George Washington's estate features four separate gardens for guests to enjoy.
Explore the Gardens
Plant Finder
What to know what's in bloom? The name of a plant at Mount Vernon? Or if George Washington grew it? Use the Plant Finder tool to help you while strolling the gardens.
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The Four Gardens
Each of Washington's gardens served a different purpose, but they were all important to the estate.
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10 Facts about the Gardens
Did you know the lower or kitchen garden has been cultivated for the production of vegetables since 1760?
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Gardening, Planting, and Landscaping Mount Vernon Today
Dean Norton, the Director of Horticulture, discusses all of the work that goes into maintaining the historic and modern gardens and landscape at Mount Vernon.
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10 Facts About Mount Vernon's Landscape
George Washington possessed a strong interest in landscape design and architecture throughout his adult life.
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Developing Mount Vernon's Landscape
Washington instructed enslaved workers to create sweeping lawns, groves of trees, walled gardens, serpentine paths, and vistas that can still be seen today.
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George Washington's Gardeners
Enslaved gardeners, including George and Harry, tended flowers, vegetables, and fruit trees. They also maintained the landscape around the Mansion.
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Botanical Garden
George Washington actually spent time gardening in the Botanical Garden at Mount Vernon.
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Historic Images of the Upper Garden
Today visitors can marvel in the Upper Garden at the landscape originally imagined by Washington. However, the garden has undergone many iterations in its lifetime.
Explore the Changes
Historic Trees at Mount Vernon
Mount Vernon is home to a variety of trees, some dating to Washington's time and others planted by some of the estate's most notable visitors.
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Washington's Failed Vineyard
While Washington's grape-growing efforts in the early 1770s gave the locality its name, that endeavor quickly proved to be unsuccessful.
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A Paddock for Deer
Following aristocratic British practice, George Washington had 18 acres fenced off on the eastern slope between the Mansion and the Potomac River, to serve as “a paddock for deer.”
Learn moreSee videos of our gardens and landscapes here at Mount Vernon
Learn about the history of the gardens and landscape at Mount Vernon.
Washington's Landscape Designs
George Washington oversaw all aspects of the landscape at Mount Vernon.
He extensively redesigned the grounds surrounding his home, adopting the less formal, more naturalistic style of 18th century English garden landscape designer Batty Langley.
Washington instructed his enslaved workers to reshape walks, roads, and lawns; cut vistas through the forest, and plant hundreds of native trees and shrubs. Eighteenth-century visitors were delighted by bountiful offerings of fresh vegetables and fruits and reveled in after-dinner walks amongst all manner of opulent flowering plants.
10 Facts About the Gardens
Did you know the lower or kitchen garden has been cultivated for the production of vegetables since 1760?
10 Facts About Mount Vernon's Landscape
George Washington possessed a strong interest in landscape design and architecture throughout his adult life.
Enslaved Gardeners
Enslaved gardeners, including George and Harry, tended flowers, vegetables, and fruit trees. They also maintained the landscape around the Mansion.
Washington's Failed Garden
While Washington's grape-growing efforts in the early 1770s gave the locality its name, that endeavor quickly proved to be unsuccessful.
A Paddock for Deer
Following aristocratic British practice, George Washington had 18 acres fenced off on the slope between the Mansion and the Potomac River, to serve as “a paddock for deer”.
What Was George Washington's Favorite Plant?
Dean Norton, Director of Horticulture at Mount Vernon, muses on what may have been George Washington's favorite plant.