The Demuth Garden

After moving into the King Street residence in 1889, Augusta Demuth, mother of Charles, designed and maintained a garden that would serve as inspiration for many of Demuth’s floral watercolors. The garden expanded as far as Mifflin Street during Augusta’s lifetime, filled with a variety of flower beds, foliage, and a greenhouse where she grew hibiscus and avocado (known as “alligator pears”).

In the 1960s, two decades after Augusta’s death, the entirety of her garden was paved with asphalt to create a parking lot. The garden remained hidden until 1984, when the Demuth Foundation removed a portion of the asphalt near the home. The outlines of Augusta’s original flower beds were revealed to be intact, creating a blueprint for the restoration and recreation of her garden.

Today, the garden includes many of the same flowers that were known to be kept by Augusta, including tulips, roses, zinnias, and peonies. Two of Augusta’s original rose bushes, a special variety gifted to her by Charles on his return from a visit to France, have been restored. These bushes were saved by community members before the garden was paved, and they were maintained off-site until they were able to be replanted in the Demuth garden.

Many of Demuth’s floral watercolors in the Demuth Museum collection, including Pink Tulips, Daisies, Irises, and Zinnias and Scarlet Sage, were inspired by the flowers in Augusta’s garden.

Floral Inspirations

Explore the flowers of the Demuth garden and the artworks that they inspired! Click on each photo to view larger images and descriptions with links to corresponding floral works by Charles Demuth.

To view full-size images and descriptions, click or tap on an image. Full descriptions are available by hovering over the full-size image on desktop, or by tapping the white dot in the bottom right-hand corner of the full-size image on mobile.