One of the early collaborations between the Museum and the American Friends involved the landscaping of the museum grounds.

The arboretum and gardens with American plants illustrate yet another page of French-American history, that of horticultural exchanges which enhance every Museum visit. The garden projects have been under the direction and design of Mark Rudkin, Michel Boulcourt and Madison Cox.

The newest wildflower Memorial Garden has been an enormous success with its fields of red, white and blue (poppies, cosmos and cornflowers). Plans for more planting – flowering cherry trees in the Memorial Garden and evergreen tress in the park – are going forward.