Smithsonian Gardens is preserving our diverse garden heritage through stories, videos, and images collected from people from all around the country. Anyone can share a garden story. Smithsonian Gardens is especially interested in stories from women and people of color and stories of school gardens. 

Here are some sample questions to guide your story submission:

Growing Up  

  • Did you have a garden growing up? What was it like? 
  • What are your first memories of gardening? What sparked your interest the most?
  • What was your neighborhood or community like? Did your neighbors have gardens? 
  • Did your parents or older family members garden when they were children?

Your Garden  

  • When did you plant your current garden? 
  • How has the garden changed since you first started it? 
  • What do you enjoy most about your garden? 
  • What are your future plans for your garden? 
  • Where do you buy or find your seeds and plants? 
  • How do you decide what you are going to grow? 
  • Do you have a favorite plant or vegetable in your garden? Why? 
  • Do you have favorite tricks or tips you’ve picked up along the way?

Heritage and Immigration  

  • How has your heritage influenced your garden? 
  • Did you grow up in a different country? What gardening traditions have you brought with you? 
  • Have you learned anything new about gardening in the United States? 
  • Have you shared garden wisdom or tips from your home country with friends and neighbors here? 
  • Do you have a family or traditional recipe you like to prepare with ingredients from your garden? 
  • What is different about gardening in the United States?

If you’d like to share your garden story with our digital archive:

Fill Out This Form

Or you can email us your story if you’d prefer.

To submit a story via email please include:

  • Title of your story
  • The story itself, long or short. 
  • Location of the story (just city and state for private gardens, no home addresses, please.)
  • Images are not required but are encouraged! Snap a cellphone picture if you can, or share an older image.
  • Make sure you review our Submission Agreement
  • Email the story and images to: communityofgardens@si.edu

Thanks for helping us preserve our shared garden heritage, one story at a time.