Monticello Gardens

Common name: Sweetbay Magnolia, Jefferson's name: Swamp laurel. Magnolia glauca.

Family: Magnoliaceae (Magnolia)

Distribution: Eastern United States

Hardiness: USDA Zone 5

Life form: Semi-evergreen tree

Usage: Ornamental

Comments: Thomas Jefferson planted Sweetbay Magnolia seeds in the nursery at Monticello in 1810 and also observed the species flowering on May 22, 1808. Sweetbay was the first Magnolia cultivated in European gardens. It was introduced to England from Virginia by John Bannister in 1688. In 1705, a pioneer natural historian from Virginia, Robert Beverly, wrote of the blossoms: "The pleasantest smell in the world." This was the most common Magnolia sold by American nurseries early in the 19th century.