Hillwood Museum And Gardens Washington DC

Hillwood Museum And Gardens Washington DC – My Capital Gardens USA.co.uk

Ivy clipped from Buckingham Palace is just one of the many unique attractions waiting to be discovered at Hillwood Museum and Gardens. American breakfast cereal heiress and gardening visionary Marjorie Merriweather Post acquired Hillwood in 1955 and began creating a series of pleasure gardens for her leisure and the entertainment of her guests.

She came up with the idea of a series of ‘outdoor rooms’ bordered by hedges or large plantings and containing statues, fountains and pools as focal points. The resulting 12-acres of formal gardens, which are surrounded by 13 acres of woodland, contain more than 3,500 varieties of plants and trees that are a delight to the eye and the imagination. Highlights include the French Parterre, Rose Garden, Lunar Lawn that was used for lavish parties and Japanese influenced garden with its miniature mountain and tumbling streams.

Because Mrs Post lived at Hillwood in the spring and autumn, the gardens feature plants that provide the greatest effect during these two seasons. Over 4,000 azaleas bloom in profusion through April and May, accompanied by hundreds of rhododendron, spirea, lilacs, and viburnum. From September to November, chrysanthemums join with the deciduous trees throughout the gardens to create a brilliant spectacle against the blaze of colours from the hardwood trees in the adjoining woodland. The choice of plants reveals Mrs Post’s preference for the newest and most unusual varieties available in the 1950s and 1960s.

The gardens are open Tuesday to Saturday, 10am to 5pm, and closed in January and most national holidays. Admission is $12, $10 for senior citizens and $5 for children.

Contact details
4155 Linnean Avenue NW
Washington DC
20008
001-202-686-8500

Website
www.hillwoodmuseum.org