The Pleasure Gardens of Virginia. From Jamestown to Jef- ferson. 1991. 16 maps. 97 halftones. XXIV,240 p. gr8vo. Cloth.

Using a rich assortment of illustrations and biographical sketches,the author relates the experiences of colonial gardeners who shaped thenatural beauty of Virginia's wilderness into varied displays ofelegance. He shows that ornamental gardening was a scientific, aesthetic, and cultural enterprise that thoroughly engaged some of the leadingfigures of the period, including the British governors at Williamsburgand the great plantation owners George Washington, Thomas Jefferson,William Byrd, and John Custis. In presenting accounts of their gardeningefforts, Martin reveals the intricacies of colonial garden design, plantsearches, experimentation, and the problems in adapting Europeanlandscaping ideas to local climate. These writings also bring to lifethe social and commercial interaction between Williamsburg and theplantations, together with early American ideas about cultured living.While placing Virginia's gardening in the larger context of thecolonial South, Martin tells a very human story of how this art bothinfluenced and reflected the quality of colonial life. As Virginia greweconomically and culturally, the garden became a projection of thegardener's personal identity, as exemplified by the endeavors ofWashington and Jefferson at Mount Vernon and Monticello. In order torecapture the gardens as they existed in colonial times, Martin bringstogether paintings, drawings, and the findings of modern archaeologicalexcavations.