Tuesday, December 10, 2013

The U.S. Botanic Garden

A business trip to Washington DC during Thanksgiving week for my husband had me tagging along and I knew the conservatory of the U.S. Botanic Garden had to be at the top of my must-see list.  Neal's schedule allowed just enough time for him to join me.  It was fun to be tourists in a city we know so well even if only for a few hours.  The gardens and conservatory are literally in the shadow of the U.S. Capitol and quite a striking sight.  The gardens were founded in 1816 and the conservatory was built by Lord & Burnham in 1933.


The week of Thanksgiving was very cold so a beautiful indoor garden tour was welcomed.  This was our first visit to this building. That might seem a bit surprising since we lived here for many years but, like most residents of the area, neither of us had much free time back in those days.


The lobby decked out for the holidays.  Picasaweb automatically added the twinkle and I decided to leave this one in.



Inside the warm, humid conservatory the cold camera initially fogged up...


 ... so we headed first to the drier desert garden rooms while the camera warmed up.


Not quite as festive but interesting to see so many plants we grow out in the yard featured under glass here.




At first I thought we'd just spend a few minutes but seeing native Texas plants on display surprised me so I took a closer look.  This is Texas False Agave or Hechtia texensis.  It's hardy to 20F.  I'll have to look for this one though it is apparently rare on the market.


Some of the common names were a surprise too.   I've never seen "Finestem Tussock Grass" applied to Mexican Feather Grass.  It is still tagged Nasella tenuissima though some sites have returned it to Stipa tenussima.


Silvery plants are always worthy of a pause.


A rare bit of sunshine broke through for a few minutes.


This Ferocious Blue Cycad is one of four plants remaining from the original collection at the gardens. Collected sometime between 1838 and 1845 it is at least 165 years old.


With the lens defogged it was back to the main rooms and the famous monuments rendered in natural materials for the holiday display.

The Washington Monument is much clearer now that the lens is defogged.


The U.S. Capitol building



The Smithsonian Institution Building known as "The Castle".


The U.S. Supreme Court Building


The White House with a poster of oranges for a backdrop


This one had me stumped until the docent revealed it is the National Museum of the American Indian right across the street.  The model is made of various fungi.  I've been in the museum, it's a beautiful building and a very different style for the city.


The Jefferson Memorial with a gourd used as the dome


Lincoln Memorial


Lincoln Memorial from the back





The U.S. Botanic Garden conservatory flanked by moss bear topiaries.



The Poinsettias were not the only color.  These Bromeliads put on quite a display alongside a terrarium.



And of course the Orchids chimed in


Loved this pinstriped bamboo


It's not all holiday decor as shown by this cycad display



Palms soar to the top of the 93 foot dome


The mist in the tropical displays caught the sunlight.


Mini garden cases were pretty displays


Christmas trees in the alcoves



And a few more views of this beautiful setting.







The big draw during December is a model train display but we were a little early and it wasn't open yet.  The conservatory was a great place to get in the holiday mood though.  Next we'll tour the gardens around the conservatory and take a walk across Capitol Hill to Union Station.

22 comments:

  1. And so close to the center of it all there...on one visit there, we saw another US arboretum or garden further out to the north. I recall my camera fogging up simply getting out of my car, my first time in Austin to take some scenery pics...in September. The common names by some botanists or those in other regions can be funny, or totally unappealing...kind of like the cute names growers create to sell their own plants!

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    1. You saw the National Arboretum out on New York Avenue and a place I seemed to have missed visiting when we lived there. I hear it is beautiful in the spring.

      You'd think they'd go with a name from its native region.

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  2. What a beautiful tour! Thanks Shirley. Love the glass flower light fixtures and the pops of color created by the poinsettias! I've never been to the other Washington but would love to visit someday.

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    1. The other Washington...yes we do have to specify and I kept ending up on the west coast when searching for info on Capitol Hill.

      I have more glass for you in a post next week.

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  3. Shirley, Thanks for the tour. I have never been there but it sure looks most interesting - lots to see. JC

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    1. There is so much to see, I spent much of my adult life there and finally feel I've seen most of it.

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  4. A wonderful tour of a place I've never visited. It looks like a great place to spend time on what I'm sure was a very cold day. It's great that both you and your husband were able to squeeze it in.

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    1. I'm glad I could bring you a different view of the city.

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  5. Beautiful tour. The organic buildings remind me of the Greenhouse at the Texas State Fair has some Texas monuments all around a garden train and its elevations. Another place to visit if/when we get up that way.

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    1. I've never been to the state fair but that sounds very similar and also quite fun to visit.

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  6. The last time I was there they had a fabulous orchid display going on. It's a great place to stop, that's for sure.

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    1. They did have a few orchids but I'm sure some things had been displaced for the Christmas displays.

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  7. Very nice! I'll try to get over there next time I'm in DC. I used to go there quite a bit for work, but it's been a while now. Loved the Picasaweb light display!

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    1. You should easily brave the cold as it might seem mild to you.

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  8. What a beautiful conservatory! I really enjoyed coming with you on this tour. I'm really amazed that Agave-like plant isn't actually an Agave. What a fun trip this must have been to take with your husband.

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    1. They are both woody lilies so they do have similar habits.

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  9. Another Botanic Garden worth checking out, thanks for sharing! One of my colleagues have been recently and was raving about it.

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    1. They do have some great rotating exhibits.

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  10. LOVELY :)

    I paused at that silver plant even on your post! ...is it a wormwood? Love how delicate the foliage is...

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    1. The tag was obscured by the foliage so I'm no sure exactly what it was. I don't think it was wormwood which is more upright.

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  11. Pleasant tour but not a fan of the buildings. Would prefer to see in white or grey. Looks like resin in this color. Love the architectures of the greenhouse in the foreground of the Capitol. Never seen that view before.

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    1. The buildings did look odd rendered in brown when we are so used to seeing them in light marble, as you say a white or gray. The White House especially looked almost like a burned-out old building. Interesting display and they do it every year.

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