I am doing research on a plant once owned by George Washington, can you help?

I understand that a Sago palm once owned by George Washington (and passed on to subsequent owners) was exhibited in a flower show organized by PHS in 1900. Can you give me more information?

Answer

I found a reference to the George Washington palm in James Boyd’s  A History of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, 1827-1927 (1929) on  p. 281, describing the Annual Exhibition of PHS in November, 1900.

"A gold medal was awarded to Mrs. George B. Wilson for a corner decoration including George Washington sago palm, foliage plants, and orchids."

Link is here.

This is all the information I could find in our history. It's an excerpt from our minutes, which I also checked, but couldn't find any additional information there. 

However, I did strike gold -- the weekly trade journal called The American Florist is full of all kinds of useful information about the horticultural world at the turn of the 20th century. And, indeed, v. 16, pp. 529-530 has a description of PHS’s fall exhibition of  November 1900 ; on p. 530 is a description of Washington Cycas revoluta... the plant owned by George Washington. See link to the reference in the Nov. 17 issue of The American Florist.

 So... I hope this adds a bit to your story.

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  • Last Updated Feb 04, 2019
  • Views 81
  • Answered By Janet Evans

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