May 19, 2026| Community, Education, Events
By: Patrick Krudop
When we think about the Civil War, we often picture battlefields, military strategy, and political leaders — but what if plants played a much larger role than most people realize?
The Lake Hopatcong Foundation and the Hopatcong Community Garden invite you to join independent scholar, garden historian, and writer Lesley Parness for a fascinating exploration of the hidden botanical history of the Civil War. This engaging program uncovers how plants influenced nearly every aspect of life during the conflict, from battlefield medicine to everyday life on the home front in both the North and South.
Through stories, historic images, and surprising connections to the plants we still grow today, Lesley will introduce more than 30 plants that shaped the era and highlight their medicinal uses. You'll discover historical “receipts” (recipes) for herbal remedies, including horehound lozenges and witch hazel tonic, explore the rise of patent medicines, and meet the people who transformed medicine and culture during this pivotal period — including one of America’s most celebrated poets, the first African American physician, and the pioneer who revolutionized medical textbooks.
History enthusiasts and gardeners alike are often surprised to learn how many of these “Civil War plants” may already be growing in their own backyards.
Program PresenterIndependent scholar, garden historian, and writer Lesley Parness has worked in public gardens in the United States and abroad for more than five decades.
Prior to retirement, Lesley served as Superintendent of Horticultural Education for the Morris County Park Commission, overseeing educational programming at The Frelinghuysen Arboretum, Willowwood Arboretum, and the Bamboo Brook Outdoor Education Center.
Today, she is a sought-after speaker throughout the mid-Atlantic region, presenting for garden clubs, plant and historical societies, Master Gardeners, and libraries. Lesley is also a feature columnist for Gardener News Magazine and contributes to numerous print and online gardening publications.
She is a member of the Herb Society of America, The Council on Botanical and Horticultural Libraries, and Garden State Gardens, a nonprofit consortium of New Jersey’s public gardens, where she served as a founding member and past president.
In Lesley’s version of “green history,” plants are liberated from socio-economic and geo-political constraints — becoming the silent, sentient partners at the center of every story.
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