"I love Spring anywhere, but if I could choose I would always greet it in a garden"
This quote comes from Ruth Stout, an American gardening author, and I agree with the sentiment. Here in the DC metropolitan area, we have a lovely Spring, although sometimes you might miss it if you blink! After a gray dreary winter, I'm ready for sunshine and warmer temps to coax color back into the landscape.
If you don't have a garden of your own, or if you just want to witness Spring's bounty, here's a list of local gardens that are free and open to the public. Enjoy!
U.S. Botanical Gardens, DC: This living plant museum includes a newly renovated indoor conservatory, rose garden, an exotic jungle and 4000 different plants.
National Arboretum, DC: Famous for its bonsai collection, the Arboretum is 446 acres of beauty, with 70+ varieties of cherry trees and the largest display of azaleas in the area.
Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens, DC:Along the East bank of the Anacostia River, this 12-acre park features waterlilies, native plants and small animals - frogs, toads turtles, fish.
Green Spring Gardens Park, Alex., VA: 20 different themed gardens, and a native plant trail leads through the woods to two ponds.
Brookside Gardens, Wheaton, MD: 50 acres of gardens, indoors and out, and a spectacular butterfly show in the summer.
Smithsonian Gardens, DC:8 different 'outdoor museums' are part of the SI complex. Our favorites are the Kathrine Dulin Folger Rose Garden, the Mary Livingston Ripley Garden, and the Enid A. Haupt Garden.
If you click on the names of the gardens, you will be directed to their sites with more details, directions, hours, and photos. Happy Spring, everyone!
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