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The Upper Garden contains a wide variety of flowers and trees, including boxwood planted in Washington's day, and vegetable beds. The beds have been restored to their originial size, based on careful archaeological excavations, and two boxwood parterres have been re-created with the French fleur-de-lis design that Washington admired. The Lower Garden supplied fresh produce for the busy Mount Vernon kitchen. English boxwood, possibly taken from cuttings sent by "Light Horse" Harry Lee, were planted in 1786 and now crowd the entry path. Vegetables and herbs are grown in beds today, as well as cherry, apple, and other fruit trees espaliered along the walls and cordoned onto fences. Washington used the Fruit Garden and Nursery to experiment with new seeds and plants before using them elsewhere on the estate. He attempted to grow grapes in its well-cultivated beds, and produced nursery plants for use across Mount Vernon. The large size of the garden and its protective fence also made it an ideal site to grow tree-ripened apples, pears, plums, peaches, and cherries. Time changes are as follows:
April through August from 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
March, September, October from 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
November through February from 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Included in general admission.
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