And so the char-è-banc moved on…..to George Washington’s Mount Vernon Mansion and Grounds, with expansive views over the Potomac River. Once again I could wax lyrical about the interior, presented as it is to look as it would have at Washington’s death in 1799; exquisite in colour, furniture and every small detail.
it’s probably the facade with its famed cupola and weathervane that is the most recognisable image (sorry I went in for a close up but there were so many people milling about!). Once again though, it was the Kitchen Garden that has had me hooked and desperate to visit all these years….I put it all down to an article in the May 1989 edition of US House and Garden! I still have it tucked away and yes….the Colonial Revival style garden lived up to all my expectations and more….
So utterly different in style to Monticello, the garden at Mount Vernon is laid out in decorative geometric patterns, ornamental in its approach compared with the simplicity at Monticello…..and oh those dreamy corner turrets!
I find the compartmentalisation of this garden to be just as compelling as the simplicity of the former, and am so drawn to the use of espaliered trees on simple fences to create enclosures….oh be still my beating heart! I’ve tried to incorporate step-over espaliers at Glenmore for years, but it’s just not practical in the space here….maybe one day!
In each direction you turn, there is yet another exquisite combination of fencing, hedging, espaliered fruit trees and edible plants.
This tunnel structure simply groans under the weight of its crop……
But at the risk of boring you rigid, I’ll leave you with this froth of flowers that stood in the ‘Upper Garden’ opposite the Greenhouse (which was annoyingly closed so I could only take photos through the glass which isn’t quite the same thing, though at least I have them as a record!). And then there were the Storehouse & Clerk’s Quarters, the Smokehouse, the Wash House, the Coach House…..and on and on it goes……fabulous! (And all of it only possible thanks to the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association, without whom the whole lot would have crumbled to the ground…..).