A Garden Tour of Marjorie Merriweather Post’s Hillwood Estate

Marjorie Merriweather Post, heiress to the company that would become General Foods and once the wealthiest woman in the country, appreciated beauty—she collected historic jewelry, valuable French and Russian art, and incredible homes (including Florida’s Mar-a-Lago). Much of that art can be viewed these days at Hillwood, the Washington, D.C., home where she died and was buried, and which now operates as a private museum. But as the new book A Garden for All Seasons: Marjorie Merriweather Post’s Hillwood demonstrates, the estate’s grounds prove just as impressive. The elaborate gardens and sprawling manicured landscapes stem from the precise direction of the late Post, a vision carried on today by Kate Markert, the executive director at Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens and the writer of the book. Here, Markert takes G&G on a walk through the seasons at Hillwood, with a selection of images from the book.