. 
wh y + r 4. 
fA) et ee oe 
2020, several young ones are planted through- 
out Longwood Gardens. 
Meehan’s horticultural explorations were 
not limited to prestigious gardens. A favorite 
tree citation in the Handbook is of paper mul- 
berry (Broussonetia papyrifera), a curious spe- 
cies native to East Asia. Meehan wrote that it 
“thrives on the sea-shore,” growing in Cape 
May, New Jersey. Boat travel from Philadelphia 
to Cape May was then much easier than over- 
land travel, and Cape May’s geography led to 
its development as a Victorian-era resort. One 
can picture Meehan taking a busman’s holiday 
to the beach, recording notes even during pre- 
cious personal time. At the time, he would have 
been courting his future wife, Catherine (Kitty) 
Colflesh, and one can imagine her joining him 
on tree-hunting excursions. 
Mecehan’s appendix is equally informative for 
students of horticultural history because it lists 
tree species recently introduced but which he 
had not observed. This detail helps to date the 
introduction of these species into the United 
t - ee 
aa - ry ba: 
Thomas Meehan 53 
. 2s 
_ = 
iw 
Thomas Meehan compiled notes for his first book in John Bartram’s woodshed—a place where the Bartram family likely potted 
some of the very trees that Meehan described decades later. 
States, or specifically Philadelphia. For example, 
Meehan lists nine species of maple in the main 
text: six native to the eastern United States, 
along with two common European species, 
the hedge maple (Acer campestre) and Norway 
maple (A. platanoides). In his appendix, how- 
ever, he listed maples that he was aware of but 
had not seen. These included the vine maple (A. 
circinatum) from the Pacific Northwest, and 
the Bosnian and Italian maples (A. obtusatum, 
and A. opalus, respectively), which were just 
appearing on the East Coast. 
Germantown Nurseries 
In 1854, Meehan started a nursery in partner- 
ship with William Saunders of Baltimore in the 
Germantown section of Philadelphia, well out- 
side the developed portions of the city.!° While 
Saunders’s involvement lasted only a year, the 
Germantown Nurseries quickly became one 
of the regional leaders in growing and selling 
trees, shrubs, and perennials. Meehan’s brother 
Joseph joined the operation in 1859, and his 
ARCHIVES OF THE ARNOLD ARBORETUM; MEEHAN’S MONTHLY (VOL. 6) 
