Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-02-22
WASHINGTON SAVED.
TREES, DIARY TELLS.
Spent Much Time Planting at
Mt. vernon-InfIuegced
City's Beauty.
BY KATE WEBB PHILLIPS.

emphasis placed by President Hoover
upon the engineering ability of George
Washington, in the first volume of the
writings of the Father of His Coun.
try" issued by the Bicentennial Com
mission, causes examination of other
/ sides to his character and mind, oil
which his love for nature is an out
standing one
Sponsored by the American Tree AS
| ISOLATION and the Bicentennial Commits
sion, Washington's gardening and land
scaping tastes are being made known
more extensively, with the women's
clubs OF the Nation taking an active
interest in the task of planting 10000
600 memorial trees by the opening OF
the Bicentennial celebration February
%, 1882.
Trees were especially loved by Wash
ington. and the National Capital ~un-
doubleday owes it's profusion and va
rlety OF trees largely to his influence
AT Mount Vernon he followed policy
OF planting trees from the outset of his
occupancy of the estate.
Diary Gives Information.
In his diary he tells of the Steps he
took toward enhancing its beauty with
trees. He notes trips to the woods with
his favorite dogs-Music, True Love
heels, We feel sure, to select and mark
trees suitable for tranSplanting at the
proper season. He writes that on a GER
tain day in March he planted between
1900 and $4,000 seed of the honey
locust. He marks the days when he
sows holly berries and plants hemlock
when he clears the underground from
clump of pines and how he moved the
MAC bushes to the north entrance OF
the garden.
He designed and planted the great
parterres of lockwood, which are the
glory of the garden. He laid out the
big deer park along the banks of the
river, planted clumpS of cedars on the
hillside, placed double row of shade
trees along the elliptical driveway at
the rear of the house, terminating their
design with two mounds of earth, one
on each side, with weeping willows,
leaving the charming vista of distant
hills unbroken.
Trees His Special Care.
The trees were his especial care, and
his constant aim was to increase their
number and improve the varieties.
Forest trees, evergreens, Towering
shrubs and fruit trees he embedded in
that rich soil, and today are seen the
oak, elm, beech, holly, cedar, ash, gum,
pine, larch, linden, mulberry, poplar,
SaSsafraS, aspen, locust, fringe, red bud,
magnolia, chestnut, pecan and buckeye
trees standing just as he planned; for,
thanks to the careful preservation CT
the original plans in his own hand
writing, the Mount Vernon Ladies As
ISOLATION, with the cooperation of Prof.
Sargent of the Arnold Arboretum, has
been able to restore them to the gran
deur of their owners day, after a period
of comparative neglect.
The trees which had died or blown
down were replaced by younger plants
grown from seed or cuttings of the
original stock. Two hundred of them
stand near the mansion.
Friends at home and abroad added to
Washington's collection. Light Horse
Harry Lee brought him some of the
horse chestnuts; others he transplanted
from Wakefield, his birthplace.
Lafayette Planted Tree.
Gen. Lafayette planted the Ken
lucky coffee tree which stands near tbs
garden entrance. From his friend
Thomas Jefferson came. the Seeding
pecans which he placed close to the
house, the topmost branches now rising
high above its roof
Possibly the handsomest of all the
more than so surviving trees of Wash
ington's own planting are the three yell
low poplarS. the tallest reaching the
height of 120 feet.
To botanists none is more interesting
than the buckeye tree, several being
grown from the nuts he brought back
from the battlefields of the Mononga-
hela. The species naturally have yellow
blossoms, but those of the Mount Yer
non trees are pink. red and fiesh-col-
fy,@f a
Appalachian forests for their dupli-
Gates.
Historians have linked the name Of
Washington with trees. commencing
with the hour of his birth. At the fam
lily home, at Wakefield, in Westmore-
land County, Va, is a clump of fig trees
which, we are told, stood beneath the
window of the room in which he was
born.
Famous Council Tree"
Washington crossed the Delaware just
eight miles below the little Pennsyl-
yania town of New Hope, on the out
skirts of which stood a huge chestnut
tree, under which he Is said to have
first discussed and later definitely set
tied the plan of surprise attack which
led to the glorious success of the battle
of Trenton. So this tree became known
revered for more than a century, until
the time of its sacrifice on November
%, 1893, to make way for modern i'm
provements. It was a favorite subject
of early American painters and fortu-
nately is preserved for us on their can
vases.
In Fredericksburg Va, after the
Revolution. came Washington to Ken
more estate, where, along the walk
leading to the great house, he planted
10 horse chestnut trees in honor of the
States emerging from Colonies. One of
these proudly casts its shade over that