Exhibitions

Heirloom Garden

1998 – December 31, 2016

Smithsonian Gardens
Smithsonian museums
Washington, DC

Terrace outside the Mall entrance to the National Museum of American History

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The Smithsonian Heirloom Garden highlights many types of plants that have been passed down from generation to generation. The plants chosen for this garden have been cultivated in American gardens prior to 1950. Filled with annuals, perennials, bulbs, shrubs, and trees, the garden brings wonderful color and aroma to the terrace that wraps around the museum. Although many of these plants are considered "old-fashioned" and not frequently seen in modern gardens, they may inspire visitors to grow one or more of these plants in their own gardens.