The gardens at Monticello were a botanic laboratory of ornamental and useful plants from around the world. Thomas Jefferson grew 170 fruit varieties, including apples, peaches, and grapes, in Monticello's two orchards. He also cultivated over 330 vegetable varieties in the 1000-foot-long garden terrace. The landscape around Monticello's gardens possess many unique features.

Located in the Virginia Piedmont, Monticello is about two miles southeast of Charlottesville and approximately 125 miles from Washington, D.C.; 110 miles from Williamsburg, Virginia; and 70 miles from Richmond, Virginia.