When President Jefferson commissioned young Meriwether Lewis to lead the Corps of Discovery into unknown, uncharted territory west of the Mississippi, the west was only a rumor. No one could have anticipated the breadth and wealth of scientific data awaiting discovery.
The chief purpose of the expedition was to find a river route to the Pacific starting at the mouth of the Missouri River near St. Louis. But this was to be much more than a canoe trip.
Expedition on Ethnography, Geography and Natural History
Meriwether Lewis and his co-leader William Clark were to record the ethnography, geography and natural history by observing, describing, drawing and collecting specimens of plants, animals, and minerals. They were to establish diplomatic ties with native tribes and learn their languages and customs. Finally, Clark, an experienced cartographer, would draft two-hundred maps of the territory.
Jefferson, an avid gardener, envisioned the excursion as a way to find and experiment with new plants at Monticello, to share findings with his friends here and abroad, and to introduce new plants into the nursery trade. Thanks to Jefferson’s foresight many of the plants discovered grace our gardens today.
Inspired by the Western Garden
After visiting the “western garden” of Lewis and Clark which still contains the specimens growing where the explorers first came upon them, some travelers are inspired to design, select and plant their own historical garden honoring the expedition. Even those who have not yet toured the expedition route also can make history come off the page by gardening.
Plants for a Trailblazing Garden
What are some of the plants to include when trailblazing a garden? The following list of shrubs, trees and wildflowers represents a few of the two-hundred thirty nine plant specimens documented by Lewis and Clark.
- Oregon grape holly (Mahonia aquifolium) - an evergreen shade-loving ornamental shrub with bright yellow flower and grapelike clusters of berries sought after by birds
- Saskatoon serviceberry (Amelanchier alnifolia) - a deciduous small tree with purple berries consumed by the Plains Indians
- Osage orange (Maclura pomifera) - a deciduous tree used as a living fence until barbed wire was invented
- Snowberry (Symphorocarpos albus) - shrub with waxy white berries for wildlife
- Mockorange (Philadelphus lewisii) - shrub with orange-blossom scented white flowers
- Pawpaw tree (Asimina triloba) - a small tree with an edible fleshy banana-flavored fruit
- Plains coneflower (Echinacea augustifolia) - cousin to the purple coneflower
- Blanketflower (Gaillardia aristata) - plains wildflower tolerant of dry conditions
- Wild ginger (Asarum canadense) - had medicinal uses by Indians and the Corps
- Blue flax (Linum perenne lewisii) - dazzling bright sky-blue perennial
- Columbia tickseed (Coreopsis tinctoria) - yellow to orange rays with reddish brown base and brown disc flowers
- Elkhorns (Clarkia pulchella) - named to honor William Clark, has pink to lavender flowers with lobed petals resembling antlers
- Blue Camas (Camasia quamash) - masses of blue flower
As you trek onward to trailblaze a Lewis and Clark garden at home, take advantage of the resources available to inform and ease the journey:
Field Guides Along the TrailLewis and Clark: Voyage of Discovery by Stephen E. Ambrose
Plants of the Lewis and Clark Expedition by H.Wayne Phillips
Plants on the Trail with Lewis and Clark by Dorothy Hinshaw Patent
The Food Journal of Lewis and Clark by Mary Gunderson
The Lewis and Clark Journals edited by Gary E. Moulton
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
