interpretation of john bartram's garden by - University of Delaware ...

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unplanted and close to the house allowing for high visibility
and easy surveillance.
The nursery would be the site of many ongoing demon-
strations interpreting the horticultural practices of John
Bartram. Rows of young field grown plants, as well as plants
in containers, should be in the nursery representing plants
Bartram grew for sale abroad and in the colonies. Propaga-
tion from seed, cuttings, and by grafting should be demon-
strated using appropriate species.
Fruit tree grafting exhibits would be historically
appropriate and of particular interest to visitors. In 1763
John Bartram wrote Collinson:
. . a
ye pear raised from her [Lady Petrel seed
hath bore a number of ye finest relished fruits
that I think a better is not in ye world and intend
next spring to graft several of them Perhaps
it will make ye tree retain its fruite better
til they are full ripe which is the only defect
that above half its fruit drops before they are
anyway fit for use and not a quarter stays on til
thay are full ripe which is about ye beginning
to ye middle of October12
If young Chapman Pears, a substitute for the Petre Pear, are
propagated each year, a succession, of young trees with the
graft unions clearly visible should always be displayed.
Similarly, propagation from cuttings should be demon-
strated. In this case White Cedar (Chamaecyparis thyoides)
would be a good example. Collinson, in a 1753 letter to
Bartram, noted: