We picked this beauty up at Monticello back in 2002 while visiting. There is a heritage nursery onsite that sells seedlings from shrubs and trees that Thomas Jefferson grew. Koelreuteria paniculate, the common name is variously spelled Golden Rain Tree, Goldenrain Tree, or Golden Raintree. He received the seeds from a French correspondent in early 1809 and reported back in 1810 that they had sprouted. He was the first recorded to have nativized the tree to North America.

Regardless of its history or provenance, we enjoy seeing this slow growing tree  bloom each June alongside our drive.

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Reading this weekend: Gates of Fire, the battle of Thermopylae (Pressfield) and The Body in the Castle Well (Walker)