweet scent of verbena wafted through the halls of Congress, carried on the senator's lapel, perhaps softening his reputation as a stern fiscal conservative.

Senator James A Pearce, of Maryland, was one of the most cultivated botanists ever in Congress.

Scarcely a day passed that he did not drop in on me to watch the growth of some favorite plant or some new experiment, and his ideas were always scientific and valuable.

Imagine, dear readers, the wealth of botanical knowledge that must have blossomed from such frequent visits!

Pearce, who served in the Senate from 1843 until his death in 1862, was a champion of education and scientific advancement.

One can almost envision the two men, heads bent in studious contemplation over a newly unfurled leaf or an exotic bloom, their conversations perhaps straying from botany to the Senator's work on the Library of Congress.

And then there was Senator Benjamin Gratz Brown from Missouri, a very warm lover of flowers and a thorough master of their cultivation.

During all the time he was in the Senate I don't believe he missed a day at the garden, and we would chat for hours when he felt in the humor.

What delightful conversations those must have been!

Brown, who served as Governor of Missouri and ran as the vice-presidential candidate alongside Horace Greeley in 1872, was known for his progressive views.

One can almost hear the passionate debates over soil composition and pruning techniques echoing through the garden paths, perhaps interspersed with discussions on civil service reform.

There's another botanist in Congress,... I know the name will surprise you— Senator William Steele Holman, of Indiana ...

It seems almost a contradiction that one of his reputation should be a lover of flowers, but he certainly is.

No one has been in Congress since I can remember, and that's a long time, with a more hearty and intelligent love for the garden.

He is a frequent visitor [of the botanical garden], and you can see from his conversation that he watches every new phase of the science as keenly as he does the money bags of the treasury.

It seems to be a mental exhilaration for him to commune with these curious plants from all over the world, and study their hidden life.

He is quite as familiar with the botanical names and the habits of plants and flowers as most professional botanists.

He picked it up as a recreation and his spare time is nearly all devoted to it.

Who would have thought that beneath the stern exterior of the "watchdog of the Treasury" beat the heart of a passionate botanist?

Holman, known for his fierce opposition to government spending, served multiple terms in the House of Representatives.

It just goes to show, dear readers, that one should never judge a book by its cover - or a congressman by his public persona!

Senator Samuel Sullivan "Sunset" Cox is a first-class botanist, but let me add that he's also the best reader that I ever met.

He is a walking cyclopedia on every subject covered by books....

But then, this doesn't apply to his botany alone; it's the same with everything else. He can learn more in shorter time than any man I ever saw.

One can't help but wonder what wondrous horticultural tomes graced Senator Cox's library.

Cox, who served in both the House and Senate, was renowned for his wit and erudition. Perhaps we should all aspire to such voracious reading habits in our pursuit of gardening knowledge!

And there you have it, my dear garden enthusiasts.

A glimpse into the verdant passions of our nation's lawmakers, proving that even in the corridors of power, the allure of nature's beauty holds sway.

These men, who shaped the policies of our nation, found solace and inspiration in the gentle art of gardening.

Might I suggest that the next time you find yourself embroiled in a heated political debate, you consider redirecting the conversation to the merits of various rose cultivars? You may find more common ground than you expect!