❤️ Cypress vine is believed to have been introduced to North America in the late 1600s. It was becoming a popular ornamental plant in the southeastern U.S. by the 1750s. The plants were a favorite of Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson was the first to provide written documentation of the cypress vine in the U.S. In 1790, he sent seeds from Philadelphia to his two daughters, Maria and Martha, who lived at Monticello in Virginia. Subsequent letters show that Martha and Maria planted these seeds in a window box.
Today, cypress vines are still cultivated at Monticello where the plants are grown on “pea sticks,” or branches that offer support for cypress flower’s twining vines. ❤️