Take a look at America’s first gardens

Just in time for Independence Day, HGTV digs into the history of the U.S. and unearths what types of flowers were grown in the first gardens of the country. Read below for more:

Want to really celebrate Independence Day? How about growing beautiful, useful plants once shared by our country’s Founding Fathers (and mothers), which still thrive without a lot of dependence on modern horticulture?

Back in the late 1700s and early 1800s, when plant exploration was in its heyday and gardens were expanding beyond the typical fenced-in vegetables, herbs and fruits, there were no garden hoses, sprayers, chemical pesticides or time to fuss with unnecessary chores. So people generally grew what grew best, and shared with one another.

And it wasn’t just the women of the house who gardened — some of the most celebrated signers of our Declaration of Independence were hard-core plant enthusiasts. Thomas Jefferson and George Washington regularly swapped seeds, cuttings and small plants with like-minded gentlemen gardeners (some of whom were referred to as the “brothers of the spade”), and even back in England, Spain and France.

Continue to the full article here.