The Upper Flower Garden at Mount Vernon in Spring
Mount Vernon was the home and garden of America’s first president, George Washington. It is open to the public and is particularly lovely to visit in the spring with flowering trees such as redbud and dogwood. On my recent visit it was an overcast day with alternating rain showers and bursts of sunshine. The weather, the flowers, and the vociferous birds were all in harmony in a spring garden that was fresh and bursting with life.
The Upper Flower Garden at Mount Vernon is a delightful garden within the larger estate. I like to wander along the graveled paths and consider the plants and people who have inhabited this space over the centuries.
Graveled paths and wooden benches allow visitors to enjoy the garden as they have over the centuries.
The little garden house at the corner of the Upper Flower Garden is one of my favorite garden structures.
Spring flowers pack the bed between the walls and the low boxwood hedge at the front.
Historic Tulips at Mount Vernon
The old tulips that are grown in the gardens at Mount Vernon are different from the ones that are available today. They are shorter than our tall 21st Century hybrids and come in a limited color range. Within a group the color patterns may have varying amounts of each color.
White and pink Lady Tulips (Tulipa clusiana) mingle in this border later blooming daylilies.
Lady tulip (Tulipa clusiana) showing the pink and white stripes.
Old-fashioned red and yellow tulips like ‘Helmar’ are stars of the spring garden at Mount Vernon.
Keizerskroon Tulip dates from the mid 1700’s.
Old-fashioned Daffodils
The old types of daffodils that are grown at Mount Vernon are similar to the wild or species type daffodils that were brought into gardens from the wild. They have what I call ‘wayward grace’. I grow historic daffodils in my garden for their charm and sense of continuity with generations of gardeners who have also loved them in their gardens.
Seventeen Sisters daffodil is a popular tazetta daffodil that is found in old southern American gardens.
This little daffodil may be the Early Louisiana Jonquil.
Other Spring Bulbs in the Upper Flower Garden
Apart from tulips and daffodils there are other bulbs in the Mount Vernon Flower Garden. Petite trout lilies have a distinctive curved back petal shape, bell-shaped fritillaries, and white summer snowflakes.
Trout lilies (Erythronium) are a low growing plant for the mid-front of a spring flower bed.
Snakes head Fritillary (Fritillaria meleagris) is a slender with a checkerboard pattern.
Persian Fritillary (Fritillaria persica) is an upright plant with flowers that hang down.
The partly shaded position under the fruit trees is perfect for the summer snowflake.
Spring-blooming Biennials and Perennials
In the Upper Flower Garden at Mount Vernon, flowers are grown in an intermingled, flower-packed manner. The bulbous flowers are underplanted with biennials and perennials that add in a variety of flower shapes and colors.
Candytuft (Iberis sempervirens) is a lovely low-growing perennial for edging a path.
Ragged Robin (Silene flos-cuculi) is a lovely perennial to grow with tulips.
Honesty (Lunaria annua) is a biennial that later has silvery seed pods.
This red and yellow cowslip is a type of primrose called Primula veris.
A visit to the historic gardens of Mount Vernon is a wonderful chance to see a collection of old-fashioned flowers. Try growing some in your own garden because they are good plants that have survived for centuries.
Bye for now gardening friends, Cheers, Jenny Rose Carey
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