An Analysis of Pollen from Eighteen Soil Samples Recovered From the Upper Garden Area (44FX762/43) at George Washington's Mount Vernon, Mount Vernon, Virginia

Eighteen soil samples from Feature 44FX762/43 (the Upper Garden Area) at George Washington's Mount Vernon Estate and Gardens in Virginia were submitted to the Fiske Center for palynological analysis in order to aid archaeologists in their reconstruction of this historic garden. While some samples were not suitable for environmental reconstruction due to poor preservation, many economic and ornamental taxa were recovered, as well as a full spectrum of ambient pollen rain. The presence of such plants as yucca (Yucca sp.), dogwood (Cornus sp.), sphagnum moss (Sphagnum sp.), strawberries (Fragaria sp.) and others serves to complement the existing documentary record.