U.S. Botanic Garden, Washington D.C.

Another wonderful place that gets overlooked and it is FREE!

ADMISSION, HOURS, AND ENTRANCE LOCATIONS

Admission to all public areas of the U.S. Botanic Garden is FREE.

Conservatory Hours: open 10 a.m - 5 p.m. daily, including all weekends & holidays.

National Garden Hours: open 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. daily.

Bartholdi Park Hours: open dawn to dusk, daily, including all weekends & holidays.

Directions/Location: The Conservatory's main entrance is located at 100 Maryland Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20001 (use this address for Internet mapping searches). The National Garden is adjacent to the Conservatory, with entrances from Independence Avenue, from Maryland Avenue (at 3rd Street), and from the Conservatory Terrace. Bartholdi Park is located across Independence Avenue from the Conservatory, with access from any of the three bordering streets - Independence Avenue, Washington Avenue, or First Street.

Map of the U.S. Botanic Garden.

CELL PHONE TOURS

Bring your cell phone and learn more as you walk through the Garden. Just call 202-730-9303 to get started

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This is not one of the more recognized things to do in D.C. but is definitely worth at least a few minutes to go in and browse around, especially since it is free!
Depending on the season you're visiting, there may be many plants and flowers to see outside, and then again maybe not.

But there will definitely be many things to look at and photograph inside the cast-iron and glass nursery.

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is one of the Nation's most important botanical gardens. It is located on the grounds of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C., near Garfield Circle, at the east end of the National Mall. The facility is supervised by the Congress through the Architect of the Capitol who is the groundskeeper of the Capitol. Open daily even on federal holidays (except June 3) until 5 pm. It is the oldest and most continually-operating botanical gardens in the U.S. In 1838 Charles Wilkes set out on the United States Exploring Expedition commissioned by Congress to circumnavigate the globe and explore the Pacific Ocean. During this trip (the "Wilkes Expedition"), Wilkes collected live and dried specimens of plants and was one of the first to use wardian cases to maintain live plants on long voyages. Wilkes returned in 1842 with a massive collection of plants previously unknown in the United States. These dried specimens comprised the core of what is now the National Herbarium, a herbarium curated by the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History. The live specimens and seeds came to be housed in the Old Patent Office greenhouse, and were cared for there until 1850. At that time, a botanic garden was built to house the collection in front of the Capitol, where the Capitol reflecting pool is now located. The Building was moved to its present location in 1933 just to the southwest of the Capitol, bordered by Maryland Avenue on the north, First Street on the east, Independence Avenue on the south, and Third Street on the west. The Oasis and administrative offices are the only places in the complex with air conditioning. Each room is closely monitored by a computer-operated sensors to maintain the environment best suited to the plants in that room. Humidity, sunlight and temperature are regulated by means of a misting system, retractable shades and levered windows. All plants are watered daily by hand. The gardens are fragrant, beautiful, and not to be missed when visiting Washington, D.C. Rating: 5+ stars out of 5.

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The US Botanic Garden is on the grounds of the US Capitol, and like the Capitol Building, Senate and House Office Buildings, Supreme Court, Library of Congress, and a few other buildings, is maintained by the the Architect of the Capitol. This garden is considered the oldest continually operated botanic gardens in the US.

This garden was created after Charles Wilkes set out on the United States Exploring Expedition of 1838 and returned in in 1842 with a huge collection of plants previously unknown in the United States. In 1850 the US Botanic Garden was built at the present Capitol reflecting pool to house the specimens from this journey. This building was moved just a few hundred feet to its present location just southwest of the Capitol in 1933.

The Botanic Gardens has three primary locations: the Conservatory on the mall, Bartholdi Park which is just behind the conservancy, and the Production Facility in Anacostia. The Conservatory & Bartholdi Park are adjacent and open to the public. Bartholdi Park is a triangular park that features a fountain made by sculptor Frederic Auguste Bartholdi. The National Garden just opened in 2006, and it features the Rose Garden, the Butterfly Garden, the Lawn Terrace, the First Ladies' Water Garden, the Regional Garden, and an outdoor amphitheater. On the east side of the Botanic Garden are some environmental displays for educating the public about environmental construction and gardening.

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TheU.S. Botanic Garden is at the top of the "Mall" just below the Capitol. Springtime gardens all around...always a dynamic display.
Nothing like taking a break in a sunny warm place filled with beautiful plants and flowers...especially if it is early spring and the air is crisp outside.

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The Botanic Gardens here in DC is quite small compared to many throughout the country, but nonetheless quite beautiful and relaxing. You enter into a fantastic greenhouse with many beautiufl plants and flowers in each of their environments.

I suffer from some serious allergies, and while I love the beautiful plants and flowers, something in this particular garden made me sneeze uncontrollably...so, needless to say, I made a mad dash out of there only after spending about 1/2 hour inside.

Either way, I did enjoy the little I had the opportunity to see!

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Couple of my friends who are big into photography went to the national botanical gardens near the Capitol building to take some photos. I tagged along since I doubted I'd find another friend who'd suggest going there again. While my friends sported their SLR's with heavy duty lenses, I brought my itsy bitsy point-and-shoot camera and felt very inadequate. Anyways, going through the gardens (most is actually indoors) with these guys forced me to take it slow and actually pay attention to some of the plants in there. There's some pretty interesting (i.e. exotic) stuff in there. I later checked out one of my friends' photos and he got some unique shots.

Among all of the fun free museums and places to visit in D.C., The US Botanical Garden is my favorite!

The Botanic Garden is run by the United States Congress. It is located in D.C. on the U.S. Capitol Grounds campus near Garfield Circle. The building itself, which includes a large Lord & Burnham greenhouse, is divided into separate rooms, each one simulating a different habitat.

One entire beautiful room is just for different types of beautiful orchids!

Hours: 10 AM - 5 PM everyday, including weekends and holidays.

This is some more sculpture Clydetta created for the gardens.I had to reserect some of my old marinaboy skills for the varnish work on the teak slats-.I'm not sure where in the garden they will finaly place this piece.

This is truly a magical place. It is my second favorite botanical garden that I have been too. It is almost totally indoors which is what I didn't like about it, although I have to admit, it was a gret get away from the blistering heat. The garden is divided into several different sections, Garden Court, West Gallery, Rare and Endangered, Plant Exploration, Orchids, Medicinal Plants, World Desserts, Oasis, Garden Primeval, Plant Adaptation, East Gallery, Children's Garden, Jungle, Canopy Walk, and Southern Exposure. This is something the whole family will enjoy, especially flower lovers. My favorite part of the garden was the orchid section. They smelled so beautiful. This is free like most of the things to see in the mall area.