Founding gardeners: the revolutionary generation, nature, and the shaping of the American nation

"The Cincinnatus of the West" : George Washington's American garden at Mount Vernon

"Gardens, peculiarly worth the attention of an American" : Thomas Jefferson's and John Adams's English garden tour

"A nursery of American statesmen" : the Constitutional Convention in 1787 and a garden visit

"Parties and politicks : James Madison's and Thomas Jefferson's tour of New England

"Political plants grow in the shade" : the summer of 1796

"City of magnificent intentions" : the creation of Washington, D.C., and the White House

"Empire of liberty" : Jefferson's Western expansion

"Tho' an old man, I am but a young gardener" : Thomas Jefferson at Monticello

"Balance of nature" : James Madison at Montpelier

Appendix. Maps of Mount Vernon, Peacefield, Monticello, and Montpelier.