August 3, 2020 at 3:20 pm
It’s finally summer! And if you’re like me, your garden has been fully planted for a few months now. All your perennials, annuals, shrubs, and trees are putting on new growth and blending together into one beautiful palette. Summer is the time to sit back and enjoy your garden full of flowers, fragrances, vegetables, and […]
June 24, 2020 at 4:33 pm
It all began during a conversation about archival description with my mentor at the Archives of American Gardens, Kelly Crawford. We stumbled onto the topic of describing sexuality when I wondered aloud about the existence of LGBTQ-related records preserved in the collections. I was intrigued to learn that Perry Hunt Wheeler (1913-1989), a renowned landscape […]
June 16, 2020 at 12:35 pm
Don’t forget, Father’s Day! Father’s Day means letting dad know you love him, handmade cards, and family get-togethers. Special occasions are the perfect opportunity to learn more about your family history. Is your pops passionate about perennials or peppers? This weekend, trying to get dad gabbing about his garden. Does he remember the first plant […]
June 8, 2020 at 2:47 pm
Roses not only provide our gardens and bouquets with incredible beauty and fragrance, but they can also connect us to our families and friends. With a little planning, some know-how and a lot of curiosity you can grow roses that will inspire future connections and smiles. The fragrance of an old garden rose always reminds […]
May 12, 2020 at 11:39 am
Everyone adores peonies – it is one of those plants, along with tulips and lilacs, that cry out “Spring is here!” The peony most people are familiar with is the herbaceous peony or Paeonia lactiflora. These plants produce fragrant blossoms in all shades of white to the deepest red, with petals counts ranging from just a single row to solid pompoms. ‘Herbaceous peony’ means the plant dies back entirely during the winter and re- appears in the spring. Native to areas like Tibet, […]
May 1, 2020 at 9:30 pm
Ever heard of the pawpaw tree? Ever tasted its fruit? Did you even know it had fruit? Though it does not have the name recognition of an apple or peach tree, the pawpaw tree has a long and important history in the United States, one associated with everything from nutrition to folklore. Pawpaws have the largest fruit of […]
April 21, 2020 at 12:15 pm
While walking my dog Tiber this weekend I encountered a sure sign that spring had truly arrived: the appearance of the trout lily. Technically known as Erythronium americanum, the trout lily is a true member of the lily family. It gets its common name from the mottled markings on its leaves which resemble a brook trout. Like […]
April 14, 2020 at 3:39 pm
This year many are thinking about growing their own vegetable garden. Growing food and being more self-sufficient is a common reaction in times of national struggle. Perhaps the most well-known vegetable gardening campaign occurred during World War II – Victory Gardens. In 1944, about 20 million Victory Gardens provided 8 million tons of food or […]
April 7, 2020 at 10:30 am
Everyone has heard the horror stories of a plant or animal species introduced to a new area with good intentions, only to find out years later it wasn’t such a good idea. The Callery pear (Pyrus calleryana ‘Bradford’), commonly referred to as the Bradford pear, is one of those plants. First introduced in the mid-1960’s […]
March 19, 2020 at 8:05 pm
Every spring, cherry blossoms bloom back into our lives, welcoming the end of winter with their fragile pink petals. All around our neighborhoods and parks, flowers are beginning to open as peak bloom approaches. Learn more about the different types of cherry blossoms you may see on your daily walk by exploring images of our […]
February 13, 2020 at 7:38 pm
All birds need food, water, shelter, and nesting sites. But not all birds migrate during the cold winter months. Some stay local, which means they must modify their feeding and living habits.
October 4, 2019 at 10:00 am
October is Archives Month, and as gardeners across the country harvest the last of their summer crops, we’re turning our attention to a different type of harvesting: preserving stories about gardens for future generations. Smithsonian Gardens’ Community of Gardens digital archive is celebrating Archives Month with a story-behind-the-story featuring a contributor to our digital archive.
July 16, 2019 at 7:30 pm
Here at Smithsonian Gardens, we’re WILD about wildlife—the birds, bees, insects, and helpful critters that contribute to our garden, community, and planet health. That’s why we’re so excited to announce our first Community of Gardens Community Collaborators, the National Wildlife Federation Garden for Wildlife program.
January 12, 2018 at 8:04 pm
A winter tree inspection can identify and inventory potential problems and hazards. It is also an excellent precursor for pruning early next year, when young and mid-sized trees can be proactively pruned to discourage and avoid weaknesses in the future.
December 15, 2017 at 4:49 pm
Most of the birds and some of the insects we find in the Washington, D.C. area migrate to warmer climates during the winter. However, many species stay in the DC Metro region throughout the year and must rely on a favorable habitat for food and shelter. Unfortunately, many natural areas are shrinking due to human development. As a result, gardening choices […]