George Washington's estate features four separate gardens for guests to enjoy.

Explore the Gardens

Plant Finder

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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A Paddock for Deer

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.”

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Videos

See 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.

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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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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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Enslaved 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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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.

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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”.

Learn More

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.

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