Hi!!
This page details what we need to know about visiting the U.S. Botanic Garden!
There are 3 parts to the Botanic Garden
• The Conservatory
• The Gated Outdoor Gardens
• Bartholdi Fountain and Gardens
The Conservatory
Address: 100 Maryland Ave SW, Washington, DC 20001
Hours: Daily @ 10a-5p
There is one temporary exhibit happening at the Conservatory from February 17th to April 30th. I’d love to catch before it’s over!
• Discover the World of Orchids
This year, the orchid exhibit showcases the collections of thousands of orchid blossoms throughout the Conservstory from U.S. Botanic Garden and the Smithsonian Garden. We can witness the diversity of orchids that are found all over the world!
If we miss this exhibit, it’s not a big deal…
Because there are still a few permanent exhibits and gardens at the Conservatory that I would love to explore with you!
• Garden Court: This garden features the economic and ethnobotanical plants that are used in products that provide fibers, food, drink, clothing, shelter, fuel, cosmetics, and more, all to nourish and protect us. I hope they provide some explanations as to how those processes work!
• The Tropics: There’s a dome that is 93 feet tall and a raised mezzanine level that allows you to view the tropical forest’s canopy. That sounds so cool! Tropical forests are super important and an essential ecosystem on our planet. They provide food, regulate climate, influence hydrological cycles, and more that supports more bid diversity that any other habitat.
• Plant Adaptations: This exhibit shows how plants have evolved throughout time to adapt to various ecosystems! How neat to witness evolution!
• Primeval Garden: This garden will transport us back about 150 million years. It represents just a glimpse of the world before the landscape was dominated by flowering plants.
• World Deserts: This exhibit is all about cacti, succulents, and other desert plants and how they’ve adapted to extreme conditions in many different ways. I absolutely am in love with succulents so I would love to visit this garden!
• Medicinal Plants: Medicinal plants are truly amazing. Let’s explore and learn about this house’s collection of medicinal plants that are found from all over the world!
• Orchids: We already talked about orchids and how cool they are! I wonder how different the temporary and permanent exhibits will be!
• Mediterranean: This garden displays Mediterranean climates that are found in 5 areas around the world and the plants from those regions!
The Gated Outdoor Gardens
Address: 100 Maryland Ave SW, Washington, DC 20001
Hours: Daily @ 7:30a-5p
The Gated Outdoor Garden has a couple exhibits I would love to check out!
• The Regional Garden: This garden features Mid-Atlantic native plants which were chosen to be displayed due to their unique qualities.
• The Rose Garden: This exhibit displays a variety of roses that have been selected to thrive in the D.C. climate! Who doesn’t love roses?
• The Pollinator Garden: The Pollinator Garden demonstrates how garderns provide vital resources for pollinators such as birds, insects, and even bats! These such pollinators are actually responsible for so much of our food and the functionality of our Earth’s ecosystems. Did you know bees and flowers have a way of talking to each other regarding whether the flower has already been pollinated or not? So amazing!
Last section, but not the least!:
The Bartholdi Fountain and Gardens
Address: 245 First St SW, Washington, DC 20024
Hours: Daily @ dawn to dusk
• This garden is known as a favorite “secret” garden of many Washingtonians so I just have to visit, of course!
• It demonstrates a variety of sustainable features, such as rain gardens, and native plants, that plant enthusiasts can practice to make a positive impact on the environment and even their own community! That’d be really handy to learn once I have the space for more plants!
• This is a two-acre garden showcasing innovate plant combinations in different styles and design themes. I’m not sure what that means but I wanna find out!
• Apparently during warmer seasons, we can enjoy the centerpiece of the Gardens which is of course the Fountain of Light and Water AKA the Bartholdi Fountain. The fountain is made out of cast-iron and weights more than 15 tons and is about 30 feet tall and at night, there’s lights that surround the basin and they’re illuminated at night. Well…. guess where we’ll be one night? And you know me, I love all things metal!
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What will we eat or drink?
Good question!
The website says there is no food or drink for sale at the Garden. However, there is a water fountain and bottle refill station available. I think we’re allowed to bring food and drink as they are allowed in the Garden, and we can use the tables and chairs outdoors they provide for us. If we have any, we must gather our trash and pack it out since there are limited trash bins. Something to definitely remember!
Can we go shopping?
Yes! There’s a gift shop in the West Gallery!
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Want to book this date?
Fill out the form below to start the booking process!