Open 365 days a year, Mount Vernon is located just 15 miles south of Washington DC.
From the mansion to lush gardens and grounds, intriguing museum galleries, immersive programs, and the distillery and gristmill. Spend the day with us!
Discover what made Washington "first in war, first in peace and first in the hearts of his countrymen".
The Mount Vernon Ladies Association has been maintaining the Mount Vernon Estate since they acquired it from the Washington family in 1858.
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Meet Mount Vernon’s greenhouse manager,
Melanie Welles Creamer.
Virginia winters can be harsh, and the climate forces plants to fall dormant during these months. Greenhouses have enabled plants to thrive year-round at Mount Vernon since the late 1780s, when Washington built the Greenhouse overlooking the Upper Garden that visitors still see today. This tradition of year-round cultivation continues, thanks to a team led by Greenhouse Manager Melanie Welles Creamer.
Born and raised on her family’s Wisconsin farm, Melanie has always had a green thumb. “It’s just like breathing to me.” As she grew up, her passion for plants grew with her, and she participated in every horticulture club and group she could find. During a high school visit to Washington, D.C., with the National Future Farmers of America Organization, Melanie came to Mount Vernon for the first time.
“I remember coming here because, being from Wisconsin, you don’t have anything like southern magnolia trees there,” she recalls. “I still remember walking down the north lane and thinking, ‘These trees are the most beautiful trees I’ve ever seen....’ I was totally enamored.”
Horticulture was Melanie’s obvious choice of study in college at the University of Wisconsin–River Falls, and she continued on to graduate school at Colorado State University. While studying abroad in the Netherlands, Melanie confirmed her love for greenhouses. After working in greenhouses across the United States upon graduation, she came across an opening for her dream job at Mount Vernon—a position she has held, and a role that she has expanded upon, since 2011.
Whereas most people associate gardening with the spring and summer months, it’s a year-round venture for Melanie and her staff. In addition to producing 20,000 plants a year, the greenhouse team provides support for estate events, such as the wine festivals, Colonial Days, and Christmas at Mount Vernon. Production planning for the following year begins in October. During the winter, staff collect, clean, and store seeds that will be planted or sold in the spring.
This article originally appeared in Mount Vernon magazine, published three times a year by the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association.
Melanie Welles Creamer collects seeds grown at Mount Vernon. During the winter, staff collect, clean, and store seeds that will be planted or sold in the spring. Photo by Maria Bryk. (MVLA)
Join Greenhouse Manager Melanie Welles Creamer for a special workshop on how to grow vegetables and enhance the beauty of your deck or patio with plants.
