Gentleman farmer George Washington of neighboring Mount Vernon was desirous of buying the land known as Clifton's Neck, but because of what he described in his diaries as Clifton's "shuffling behavior" it was not until 1760 that Washington obtained clear title to the 1,800 acres for payment of £1,210 at the equivalent of a bankruptcy sale. River Farm, home to the American Horticultural Society today, is where this purple-flowering tree grows .