The Smithsonian Needs Your Help!

by | Feb 11, 2019 | 2018, Archived, Committees, Garden History and Design, Photography, Winter | 0 comments

AAG’s “Mystery Gardens” and “Hidden Gardens”
The Smithsonian’s Archives of American Gardens (AAG) has images of numerous gardens across the United States that need a bit of sleuthing to be positively identified. 

Mystery Gardens: In the 1980s, tens of thousands of garden images were collected by members of The Garden Club of America for inclusion in its Slide Library of Notable American Parks and Gardens. At that time, old slides came out of attics and from under beds. Hundreds of unlabeled images arrived at GCA Headquarters — known to a few but forgotten by most. These images now make up a part of The Garden Club of America Collection; unfortunately, without any identification, they will remain “hidden” or a “mystery” to researchers forever.

Help rescue unidentified gardens from oblivion by visiting AAG’s “Mystery Gardens” website for a sampling of these images and to see if you can identify any of the gardens (arranged by state). Be sure to contact AAG staff at aag@si.edu if you have success.

Hidden Gardens:  The Garden Club of America Collection also includes hundreds of private gardens from the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s that lack basic descriptive information about the garden and the necessary Property Owner’s Release which would enable AAG to make them available for research use. Please contact AAG staff at aag@si.edu if you can provide any information about them, their current status, and/or contacting the owner to sign a Property Owner’s Release. Any information you can supply is critical!