Thanks to the Austin History Center, we know a lot about the history of the landscaping around the Governor's Mansion in Austin. For example, vegetables have been grown there since 1870:
"The first gardener for the Governor's Mansion, William Davenport, was hired in 1870 by First Lady Anne Elizabeth Davis to undertake an extensive landscaping project. Mrs. Davis ordered a variety of seed and plants from Maryland, Pennsylvania and New York that included petunias, narcissus, hyacinths, tea roses and hollyhocks. During the Davis administration, flowerbeds and a vegetable garden were planted in the backyard and the front lawn was decorated with wooden benches, cast-iron urns, gravel paths, small fountains and a gazebo."
And more recently, "In 1968, Nellie Connally, First Lady to Governor John B. Connally, helped transform the two-acre tract into a beautiful arrangement of flower beds and flowering shrubs and trees, forming large and small formal garden areas. This landscaping project--which was met with the enthusiastic support of the garden clubs of Texas--added terraces, patios, walks and colonnades, returning the Greek Revival structure to a setting befitting its elegance."
Sadly, there was a major fire at the governor's mansion in June of 2008, and Governor Rick Perry and family have had to vacate the premises while restoration is under way. The Friends of the Texas Governor's Mansion has updates on the progress, and information about how to donate to the restoration.
With restoration under way, maybe this is a particularly good time to ask that the gardens be updated, as well. Made more sustainable.
FUNNY STORY
Remember the national campaign to petition the Obamas to grow a veg garden at the White House? Well, Pamela Price, a food activist in San Antonio, plotted and organized to repeat the campaign in Texas, and even was interviewed for a story about it that was syndicated to 400 newspapers. Then she discovered that there's been a veg garden at the governor's mansion, as she says, "forever" (since 1870, as noted above). So where does that leave the campaign? Focussed on a much broader goal - promoting food-growing in all of Texas! Check out Dig for Texas.
CAPITAL GROUNDS
The Austin History Center also helpfully tells us that: "Covering more than three acres, the grounds of the Capitol have long provided a quiet respite for both young and old. More than 500 trees--pecan, sycamore, cottonwood, mesquite, hackberry and oak--shade the benches and the grounds." All well and good. But...
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