Sun: - Plant Finder · George Washington's Mount Vernon

Browallia

Browallia americana

Airy blue flowers form a stunning mass mid-border late in the season when many other flowers are fading. In southern climates, this plant self-sows with vigor.

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Celery is a familiar component of Bloody Marys, salads, and soups. It is grown primarily for its crisp stalks which add a mild flavor to food. Celery is a cool season vegetable and does not like the hot summers of the southern part of the country.

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Climbing Old Blush Rose

Rosa chinensis 'Climbing Old Blush'

This elegant climbing rose sports large pink flowers from spring until nearly Christmas. It is lightly fragrant and easily trained to a graceful climbing habit against walls or over trellises.

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Crown Imperial

Fritillaria imperialis 'Rubra Maxima'

This large bulb has striking orange flowers borne on long lily-like flowers in spring. It is best placed on its side when planted to prevent rotting and then left undisturbed.

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French Marigold

Tagetes patula

French marigolds are iconic garden plants with distinctly fragrant leaves. The flowers are single, semi-double, double, or crested in shades of yellow, orange, or red, and can also be bi-colored. When planted in the vegetable garden, marigolds can repel certain pests, such as white flies on tomatoes…

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Great Blue Lobelia

Lobelia siphilitica

This tall, late blooming perennial adds a pleasant blue to shady glades in the summer. Native to Virginia, it is often found along stream banks and in wetland areas. It self seeds enthusiastically.

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Hardy cyclamen

Cyclamen hederifolium

Small pinkish-white flowers emerge from corms in September, followed by mottled green and silver ivy-shaped leaves, adding an unexpected touch of color to the fall woodland garden.

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Hydrangea

Hydrangea arborescens

This versatile hydrangea tolerates a wide variety of conditions and is ideal for borders or natural areas. It benefits from an annual pruning in late winter to prevent the heavy blooms from flopping.

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Johnny Jump-Up

Viola tricolor

This delightful little flower is a harbinger of spring in many gardens, but also adds charm to a fall or winter garden depending on your region. The flowers are edible and can be used to wonderful effect on cakes and in salads.

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Lilac

Syringa vulgaris

Large fragrant bouquets of purple flowers make this shrub the queen of spring in the northern garden.

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Monkshood

Aconitum napellus

This late blooming perennial adds height and colorful spires to the end of summer shade garden. It prefers afternoon shade in the southern garden, but will tolerate sun further north.

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Old Blush Rose

Rosa chinensis 'Old Blush'

Old Blush is lightly fragrant with semi-double pink flowers. It blooms throughout the season and can bloom at Mount Vernon well into December.

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Peas

Pisum sativum

Peas are tender spring vegetable on short vines. They often have large showy flowers in colors like pink and white. The pods can range in color from purple to green. Peas are best direct sown outdoors in the early months of spring, and if you have a long, cool fall, a second crop can be grown.

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Persian Fritillary

Fritillaria persica

This tall spring bulb is crowned by a spike of maroon flowers above gray-green foliage and makes a striking addition to the spring garden. The bulb itself is strongly odoriferous which prevents the depredations of rodents.

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Roman Hyacinth

Hyancinthus orientalis var. albulus

This old-fashioned hyacinth has a sparser, more delicate flower than the modern types, but it is much more likely to stick around in the garden. It resists flopping under its own weight and is known to naturalize.

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Sago Palm

Cycas revoluta

This is one of the most ancient plants still alive today.

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Snake's Head Fritillary

Fritillaria meleagris

These dainty bell-shaped flowers in shades of maroon and white with faint checkered patterns perch atop slender arching stems. They prefer to be grown in cool moist sites.

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Tansy

Tanacetum vulgare

Tansy is a tough plant that can grow in almost any sunny spot. While its ferny foliage and clusters of cheerful yellow button flowers are attractive, it can be invasive due to its underground runners and propensity to re-seed.

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Tulip Poplar

Liriodendron tulipifera

One of the largest native trees in North America, the tulip poplar can reach heights of 150 feet in nature. It is actually a member of the magnolia family, and named for its distinct tulip-shaped leaves and flowers. These showy, goblet-shaped, orange-yellow-green flowers appear in late spring after the…

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