The United States Botanic Garden

United States Botanic Garden
100 Maryland Avenue SW
Washington, DC

It makes sense, when I really think about it. But after our visit to the United States Botanic Garden, I remarked to Ian, “It’s funny that the three things that interest me the most as an adult are art, architecture and flowers.”

He didn’t find it at all strange. “Why? All three of those things involve complex patterns.”

I do love patterns. Not on clothes, but in life. I am attracted to symmetry, to sharp lines and hard angles. But I have equal admiration for the way nature seems to reject geometry entirely. It’s an attitude I can empathise with, having been a less than enthusiastic student of mathematics almost my entire life.

To some, a visit to a botanic garden or conservatory while on vacation might seem a strange choice. But as an adult, I’ve begun to seek them out deliberately. I made the trek to the Lincoln Park Conservatory in Chicago three years ago and after that, I was hooked. The second I discovered the existence of the United States Botanic Garden, I knew we had to visit when we were in DC.

A visit to an indoor garden isn’t always a long one. They tend to be small, and uncomfortably humid, because that keeps the plants healthy. I put the United States Botanic Garden on the itinerary for our first full day in DC, but added it in at the end of the day, expecting our visit would be short. How wonderful to have been wrong! We arrived in the late afternoon, as golden hour light began filtering in through the glass windows, to a large crowd. There was an orchid show on, a special event that brought locals and tourists alike to the garden. And what a sight to behold. Orchids of every imaginable hue grew up from pots, climbed trellises up against the walls and hung from the ceiling.

From fuchsia to pale peach, to orange, deep purple and vibrant yellow. I found myself walking in circles, trying to choose a favourite shade of orchid, but I never did succeed – the choice was impossible. I took a walk through the succulent room, which was stunning but too cramped to properly photograph, thinking I could come back and find the flower I loved best with some time to think about it. But along the walk, I spotted more beautiful blooms, which meant ultimately, the decision became more difficult.

In the end, I decided they were all my favourites. I lingered at the United States Botanic Garden until after the closing announcements began. I lingered even after Ian went outdoors, claiming the humidity was too intense. There was so much beauty to take in, I couldn’t bear to miss a bit of it. For me, it was one of the biggest highlights of the trip. It isn’t a traditional tourist attraction, to be sure. And with so many Smithsonian museums on the mall, it would be easy to think there were simply more interesting places to visit. But personally, I think that would be a mistake – the Botanic Garden offers a beautiful break from the barrage of history that Washington DC offers. And the orchids, if they are in bloom, are second to none.