United States Botanic Garden

The fountain has a beautiful pattern of stone. A garden of regional plants is beyond.

The pond has a natural appearance.

The National Museum of the American Indian is in the background.

Government buildings surround the garden.

The conservatory is filled with tropical & desert plants. These photos were taken in April 2016.

Click here for more photos of the United States Botanic Garden.

The United States Botanic Garden is located in Washington DC very near the US Capitol Building at the foot of Capitol Hill.  As far as botanic gardens go, it is not very large.  A significant part of the garden is the conservatory, which has an impressive collection of plants from around the world.  Though rather small, the garden itself is quite lovely.  It has a nice pond, a beautiful fountain & impressive views of the surrounding buildings, particularly the National Museum of the American Indian just across the street.  First proposed in 1816, a national botanic garden was established on the National Mall in 1820.  That garden languished, but reopened in a new location in 1850.  The National Botanic Garden moved to its present location in 1933.  A series of conservatories have been prominent for more than 150 years.  The current conservatory was constructed in 1933.  The National Garden, which covers 3 acres outside the conservatory, was opened in 2006.  It includes a regional garden of plants native to the Mid-Atlantic.  Bartholdi Park is also part of the National Botanic Garden.  It was created in 1932 & renamed in 1985 after Frederic Auguste Bartholdi, sculptor of the fountain at its center.  Bartholdi Park was closed for renovation when I was there in 2016, but that was completed in 2017.

Enid A Haupt Garden

Boxwood fleur-de-lis in a Victorian-inspired parterre

The Smithsonian Castle in 2 photos above.

Smithsonian Arts & Industries Building

Statue of Spencer Fullerton Baird.  These photos were taken in April 2016.

The Enid A Haupt Garden is located among the oldest of the Smithsonian museums at the National Mall in Washington DC. It is an eye-catching & varied array of planting beds, shrubs, trees & plants in pots. There are paving, decorative urns, a pool & a statue of Spencer Fullerton Baird.  Baird was the first curator named at the Smithsonian Institution & later became its second secretary. There are lots of benches here. This is the perfect place to rest when walking around or near the National Mall. The garden covers 4.2 acres adjacent to the Smithsonian Castle. It was designed as a modern version of  an American Victorian garden.  The garden opened in 1987, replacing the existing Victorian Garden which had been built for the Bicentennial.  Enid A. Haupt provided $3 million for its construction & maintenance.

Washington DC Sculpture Gardens

The Hirschhorn Museum is in the center background.

Hirshhorn Museum Sculpture Garden (3 photos above)

National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden (2 photos above) These photos were taken in April 2016.

Click here for more photos of the sculpture gardens.

The National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden & the Hirshhorn Museum Sculpture Garden are across the street from each other at the National Mall in Washington DC. It's an engaging, pleasant, shaded stroll through the gardens, which are very much focused on the art. The Hirshhorn Museum & other buildings create an interesting backdrop. And of course, the museums themselves are very much worth visiting. The National Gallery of Art was given to the people of the United States by Andrew W. Mellon, a very wealthy man who served as Secretary of the Treasury from 1921 to 1932. The collection is mostly European & American art from the Renaissance to the present day, with loan exhibitions displaying art from other cultures & periods, The Hirshhorn Museum displays modern art from the period following World War II. It opened in 1974 with the endowment of the collection of another wealthy man, Joseph H. Hirshhorn. The building is an open cylinder set on four massive piers, with a large fountain in the central courtyard, sculptural in itself & controversial once completed.  Both sculpture gardens feature modern art pieces.