Absalon Tulip
Tulipa 'Absalon'
Absalon is one of the rarest tulips grown at Mount Vernon. It features yellow flames on maroon petals and is one of the few remaining truly broken tulips.
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Acacia
Vachellia farnesiana
Sweet acacia bears golden, sweet-smelling flower during the winter months that are attractive to a variety of pollinators. Its ferny foliage and serpentine branch structure add interest to the garden. Acacia trees make almost impenetrable hedges due to their thorny branches, while the flowers are used in the perfume industry.
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Adam's Needle
Yucca filamentosa
This unique plant looks more suited to a desert climate, but it is found wild up and down the east coast. Its strappy leaves are crowned by huge spikes of creamy white flowers every other year.
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African Marigold
Tagetes erecta
This upright yellow-flowering plant, with its distinctive odor, is a classic of the summer border.
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Alfalfa
Medicago sativa
This plant is used as a perennial fodder crop for livestock.
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Alpine Squill
Scilla bifolia
These tiny blue flowers are some of the most shade tolerant of the spring flower bulbs.
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American Plum
Prunus americana
This native plum has a sprawling habit, which showcases the beautiful white flowers in spring and the unique pink plums in midsummer. The plants become scaly with age and are somewhat disease prone.
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Apple
Malus pumila
Apples are ideally planted in multiples of different varieties for optimal fruit production, and many also benefit from pollinators to increase the effectiveness of cross-pollination. Most apple trees are grown from scionwood grafted to rootstock, and the kind of rootstock will determine the ultimate height and disease resistance of the tree. Dwarf and some semi-dwarf trees, with their smaller root systems, must be staked or trained to a wall or fence, much like the espaliered trees at Mount Vernon. The health and fruit yields of most trees depends on proper pruning and treatment of pests and disease.
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Apricot
Prunus armeniaca
This underappreciated stone fruit has lovely blossoms early in the spring. Because of their early bloom time, the flowers are susceptible to freezing.
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Asparagus
Asparagus officinalis
Asparagus is an unusual plant that is primarily cultivated for its edible tender young shoots in the spring. When mature, it has large ferny foliage that is pale green.
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