Vegetable Gardens in the Most Unlikely Places

We lived on Capitol Hill for thirteen years. I worked at the Library of Congress for ten years. Since we moved to northern Virginia five years ago we visit our old neighborhood at least once a week. On Monday we found a place to park near our old condo and started our walk towards the Capitol. It always seems funny to run in to large vegetable gardens outside of the Library of Congress Madison Building. We saw it being planted a couple of weeks ago. Now it’s already sprouting. Another place that has a very large outdoor vegetable garden is Bartholdi Park - a part of the US Botanic Garden. For some reason it just looks odd to see greens and such growing with the US Capitol Building in the background. This year in front of the US Botanic Garden building are raised garden beds contributed by school and other groups. The crops are shared locally at a variety of places for the underserved and otherwise. It’s such a joy to see all of these gardens consistently doing well and cared for by the professional staffs of the architect of the Capitol. We always enjoy our morning walks in the city. And it’s all so familiar! 

52Frames Background Weekly Photo Challenge

I was a little confused about the subject for this week’s 52Frames photo challenge. The subject was “background.” I tried a couple of things at home and didn’t like any of it. So we finally headed in to town to see what we could find. It would be a matter of “just take photos and see if anything works.” Now is the season for tulips and they are everywhere in DC. We parked in our old Capitol Hill neighborhood and headed over to the Capitol building where there are beautiful gardens around the fountains filled with red, yellow, and orange tulips. I really like one photo of the Capitol behind the tulips, but not enough to post it. Then we walked over to the US Botanic Garden where the color scheme was shades of purple and white. Around the Bartholdi fountain were hundreds of tulips in a variety of stages. I found one with a little bug and that became the centerpiece. But it didn’t seem like it was enough since everyone can take pictures of tulips. How could I make this image more interesting? I ended up using the photo times four - layering and reducing the size one on top of the next. It still needed something. So the opacity was changed from the center image - which remained at 100% - to 75, 50, and 25% at the edge. The end result was almost three dimensional and there was no doubt what the subject was in the center of it all. I also tried this technique with a few other photos. In the end my husband still liked the Capitol and tulips more than any of the layered images. So this week I would call it more of a project than a photo. Sometimes that’s just the way it goes. 

US Botanic Garden Christmas Trains and Pollinators

Every year we visit the US Botanic Garden Christmas trains. Our grandson was three years old when we moved to DC seventeen years ago. Now he is twenty and lives in the middle of Virginia and a junior at UVA. The train display was always indoors - which made for a cramped space. But since the pandemic the displays have moved outdoors. It’s so much nicer for crowd management and has the same aura. This year the theme was pollinators and their plants/flowers - all of which are made out of plant material. To avoid the weekend and holiday crowds we visited yesterday. It was a great day for the trip in to town. We parked just down the street and walked through the outdoor garden. It wasn’t busy at all when we arrived, but started having more and more visitors as the time passed - especially nannies with their kids, and school groups. The only drawback is that the Christmas lights are not on. But I don’t think anyone really minds. There is just something about trains and kids - and even grownups. Of course we liked it even better when we could just walk over from our condo on Capitol Hill. But at least we still live close enough to drive in for not only these special times, but usually once a week for a morning walk. I’m sure we will be back in town again over the next few weeks. It’s always so very pleasant. 

US Botanic Garden

We used to walk there almost every day when we lived on Capitol Hill. Since we moved to northern Virginia four years ago we still make it a habit to drive in to town at least once  a week not only for a morning walk - but to visit the US Botanic Garden. There is always something new to see. And even if there wasn’t we love to walk through both the indoor and outdoor gardens. The First Ladies garden is undergoing renovation and the summer flowers are all in bloom. The vegetable gardens in front have all been redone as well and look very distinguished with the Capitol building as a backdrop. The huge green leaves are magnificent against the fountains in the main conservatory. Of course the orchids always have an exceptional grouping of very unusual plants. The Bartholdi fountain gardens and vegetable patches are harvested by the staff. The cornstalks are reaching to the sky. It’s hard to believe there is such a lovely space in the urban jungle - and it sits right outside of the house office buildings and Capitol grounds. It’s always a treat and it’s such a soothing experience. 

Corpse Flower on Display at the US Botanic Garden

When we lived on Capitol Hill we always walked by the US Botanic Garden on morning walks after I retired. Before that we visited the place even before we moved to Washington DC. The Christmas decorations and trains are always so lovely! Typically there are long lines waiting to get in. Since we moved to northern Virginia over four years ago we still take morning walks on the National mall at least once a week. It’s not as convenient to get there, but once we are there it feels like home. This week we drove in to town and parked by the ongoing construction at the air and space museum. Our first stop from there was to see the US Botanic Garden. After passing through the American Indian Museum, we headed to the gardens. We didn’t know it was there, but we were happy to see another corpse flower in bloom! This would be the fourth or fifth flower that we have seen. Luckily we have never noticed the “stench” it creates. The first time we visited a corpse flower the lines were blocks away. This time there was hardly anyone there. Perhaps it’s because the gardens seem to have a few blooms throughout the year. Aside from this plant there are always so many lovely items to see. We are always happy when we visit the gardens. Who wouldn’t be? 

US Botanic Garden Vegetables

We love visiting the US Botanic Garden. When we lived on Capitol Hill we walked by it every day after I retired. Before that we went inside for the holiday and special exhibits - especially the Christmas trains and the stinky corpse plant. Right now there is an orchid show on display. Obviously there is the main conservatory with fountains and story telling that cover topics like coffee and chocolate. And there are several rooms that cater to specific plan life for a variety of climates. But in the back of the building, after walking through the tropical rainforest and arid section that is filled with cacti and succulents, there is a planting observation area. In it are so called experimental gardens. It sort of reminds me of the Disney Epcot Center that shows plants growing in thin air and vertical gardens. The last time we visited there were tomatoes and peppers that seemed to be progressing very well in the environment. Oftentimes there are school groups of kids that are assigned projects to do as they pass through the various sections. You see them with their notebooks pondering what is around them. What a great opportunity to live in the area and visit such wonderful places. All I know is that we would have loved to pluck the ripened vegetables. It’s always a treat to visit this place.