A US Botanical Garden Guided Tour

We've been to the US Botanical Garden many times since we moved and several times before we moved to Capitol Hill. But this was the first time we had a guide take us through the gardens - on a lunch break - arranged by our office manager. It was a beautiful day as we walked about two blocks over from the Library along Independence Avenue. It was a small group so it was even more interesting - none of the others had been there before! There were cooking demonstrations going on in  the main building, amidst the citrus display. It was all about tomatoes. Our guide pointed out things that we've passed by - artificial trees being strangled by the strangler fig; how each "room" is regulated with great sophistication; how the dessert section blooms at night when there are no visitors; the "pets" that get released in to the gardens (especially the scaled types); an original South African tree from the original 1830's expedition whose purpose was to collect plants and specimens from all over the world; the Swiss cheese leaves that have a reason for the way they look; showing us ferns that "hide" when they are touched; and plans for the 2015 Christmas train display and future exhibits. The botanical garden was the only other structure beside the original Capitol building in 1810. Things have certainly changed. But one thing remains - everyone loves the outdoors and the beautiful flowers and plants around them. And it's just so pleasant!