When the first colonists arrived in Jamestown in 1607, they discovered what many considered an earthly paradise of trees, flowers, shrubs, and vines, the like of which they had never encountered. Their lives in the early years in Virginia were concerned with survival; they faced starvation, malaria and other illnesses, wild animals, and sometimes attacks by indigenous people. They planted simple kitchen gardens, filled with cooking and medicinal herbs and flowers and vegetables for the cooking pot. Little time was spent on developing gardens simply for enjoyment during periods of leisure; in fact, leisure was a term that the colonists rarely used. Over the next 100 years, with the introduction of enslaved people from Africa and indentured servants, farmers, planters, and merchants grew prosperous, and small towns were developed. In 1699, Williamsburg became Virginia’s capital, and Lieutenant Governor Francis Nicholson envisioned an orderly, planned town with broad streets, attractive h...