The Colonial Garden at the Spanish Military Hospital Museum
Tucked behind the historic walls of the Spanish Military Hospital Museum in St. Augustine, Florida, our Colonial Garden offers a peaceful glimpse into the world of 18th-century Spanish Florida. This living exhibit features a carefully cultivated selection of plants that would have been grown and used during the colonial era — for medicine, nourishment, household use, and even ceremonial purposes.
From healing herbs and edible greens to ornamental flowers and utility plants, the garden reflects the practical knowledge that physicians, apothecaries, and colonists relied on daily. It illustrates how Spanish colonists blended Old World traditions with New World discoveries to support health and survival in a new environment.
Visitors are welcome to explore the garden, take in the aromas, and learn how each plant played a role in colonial life. This beautiful garden works to connect the natural world to the museum’s larger story of 18th-century military medicine and daily living.
Whether you’re a history buff, plant lover, or curious traveler, the Colonial Garden adds a living, sensory layer to your journey through the past.