Gardens

Washington's mind was rarely far from the lush gardens and majestic views at Mount Vernon. Today you can explore the gardens Washington developed and enjoy his unspoiled view across the Potomac River.

Plan Your Visit

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 reshaped walks, roads, and lawns; cut vistas through the forest, and planted 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.

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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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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Animals

Visit with the animals who live at Mount Vernon, including breeds raised on the estate during Washington’s time.

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Explore Washington's Gardens

George Washington's estate features four separate gardens for guests to enjoy. In addition to visiting the gardens, experience the wooded landscape on the quarter-mile-long forest trail.

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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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Developing Mount Vernon's Landscape

Washington instructed the creation of sweeping lawns, groves of trees, walled gardens, serpentine paths, and vistas that we enjoy today.

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Botanical Garden

Washington probably spent more time gardening in the Botanical Garden than anywhere else at Mount Vernon.

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Saving Washington's View

For more than 50 years the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association has worked to preserve George Washington’s view across the Potomac.

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Gardens & Groves Tour

Tour the beautiful gardens that combine form and function, see 18th-century trees that have stood the test of time, and discover the carefully crafted landscape that Washington wanted you to experience.

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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 fenced off 18 acres on the slope, between the Mansion and the Potomac River, to serve as “a paddock for deer” or deer park.

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Gardening, Planting, and Landscaping Mount Vernon

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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The General in the Garden

This book explores General Washington's influence over the gardens at Mount Vernon and the preservation of the landscapes by the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association which has been the caretaker since 1853.

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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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Flowers of Mount Vernon Quiz

Can you identify these flowing plants?

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Gardens