US Botanic Garden Washington DC

US Botanic Garden – My Capital Gardens USA.co.uk

It’s hard to imagine a glorious parkland garden and tropical paradise in the heart of America’s capital, but that’s exactly what you’ll find at the US Botanic Garden. With its roots going back to 1816, the garden nestling on the National Mall by the US Capitol is nearly as old as Washington DC itself. It was established by the US Congress and is fondly known as the ‘nation’s garden’.

A living plant museum and botanists’ dream, the garden is now made up of several distinctive sections with highlights including a stunning collection of more than 10,000 varieties of orchids and the conservatory with its impressive state-of-the-art indoor garden housing 4,000 seasonal, tropical and subtropical plants.

The oldest part of the US Botanic Garden is the landscaped flower garden Bartholdi Park. The centrepiece is an ornate 30ft high statue created by Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, the French sculptor who also designed the Statue of Liberty. Today the plantings reflect modern horticultural trends and the garden also showcases innovative plant combinations in a variety of styles and design themes.

Opened in 2006 as an extension to the Botanic Garden, the National Garden is spread over three acres next to the conservatory and features unusual, useful and ornamental plants that grow in the mid-Atlantic region. Attractions include the Rose Garden, Butterfly Garden, Lawn Terrace, First Ladies’ Water Garden, a display of regional trees, shrubs and perennials and an outdoor amphitheatre.

The US Botanic Garden is open 10am to 7pm daily, including weekends and holidays, (Conservatory until 5pm) and admission is free.

Website
www.usbg.gov