
A Colonial Revival garden is a
garden design
Garden design is the art and process of designing and creating plans for layout and planting of garden, gardens and landscapes. Garden design may be done by the garden owner themselves, or by professionals of varying levels of experience and expe ...
intended to evoke the garden design typical of the
Colonial period of
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
or the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
. The Colonial Revival garden is typified by simple rectilinear beds, straight (rather than winding) pathways through the garden, and
perennial plant
In horticulture, the term perennial (''wikt:per-#Prefix, per-'' + ''wikt:-ennial#Suffix, -ennial'', "through the year") is used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annual plant, annuals and biennial plant, biennials. It has thus been d ...
s from the fruit, ornamental flower, and vegetable groups.
[Tankard, p. 67.] The garden is usually enclosed, often by low walls, fences, or hedges.
The Colonial Revival gardening movement was an important development in the gardening movement in the United States.
The American colonial garden
Generalizing about the common house garden in the colonial period in the United States is difficult,
[Damrosch, p. 32.] as garden plantings and even design varied considerably depending on the time period, wealth, climate, colonial heritage (whether British, French, or Spanish), and the purpose to which the garden was to be put (vegetable, flower, herb, etc.). Because of the overwhelmingly strong British influence in colonial America, the "colonial garden" generally refers to the most common type of garden found in the 13 British colonies. Colonial-era gardens in the southern colonies often exhibited the same design as those in the north. Gardens of the wealthy, however, often employed newer gardening ideas, such as the
landscape garden
The English landscape garden, also called English landscape park or simply the English garden (, , , , ), is a style of "Landscape architecture, landscape" garden which emerged in England in the early 18th century, and spread across Europe, r ...
or
English garden
The English landscape garden, also called English landscape park or simply the English garden (, , , , ), is a style of "landscape" garden which emerged in England in the early 18th century, and spread across Europe, replacing the more formal ...
.
Colonial gardens tended to be small and close to the house.
[Emmet, p. 180-181.] A straight walkway generally extended on a line equal with the entrance to the house through the center of the garden.
(This layout was often abandoned in the north, where it was more important to site the garden so the building protected it from northwest winds.)
[Favretti and Favretti, p. 11.] Perpendicular straight paths often extended from this central path.
Planting beds were usually square or rectangular
although circular beds were also seen.
[Johnson, p. 74.] In almost all cases, beds were raised to provide good drainage.
[Kunst, p. 47.] Beds could sometimes be bordered with low-growing, neat plants such as
chive
Chives, scientific name ''Allium schoenoprasum'', is a species of flowering plant in the family Amaryllidaceae.
A perennial plant, ''A. schoenoprasum'' is widespread in nature across much of Eurasia and North America. It is the only spec ...
or
pinks.
In areas with a Spanish influence, orchards generally were attached to the garden.
The paths in the Colonial American garden were generally of brick, gravel, or stone.
Brick was more commonly used in the south, however.
Enclosure of the garden was common, often with
boxwood hedges or wooden fences.
[Phillips and Burrell, p. 27.] Picket fences were common, but boxwood was usually used only in the south and in the later colonial period.
[Damrosch, p. 38.]
Plantings in colonial gardens were generally not separated by type. Fruits, herbs, ornamental flowers, and vegetables were usually mixed together in the same planting bed.
[Damrosch, p. 33.] Ornamental flowers were often grown closer to the house, however, while vegetables which needed space to grow (such as
corn
Maize (; ''Zea mays''), also known as corn in North American English, is a tall stout Poaceae, grass that produces cereal grain. It was domesticated by indigenous peoples of Mexico, indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 9,000 years ago ...
,
green bean
Green beans are young, unripe fruits of various cultivars of the common bean ('' Phaseolus vulgaris''), although immature or young pods of the runner bean ('' Phaseolus coccineus''), yardlong bean ( ''Vigna unguiculata'' subsp. ''sesquipedali ...
s, or
pumpkin
A pumpkin is a cultivar, cultivated winter squash in the genus ''Cucurbita''. The term is most commonly applied to round, orange-colored squash varieties, but does not possess a scientific definition. It may be used in reference to many dif ...
s) would often be grown in larger beds further away.
Fruit trees would sometimes line paths, to provide shade and produce,
but fruit bushes were as common as fruit trees and always planted in the interior of the garden.
[Favretti and Favretti, p. 12.] Fruit trees would also be planted along the external border of the garden (while wealthier people with more land planted them in orchards).
Ornamental shrubs were rare, but could include
azalea
Azaleas ( ) are flowering shrubs in the genus ''Rhododendron'', particularly the former sections ''Rhododendron sect. Tsutsusi, Tsutsusi'' (evergreen) and ''Pentanthera'' (deciduous). Azaleas bloom in the spring (April and May in the temperate ...
,
lilac
''Syringa'' is a genus of 12 currently recognized species of flowering woody plants in the olive family or Oleaceae called lilacs. These lilacs are native to woodland and scrub from southeastern Europe to eastern Asia, and widely and commonly ...
, and
mock orange.
A stand-alone herb garden was uncommon in the United States. However, Colonial American herb gardens were generally of the same design as other gardens. They were usually less than across, and often consisted of four square plots separated by gravel paths.
More commonly, herbs were mixed in with flowers and other plants.
[Kowalchik, Hylton, and Carr, p. 201.] Commonly planted herbs included
angelica
''Angelica'' is a genus of about 90 species of tall Biennial plant, biennial and Perennial plant, perennial herbaceous, herbs in the family Apiaceae, native to temperate and subarctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere, reaching as far north as ...
,
basil
Basil (, ; , ; ''Ocimum basilicum'' (, )), also called great basil, is a culinary herb of the family Lamiaceae (mints). It is a hardiness (plants), tender plant, and is used in cuisines worldwide. In Western cuisine, the generic term "basil" r ...
,
burnet,
,
caraway
Caraway, also known as meridian fennel and Persian cumin (''Carum carvi''), is a biennial plant in the family Apiaceae, native to western Asia, Europe, and North Africa.
Etymology
The etymology of "caraway" is unclear. Caraway has been ...
,
chamomile
Chamomile (American English) or camomile (British English; see spelling differences) ( or ) is the common name for several plants of the family Asteraceae. Two of the species, '' Matricaria chamomilla'' and '' Chamaemelum nobile'', are commo ...
,
chervil
Chervil (; ''Anthriscus cerefolium''), sometimes called French parsley or garden chervil (to distinguish it from similar plants also called chervil), is a delicate annual herb related to parsley. It was formerly called myrhis due to its volati ...
,
coriander
Coriander (), whose leaves are known as cilantro () in the U.S. and parts of Canada, and dhania in parts of South Asia and Africa, is an annual plant, annual herb (''Coriandrum sativum'') in the family Apiaceae.
Most people perceive the ...
,
comfrey
''Symphytum'' is a genus of flowering plants in the borage family, Boraginaceae, known by the common name comfrey (pronounced , from the Latin confervere to 'heal' or literally to 'boil together', referring to uses in ancient traditional medicin ...
,
dill
Dill (''Anethum graveolens'') is an annual herb in the celery family Apiaceae. It is native to North Africa, Iran, and the Arabian Peninsula; it is grown widely in Eurasia, where its leaves and seeds are used as a herb or spice for flavouring ...
,
fennel
Fennel (''Foeniculum vulgare'') is a flowering plant species in the carrot family. It is a hardy, perennial herb with yellow flowers and feathery leaves. It is indigenous to the shores of the Mediterranean but has become widely naturalized ...
,
licorice
Liquorice (Commonwealth English) or licorice (American English; see spelling differences; ) is the common name of ''Glycyrrhiza glabra'', a flowering plant of the bean family Fabaceae, from the root of which a sweet, aromatic flavouring is ...
,
mint
Mint or The Mint may refer to:
Plants
* Lamiaceae, the mint family
** ''Mentha'', the genus of plants commonly known as "mint"
Coins and collectibles
* Mint (facility), a facility for manufacturing coins
* Mint condition, a state of like-new ...
,
nasturtium,
parsley
Parsley, or garden parsley (''Petroselinum crispum''), is a species of flowering plant in the family Apiaceae that is native to Greece, Morocco and the former Yugoslavia. It has been introduced and naturalisation (biology), naturalized in Eur ...
,
sage, and
tarragon
Tarragon (''Artemisia dracunculus''), also known as estragon, is a species of perennial herbaceous plant, herb in the family Asteraceae. It is widespread in the wild across much of Eurasia and North America and is cultivated for culinary and medic ...
.
Herbs to a Colonial American did not have the same meaning as the words does in modern America. To colonists, "herb" meant not only savory plants added to dishes to enhance flavor but included medicinal plants as well as greens (such as nasturtiums and calendulas) meant to be eaten raw or cooked as part of a
salad
A salad is a dish consisting of mixed ingredients, frequently vegetables. They are typically served chilled or at room temperature, though some can be served warm. Condiments called '' salad dressings'', which exist in a variety of flavors, a ...
.
The Australian colonial garden

The first botanical gardens in
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
were founded early in the 19th century. The
Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney
The Royal Botanic Garden, Sydney is a heritage-listed major botanical garden, event venue and public recreation area located at Farm Cove on the eastern fringe of the Sydney central business district, in the City of Sydney local government are ...
, 1816; the
Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens
The Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens (RTBG), which cover an area of approximately 14 hectares (34.6 acres), in Hobart located within the Queens Domain.
History
The gardens were established in 1818 and is the second oldest Botanical Gardens ...
, 1818; the
Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne
Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria (RBGV) are botanical garden, botanic gardens across two sites–Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne, Melbourne and Royal Botanic Gardens, Cranbourne, Cranbourne.
Melbourne Gardens was founded in 1846 when land w ...
, 1845;
Adelaide Botanic Gardens
The Adelaide Botanic Garden is a public garden at the north-east corner of the Adelaide city centre, in the Adelaide Park Lands. It encompasses a fenced garden on North Terrace (between Lot Fourteen, the site of the old Royal Adelaide Hospital ...
, 1854; and
Brisbane Botanic Gardens, 1855. These were established essentially as colonial gardens of economic botany and acclimatisation. The
Auburn Botanical Gardens, 1977, located in
Sydney's western suburbs, are one of the popular and diverse botanical gardens in the
Greater Western Sydney
Greater Western Sydney (GWS) is a large region of the metropolitan area of Greater Sydney, New South Wales (NSW), Australia that generally embraces the north-west, south-west, central-west, far western and the Blue Mountains sub-regions with ...
area.
History of the Colonial Revival garden movement
The Colonial Revival gardening movement traces its origins to the
Centennial International Exhibition of 1876, the first official
World's Fair
A world's fair, also known as a universal exhibition, is a large global exhibition designed to showcase the achievements of nations. These exhibitions vary in character and are held in different parts of the world at a specific site for a perio ...
held in the United States. The Centennial Exposition was held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from May 10 to November 10, 1876, and it celebrated the 100th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Although the Colonial Revival gardening movement had already begun a short time before, the Centennial Exposition created intense interest in all things colonial — including the colonial garden.
Colonial Revival gardens were widely popular from the late 1800s to the late 1930s.
The Colonial Revival gardening movement occurred primarily in the eastern United States (where colonial heritage was strongest), although the gardens were constructed across the country.
A number of writers published highly influential books about the Colonial Revival garden. Among these were
Alice Morse Earle's ''Old Time Gardens'' (1901), Alice Morse Earle's ''Sun Dials and Roses of Yesterday'' (1902), and
Grace Tabor's ''Old-Fashioned Gardening'' (1913).
Colonial Revival gardens do not seek to imitate or replicate actual colonial gardens or colonial planting schemes. Rather, they are (as historical gardening expert Denise Wiles Adams notes) "romanticized" versions of colonial gardens.
[Adams, p. 38.] As Butler, Smalling, and Wilson put it: "Colonial Revival gardens were never intended to duplicate the gardens' historical appearance. They are twentieth-century gardens designed to meet contemporary needs, the artistic creations of very accomplished landscape architects that value aesthetic quality over historical accuracy." In terms of layout, the Colonial Revival garden still emphasizes straight lines and symmetry, and a central axis aligned with the house.
Although plants typical of the colonial era are emphasized, many Colonial Revival gardens also soften the line where the house foundation meets the soil through the use of "foundation plantings" such as low
evergreen
In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has Leaf, foliage that remains green and functional throughout the year. This contrasts with deciduous plants, which lose their foliage completely during the winter or dry season. Consisting of many diffe ...
shrubs.
Modern Colonial Revival gardens tend to emphasize boxwood hedges as edging rather than fences.
It is more common to see early 20th century favorites like
delphinium
''Delphinium'' is a genus of about 300 species of annual and perennial flowering plants in the family (biology), family Ranunculaceae, native species, native throughout the Northern Hemisphere and also on the high mountains of tropical Africa. T ...
s,
hollyhocks, and
violets used than historic plants.
In the late 1800s and early 1900s, many Colonial Revival gardens were planted with brightly colored exotic plants which were not part of the colonial experience. These vibrantly colored plants were part of the
Victorian era
In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the reign of Queen Victoria, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. Slightly different definitions are sometimes used. The era followed the ...
gardening legacy.
[Bennett, p. 19.] But in the late 1900s and early 2000s, many Colonial Revival gardens have removed these exotic plants in favor of a more authentic colonial garden.
Colonial Revival gardens also usually incorporate a "feature" like an arbor, bench, or fountain at the center of the garden where the paths intersect.
Such features were elements of the late colonial period only.
Examples
Several notable examples exist of Colonial Revival gardens, most of them located on the east coast of the United States. They include:
*
Arlington House, the Robert E. Lee Memorial, on the grounds of
Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery is the largest cemetery in the United States National Cemetery System, one of two maintained by the United States Army. More than 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington County, Virginia.
...
in
Arlington County, Virginia
Arlington County, or simply Arlington, is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Virginia. The county is located in Northern Virginia on the southwestern bank of the Potomac River directly across from Washington, D.C., the nati ...
*
Bassett Hall, a farmhouse located near
Williamsburg, Virginia
Williamsburg is an Independent city (United States), independent city in Virginia, United States. It had a population of 15,425 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located on the Virginia Peninsula, Williamsburg is in the northern par ...
*
William Blount Mansion in
Knoxville, Tennessee
Knoxville is a city in Knox County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. It is located on the Tennessee River and had a population of 190,740 at the 2020 United States census. It is the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Division ...
*
Colonial Williamsburg
Colonial Williamsburg is a living-history museum and private foundation presenting a part of the historic district in Williamsburg, Virginia. Its historic area includes several hundred restored or recreated buildings from the 18th century, wh ...
, located near Williamsburg, Virginia
*
Hamilton House in
South Berwick, Maine
South Berwick is a town in York County, Maine, United States. The population was 7,467 at the 2020 census. South Berwick is home to Berwick Academy, a private, co-educational university-preparatory day school founded in 1791.
The town was s ...
["Colonial Revival Gardens." ''Early Homes.'' Spring 2004, p. 40.]
*
Mount Vernon
Mount Vernon is the former residence and plantation of George Washington, a Founding Father, commander of the Continental Army in the Revolutionary War, and the first president of the United States, and his wife, Martha. An American landmar ...
, plantation home of
George Washington
George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...
located near
Alexandria, Virginia
Alexandria is an independent city (United States), independent city in Northern Virginia, United States. It lies on the western bank of the Potomac River approximately south of Washington, D.C., D.C. The city's population of 159,467 at the 2020 ...
*
Old Stone House in
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...
*
The Stevens-Coolidge Place in
North Andover, Massachusetts
North Andover is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. At the 2020 census, the population was 30,915.
History
Native Americans inhabited what is now northeastern Massachusetts for thousands of years prior to European colonizati ...
[Forsyth, p. 131-132.]
See also
*
Colonial Revival architecture
The Colonial Revival architectural style seeks to revive elements of American colonial architecture.
The beginnings of the Colonial Revival style are often attributed to the Centennial Exhibition of 1876, which reawakened Americans to the arch ...
*
Revivalism (architecture)
Architectural revivalism is the use of elements that echo the style of a Architectural style, previous architectural era that have or had fallen into disuse or abeyance between their heyday and period of revival. Revivalism, in a narrower sense, ...
References
Bibliography
*Adams, Denise Wiles. "Garden Designs for Historic Homes." ''Old-House Journal.'' September–October 2005, p. 35-38.
*
*Bennett, Paul. ''Garden Lover's Guide to the South.'' New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 2000.
*Brinkley, M. Kent and Chappell, Gordon W. ''The Gardens of Colonial Williamsburg.'' Williamsburg, Va.: Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, 1996.
*Butler, Sara A.; Smalling, Jr., Walter; and Wilson, Richard Guy. ''The Campus Guide: University of Virginia.'' New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 1999.
*Cheek, Richard and Favretti, Rudy J. ''Gardens & Landscapes of Virginia.'' Little Compton, R.I.: Fort Church Publishers, 1993.
*Clayton, Virginia Tuttle. ''The Once and Future Gardener: Garden Writing From the Golden Age of Magazines, 1900-1940.'' Boston, Mass.: David R. Godine, 2000.
*Damrosch, Barbara. ''Theme Gardens.'' New York: Workman Pub., 2001.
*Emmet, Alan. ''So Fine a Prospect: Historic New England Gardens.'' Lebanon, N.H.: University Press of New England, 1997.
*Favretti, Rudy J. and Favretti, Joy P. ''Landscapes and Gardens for Historic Buildings.'' Walnut Creek, Calif.: AltaMira Press, 1997.
*Forsyth, Holly Kerr. ''Gardens of Eden: Among the World's Most Beautiful Gardens.'' Carlton, Vic.: Miegunyah Press, 2009.
*Griswold, Mac and Foley, Roger. ''Washington's Gardens at Mount Vernon: Landscape of the Inner Man.'' Boston, Mass.: Houghton Mifflin, 1999.
*Johnson, Vicki. "Symmetry in the Garden." ''Old House Interiors.'' May 2002, p. 72-75.
*Karson, Robin S. ''Fletcher Steele, Landscape Architect: An Account of the Gardenmaker's Life, 1885-1971.'' Amherst, Mass.:
University of Massachusetts Press
The University of Massachusetts Press is a university press that is part of the University of Massachusetts Amherst. The press was founded in 1963, publishing scholarly books and non-fiction. The press imprint is overseen by an interdisciplinar ...
, 2003.
*Kowalchik, Claire; Hylton, William H.; and Carr, Anna. ''Rodale's Illustrated Encyclopedia of Herbs.'' Emmaus, Pa.: Rodale Press, 1998.
*Kunst, Scott G. "Victorian Vegetables." ''Old-House Journal.'' April 1987, p. 46-51.
*McGuire, Diane Kostial. ''Gardens of America: Three Centuries of Design.'' Charlottesville, Va.: Thomasson-Grant, 1989.
*Phillips, Ellen and Burrell, C. Colston. ''Rodale's Illustrated Encyclopedia of Perennials.'' Emmaus, Pa.: Rodale Press, 1993.
*Seeber, Barbara H. ''A City of Gardens: Glorious Public Gardens In and Around the Nation's Capital.'' Sterling, Va.: Capital Books, 2004.
*Tankard, Judith B. "Ellen Biddle Shipman's Colonial Revival Garden Style." In ''Re-Creating the American Past: Essays on the Colonial Revival.'' Richard Guy Wilson, Shaun Eyring, and Kenny Marotta, eds. Charlottesville, Va.: University Press of Virginia, 2006.
*Taylor, Patrick. ''The Oxford Companion to the Garden.'' New York: Oxford University Press, 2008.
*Thalimer, Carol and Thalimer, Dan. ''Quick Escapes, Atlanta: 27 Weekend Getaways From the Gateway to the South.'' Guilford, Con..: Globe Pequot Press, 2005.
*Wright, Renee. ''Virginia Beach, Richmond & Tidewater Virginia including Williamsburg, Norfolk and Jamestown: A Great Destination.'' Woodstock, Vt.: Countryman Press, 2010.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Colonial Revival garden
Landscape architecture
Colonial Revival Movement