Today is the 200th “birthday” of the U.S. Botanical Garden!

As this blog can attest, nature and flowers are one of my favorite things in life. Whenever I’m traveling, I love to seek out beauty in the local botanical garden. I’ve visited some stunning ones—including two of the oldest in the world! (Pisa, Italy, #1 and Leiden, Netherlands, #7.)

The dream of a national botanic garden in America was shared and pursued by George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison. On May 8, 1820, James Madison signed into law a bill designating land adjacent to the U.S. Capitol to be developed into the United States Botanical Garden.

The U.S Botanic Garden has always been special to me. Living on Capitol Hill for seven years, this national treasure was quite literally my backyard. I could always seek out a few moments of inspiration and solitude here.

In celebration of this bicentennial birthday—during which the U.S Botanic Garden is sadly closed due to COVID—here are some of my favorite pictures over the years and seasons. Here’s hoping it reopens soon and many more Americans can enjoy its botanical wonders for another one hundred years.

Happy 200th birthday to the U.S. Botanic Garden!

Tweet