Colonial Revival gardens, a testament to the enduring spirit of American gardening, emerged in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. They celebrated a uniquely American spirit that looked backwards with affection and forward with ambition, shaping landscapes that remain beloved and relevant today.

As Jon Lak, Senior Landscape Manager of Colonial Williamsburg explained, while both English and Colonial gardens prized formal structure—clipped boxwoods, geometric layouts—early American gardens had a deeply pragmatic bent. In the 18th century, gardens were expected to serve multiple purposes: beauty, leisure, and food production. This practicality and adaptability continue to inspire modern garden design.

In contrast to the grand herbaceous borders and intricate floral tapestries of English estates, American colonial gardens were simpler, shaped by the demands of a harsher climate and the realities of daily life.

Hardscaping materials reflected this blend of elegance and utility: brick, packed earth, gravel, or crushed oyster shells paved paths and courtyards, often made from whatever materials were readily available.

Yet, even in their practicality, Colonial gardens retained a quiet sophistication—ornamented with winding walks, clipped hedging, and thoughtful design, deeply influenced by Old World traditions.

It's said that many early female settlers carried daffodil bulbs sewn into the hems of their skirts and dresses, a tangible link to the gardens and families they left behind—knowing they might never return. These hardy blooms, treasured reminders of home, were among the first to be naturalized into the American landscape.

These simple gestures, made by women seeking to preserve a fragment of their former lives, speak volumes about the emotional significance of early American gardens: they were not only functional but deeply symbolic spaces of memory, continuity, and identity.

Even Thomas Jefferson—perhaps America's most famous amateur gardener—wrestled with the differences between England's idealized gardens and Virginia's intense sun and soils.

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After visiting England's great estates in 1786, Jefferson reflected:

Yet upon returning home, he acknowledged:

At Monticello, Jefferson eventually moved away from formal garden rooms toward sweeping flower borders, experimental agricultural plots, and naturalistic landscape design—an early American interpretation of the picturesque.

Though deeply connected to English tradition, colonial revival gardens developed distinct characteristics shaped by climate, materials, and practicality:

Whether in a grand estate or a modest suburban backyard, the spirit of the Colonial Revival garden remains: ordered yet natural, aspirational yet grounded.

Colonial Revival gardens remind us that gardens are not only aesthetic spaces but deeply human ones—woven with memory, craftsmanship, and a profound connection to the land. From daffodil bulbs carried across oceans to the clipped parterres of Monticello and the brick-bordered paths of Colonial Williamsburg, these gardens tell a transatlantic story of hope, tradition, and resilience.