The United States Botanic Garden
As many of you know, I am an avid gardener and am always inspired by the many gardens I visit during the year.
My head gardener, Ryan McCallister, shares this passion and always tries to visit public garden spaces whenever he travels. During a recent business trip to Washington, DC, Ryan visited the United States Botanic Garden on the grounds of the United States Capitol. First established by the U.S. Congress in 1820, the United States Botanic Garden, or USBG, is among the oldest botanic gardens in North America, and the oldest continually operating botanic garden in the United States. Since 1934, the USBG has been maintained through the Architect of the Capitol, and is open every single day of the year including federal holidays.
While there, Ryan toured the indoor gardens and galleries of the USBG’s Conservatory - it was a perfect choice on a cold winter’s day. Enjoy these photos.
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- Constructed by the Architect of the Capitol in 1933, this historic Lord & Burnham greenhouse contains two courtyard gardens and 10 garden rooms under glass.
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- Inside the greenhouse, there are nearly 29-thousand square feet of growing space.
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- This is a chocolate tree located in the Conservatory’s Garden Court. Theobroma cacao, also called the cacao tree and the cocoa tree, is a small evergreen tree in the family Malvaceae, native to the deep tropical regions of Central and South America. Its seeds, cocoa beans, are used to make cocoa mass, cocoa powder, confectionery, ganache and chocolate.
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- This is a coffee tree, Coffea canephora ‘Robusta’. It is is native to the forests of Ethiopia and today it is grown throughout Asia and Africa.
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- This is a Dioon spinulosum, giant dioon, or gum palm – a cycad endemic to limestone cliffs and rocky hillsides in the tropical rainforests of Veracruz and Oaxaca, Mexico. It is one of the tallest types of cycads in the world, growing up to nearly 40-feet tall.
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- You may recognize this – it is a tree fern. I am very fond of tree ferns and have several growing at my Bedford, New York farm. Tree ferns thrive in a sheltered, humid and shaded position, with plenty of room so the top of the plant can spread without crowding. Fronds on mature specimens can reach six-feet or more in length.
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- On the other end of the Conservatory, is an area called World Deserts – it is filled with succulents, grasses, shrubs and other flowering plants.
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- Euphorbia lactea is a species native to tropical Asia, mainly in India. It is an erect shrub growing up to 16-feet tall. I have one in my greenhouse at the farm.
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- I am also quite fond of orchids, especially Lady’s slipper orchids in the subfamily Cypripedioideae. They are by far, the showiest and most popular of the hardy terrestrial orchids.
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- Known as “paphs” in the world of horticulture, members of this genus are considered highly collectible by orchid fanciers because of the unusual flower forms. They have the pouch-like flowers, which trap insects seeking nectar.
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- These orchids are relatively easy to grow indoors, as long as conditions mimic their natural habitats. Most will thrive in moderate to high humidity, moderate temperatures and low light.
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- Paphiopedilum ‘Jocelyn’ is a pretty hybrid orchid.
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- The red orchid on the bottom is called Paphiopedilum Battle of Egypt ‘Alpha’. The orchid on the top is a yellow Cymbidium Tonto’s Target.
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- These orchids are called Sudamerlycaste ciliata from Peru.
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- This is a Cupressus macrocarpa ‘Goldcrest’, a lemon cypress – I also have several in my collection. These plants prefer cooler temperatures of 55 to 65 degrees Fahrenheit.
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- The Conservatory also maintains Rare & Endangered species including this Parodia warasii, an endangered cactus.
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- And here is one of many staghorn ferns housed in the Conservatory – I love these ferns and have quite a collection of my own. I love to display them on my expansive porch during the summer.
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- Here is another cycad. These plants typically have a stout and woody trunk with a crown of large, hard and stiff, evergreen leaves. They grow very slowly and live very long, with some specimens known to be as much as a thousand-years old.
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- This is called Rhipsalis – a genus of epiphytic cacti. They are typically known as mistletoe cacti. The scientific name derives from the Ancient Greek term for wickerwork, referring to the plants’ habit.
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- This is called Lepismium cruciforme, another type of cacti from Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay.
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- From a higher level of the Conservatory, Ryan caught this snapshot of another giant staghorn fern.
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- This is a Strongylodon macrobotrys, commonly known as jade vine, emerald vine or turquoise jade vine – a species of leguminous perennial liana native to the tropical forests of the Philippines.
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- Most Rhipsalis have no needles, and although it is a cacti genus, these plants would not survive the dry soil and bright sun of a desert. Virtually all Rhipsalis specimens are native to the rainforests of South America, the Caribbean, and Central America.
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- And here is another beautiful staghorn fern. These ferns are also widely known as elkhorn ferns due to their uniquely shaped fronds.
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- Outside the Conservatory is the Bartholdi Fountain, the “Fountain of Light and Water” designed by Frederic Auguste Bartholdi for the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Bartholdi also designed the Statue of Liberty here in New York. If you get a chance, visit the USBG, and go to its web site for more information. https://www.usbg.gov
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