The flower garden served as an outlet for Molly Custis and Mary Lee’s interest in rose cultivation. It also was a favorite gathering place and retreat for the entire family. Each Lee daughter was given her own small plot on which to raise whatever flowers she pleased, and generations of household pets were laid to rest along its paths. The Lee daughters remembered taking novels to the arbor to read, as their father thought they should only read non-fiction.
Arlington House, The Robert E. Lee Memorial