Upper Garden (Historical Marker)

Here follows the inscription written on this trailside historical marker:

Upper Garden
"…a neat flower garden laid out in squares and boxed with great precision."
Benjamin Henry Latrobe, noted architect and visitor to Mount Vernon, July 1796

Filled with a rich variety of plants, this garden showcased George Washington's talent as a landscape designer. His plan intentionally combines the practical aspects of vegetable gardening with the beauty of a flower garden. At the center of each planting bed are rows of vegetables for household use; they are bordered by colorful flowering plants and shrubs edged with dwarf boxwood. The most elaborate features in the garden are the boxwood parterres, including the French fleur-de-lis as a central design.