A 1924 view of the Bowne House depicts some of the trees and landscaping that have been a part of the Bowne House plot since at least the early 19th century. Flushing was well known in the 1800s as the home of a number of nurseries. The most famous was the Parsons Nursery, where proprietor Samuel Parsons traveled the world to find new and exotic plants. By the early 1800s members of the Parsons family had married into the Bowne family and were living in the house. It is believed that most of the gardens and large trees that surround the house date to that time period.