Working Plantation
Gardens
On the Grounds

Ash Lawn-Highland's ornamental and utilitarian gardens represent those commonly planted in the early 1800's. As a lady of culture and refined taste, Mrs. Monroe needed not only fresh and dried flowers for bouquets but also herbs for cooking and aroma, for scenting linens and repelling moths, and for dyeing and medicine She must have found, as gardeners at Ash Lawn-Highland find today, that some plants thrive in the rich, red Virginia earth, while others struggle and eventually die. Even the peacocks have their say in the gardens' success, as early bulbs and certain herbs and flowers are among their favorite snacks.

To feed the residents of Highland--which included the Monroes, frequent guests, and 30 to 40 slaves and free servants - the garden produced vegetables all year. Today a vegetable garden, just outside the kitchen yard, still yields peas, beans, corn, squash, and tomatoes that are used in Ash Lawn-Highland's open-hearth cooking program.