US Botanic Gardens Plant Monuments

We moved to Capitol Hill sixteen years ago. Ever since we have always visited the US Botanic Garden at this time of year - and many times during the year as well. The first time was with our grandson when he was about 3-4 after attending the Capitol Christmas tree lighting ceremony. Since we moved to northern Virginia almost four years ago, we still drive in to town to see the gardens especially at this time of year. Obviously the Christmas trains are the big draw. This year again they are located on the outside of the building. But another treat is to stroll through the indoor gardens and take in all of the holiday splendor. We weren’t able to do that the last two years due to the pandemic. Everything was closed. There are once again monuments and buildings that are made out of plant material scattered throughout. They are very recognizable and nicely made to the finest detail. The photos don’t do them justice. We passed by the Washington Monument, the US Botanic Garden conservatory, the Capitol, the National Gallery of Art, Union Station, Supreme Court, Bartholdi Fountain, MLK Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, USGrant Statue, Smithsonian African American Museum. I have a feeling we might have missed one or two. A couple of school groups were listening to stories about pine cones and such while another was sketching exotic plants for some high school class. There is always something to see at the gardens. It is one of our favorite places. 

Where Will the Plants Go?

Three months ago we decided it was time to get a sideboard for the dining room. We hadn’t had a dining room since we moved to Capitol Hill sixteen years ago. When we moved to northern Virginia three years ago we suddenly had a dining room and a very big empty space. So for the interim we thought to brighten the area with a plant stand of sorts and fill it with plants and decorative elements. It started to look overgrown and messy - which is why we got the sideboard to clean it up, but also to use it as a table lamp stand for our holtkotter cloud lamp. The furniture is finally being delivered tomorrow so we had to start finding homes for all of the plants - and the table. Our idea of putting the table behind the couch failed, so it will probably end up at Goodwill. As for the plants I’ve redistributed them around the house - primarily in the bedroom - for now. Some of them looked pretty ragged so they were dumped. I cut one down and put it in the wall vase as it tends to grow roots and does well in that environment. When you live in 1000 square feet there just aren’t a lot of options. Now we have a few pots that are empty but too nice to dispose of at this time. We will probably end up putting them all in the sideboard storage until I can think of something else. It doesn’t pay to have too much junk. When we moved to DC awe left everything behind - so we know how it feels to get rid of everything. I’m hoping the sideboard makes the room look a bit neater and cleaner. I guess we will find out tomorrow. 

Houseplants Taking Over

When we moved to northern Virginia almost three years ago the dining room looked a little bare. So we got a console table to place below the mirror and loaded it with houseplants. They looked good, but lately they have been a bit overgrown and unsightly. So I took a scissors to them and cleared it up a bit. It’s always sad to cut plants back but after it was done it did look a bit neater. I moved one out of place overgrown plant over to the wine cabinet. Since the lamp broke there was a space for it. When the lamp gets repaired I’m not sure what I’ll do with it. My husband has been babying a miniature rose plant that came back once. Now he is hoping that it comes back a second time. That would be unusual but interesting if it does. Part of a plant that I cut off was placed in the little vase on the dining room table. It’s not the kind of plant that roots, so we will see how long it lasts. I have already placed cuttings in the wall vase so there was no room for the latest bunch. So they ended up in the garbage. Many of the plants look a bit tired with yellowed leaves and withered stems. The orchid we got from my brother and sister in law as a house warming gift has leaves but has not bloomed since. It all makes us wonder if we need to do something different in the dining room. Who needs a dining room anyway? My husband thinks maybe a sideboard with storage may be a better idea. I’m not convinced - yet. I’d rather do something with the den. This house just doesn’t feel homey yet. It’s got stuff from the old house with some new pieces, but the color scheme varies from one room to the next. It’s just not what I’d like it to be but my interest in making changes isn’t like it used to be either. So cutting back the plants was a good first step. Who knows what will be next? 

Miniature Roses

We have a lot of green house plants. It is very green, so we got a miniature rose plant from Giant several weeks ago to add a bit of drama. The blooms lasted for over a week. Then the plant started looking sad. So my husband took it upon himself to nurture this plant. He has been bringing it over to the west facing window every day from the console table, and making sure it’s getting enough water. Apparently these little plants stop flowering in September. Now, after all the loving care it has received, several buds appeared and now they are all back in bloom - and there is one more in the making.  So I took some photos of the roses - each one is a little different dusty rose color than the next. We used to get cut flowers every week or two and put them in the wall vase and the console vase to add more color. This little rose plant replaced that option and has surprised us both. After these blooms fade we are going to try and keep it going. The results for my husband’s efforts were stunning!

Searching for House Plants at Ginkgo Gardens

It must be the time of the year. We are on the look out for flowering houseplants. They simply don’t exist. Two of the plants we have have definitely seen better days. Since everything is green, we wanted to add some color to the mix. The grocery store always had small rose plants, but they didn’t. American plant had primarily orchids, but nothing else with flowers. So we drove in to DC to our favorite plant shop on Capitol Hill -  Ginkgo Gardens. Let’s say it was more of a garden tour than a shopping stop. We parked next to an open field where a lot of tiny kids were playing soccer next to the school. Then we walked up the street snd saw some interesting garden sculptures, then started in to the store with high expectations. But everything was green, more green, and similar to the rest of the plants that we already have. It was a bit disappointing. So we drove back home and tried another flower and plant shop in the neighborhood - no luck. And as a last resort we went to an outdoor garden place near the house - no luck there either. So it looks like the plants we have that are doing poorly have another reprieve. It looks like the grocery store is our best best. Maybe next time we will have better luck.