The 76th Annual Garden Symposium: Digging the Garden: Horticulture, History & Archaeology

Soil. To gardeners and horticulturists soil is a fundamental element which influences the survival of a plant in the future. To archaeologists, soil is the very thing that holds the remains of the past. Digging in the soil is key both to gardening and to archaeology, which converge for Colonial Williamsburg’s 76th Annual Garden Symposium.
Over the last several years, our archaeologists have dug up exciting discoveries at the site of Custis Square, home to John Custis IV (1678-1746), expanding our understanding of not only the land, but the people who cultivated it, enslaved and free. Custis was known by his contemporaries as a curious gardener whose ornamental garden was unparalleled in the American Colonies. According to Thomas Jefferson, “No occupation is so delightful to me as the culture of the earth, and no culture comparable to that of the garden.” Here at Colonial Williamsburg our talented landscape staff strive to nurture this relationship as they work to balance historical practices within the needs of the contemporary environment. We invite you to join us for inspiring and educational lectures, engage in dynamic discussions, and take part in hands-on workshops and tours where you too can dig deep in our historic and iconic gardens.
Join renowned horticulturists, archaeologists, historians, and guest experts as we examine best practices through an historical lens, using the past to inform the present and future, at Colonial Williamsburg’s 76th Annual Garden Symposium: Digging the Garden: Horticulture, History & Archaeology.