A Behind-the-Scenes Look at George Washington's Gardens with Mount Vernon Experts

New Book Explores Washington's Influence in the Gardens at Mount Vernon

MOUNT VERNON, VA – Mount Vernon’s latest book release, “The General in the Garden”, provides an engaging, informative, and beautifully illustrated introduction to George Washington’s landscape at Mount Vernon—arguably the best-documented, best-preserved, and most nearly intact complex of gardens and landscape features to survive from eighteenth-century America. The 190-page book was edited by Mount Vernon’s senior curator, Dr. Susan P. Schoelwer and includes a forward by “Founding Gardeners” author Andrea Wulf.

“During the 1780s, Washington was transforming the Mount Vernon landscape at the same time that he was creating the beautiful interior of the New Room, and both represent his vision for a unified American nation – what he called his ‘republican stile of living,’” said Mount Vernon’s senior curator, Dr. Susan Schoelwer.

The book’s three essays chronicle Washington’s transformation of the Mount Vernon estate in the period between the American Revolution and the Constitutional Convention of 1787, the stewardship of the gardens and grounds by the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association since 1860, and the groundbreaking archaeology that led to the recent restoration of Washington’s upper garden. Also included is a lavishly illustrated guide to the landscape features, introducing Washington’s estate to a modern audience.

This volume offers something for a wide range of readers, from students of American history and culture to gardening enthusiasts, to visitors simply wishing to know more about George Washington and his gardens. The book retails for $35. For more information or to purchase a copy, please visit MountVernon.org.

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