Smithsonian Castle Enid Haupt Magnolia Garden

I wanted to see them before they all blew away or got frost bitten. The magnolias at the Enid Haupt garden next to the Smithsonian Castle are breathtaking. When we lived on Capitol Hill we walked by this place almost every day after I retired. We also pass through the Mary Livingston garden next to the Hirshhorn Museum and the arts and industries building. As you walk in the direction of the Washington monument the castle gardens located in front of the Smithsonian Castle and are ever changing. In the spring they are the most beautiful because the magnolia trees turn in to a powdery pink wonderland. One year the buds were all about to bloom when the freezing temperatures arrived and they all turned brown. It was such a sad sight! This time we arrived just before peak blossom. There were still a lot of buds that had not fully bloomed. The sky was a bit overcast and we were there earlier in the morning so it wasn’t as bright and sunny as one would like to capture the spring environment. The purple pansies were all in place in front of the castle and the tulips were beginning to show themselves. When they bloom it is simply lovely. There weren’t as many visitors because it was a Monday but you can tell it’s getting to be the busiest season in DC with more street traffic. This will be the first real cherry blossom season since the pandemic three years ago. It is really beautiful this time of the year. We are glad we can still take a morning walk on the National mall. And they are even more interesting in Spring.