The Heirloom Garden features bulbs, annuals, perennials, and shrubs that have been cultivated in American gardens for more than fifty years.

Generations of gardeners have shared seeds, cuttings, and divisions of heirloom plants, which include open-pollinated as well as cultivated varieties of hybrids. Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, and other plant enthusiasts grew many of these plants in their gardens. Heirlooms also provide important cultural connections to ancestral homelands.

The Heirloom Garden, which is concentrated on the South Terrace facing Madison Avenue of the National Museum of American History, was created by staff of the Horticulture Services Division of the Smithsonian Institution.

 

Many of the plants featured in the Heirloom Garden appear repeatedly throughout American history. Some of the plants mentioned in the writings of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson include dianthus, digitalis, columbine, hollyhocks, and coneflowers. Heirloom plants, however, do not need to be associated with a famous person or place in order to be considered significant. Many have highly desirable characteristics and remain extremely popular even today. Others were grown at our grandparent’s homes and can evoke pleasant recollections of an era gone by. Whatever your reason for visiting the Heirloom Garden, we hope that you will enjoy the experience.

North

Constitution Ave

Madison Drive

Click on one of the four corners above to view the heirloom plants on display.

Plan from Horticulture Services Division Smithsonian Institution.

The garden is laid out in such a way that heirloom annuals, and bulbs are located in raised beds along with the terraces are permanent plants which include trees, shrubs, and perennials, many of which are native to North America. Most of the plants are identified with full scientific, common and family names, country of origin, and the date the plant entered into American Garden cultivation.

Plant Images by Smithsonian Staff and Interns.

Other web resources:

http://www.usna.usda.gov/Hardzone/ushzmap.html
http://plants.usda.gov/
http://www.usna.usda.gov

A few books related to heirloom plants:

American Horticultural Society A – Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants. American Horticultural Society. D. K. Publishing, Inc., 2004.
Passalong Plants. Steve Bender and Felder Rushing. University of North Carolina Press, 1993.
The Edible Rainbow Garden. Rosalind Creasy. Periplus Editions, 2000.
The Garden’s Guide to Life: Timeless Lessons Based on the Principles of Gardening. Criswell Freeman, Editor. Walnut Group, 1997.
Heirloom Flowers: Vintage Flowers for Modern Gardens. Tovah Martin. Fireside, 1999.
Gardening with Heirloom Plants. David Stuart. Putnam Group, 1998.
Seed Sowing and Saving: Step-by-Step Techniques for Collecting and Growing More than 100 Vegetables, Flower, and Herbs. Carole B. Turner. Storey Communications, Inc., 1998.
Taylor’s Guide to Heirloom Vegetables. Benjamin Watson. Houghton Mifflin Company, 1996.
Heirloom Vegetable Gardening. William Woys Weaver. Henry Holt and Co., 1997.
The Garden Seed Inventory. Kent Whealy. Seed Savers Exchange, 1999.
Heirloom Flower Gardens: Rediscovering and Designing With Classic Ornamentals. Jo Ann Gardner. Chelsea Green Publishing, 2001.
Restoring American Gardens: an encyclopedia of Heirloom Ornamental Plants 1640-1940. Denise Wiles Adams. Timber Press, 2004.

*This is not meant to be a complete list of reference material related to heirloom gardens.

Heirloom Garden web site designed by Janet Curll Coleman, July 2004.