Smithsonian Gardens

Did you know that the red color we see in leaves of the temperate zone in the fall is also found in some leaves of the tropics but has a different function? 🍁🪴 Learn more from horticulturist Virginia.

North Carolina's dogwoods are beginning to show their fall colors, with their white blooms (actually clusters of bracts, modified leaves) emerging in spring. Since 1941, this beautiful tree has been North Carolina's state flower, with its vibrant red berries offering food to birds. As communities across the Southeast come together in the wake of Hurricane Helene, we hope the hopeful beauty of 'Jean’s Appalachian Snow' flowering dogwood, cared for by Smithsonian Gardens near the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, brings a moment of calm.

If you’re interested in plants native to eastern North America, you might know a plant commonly called “rattlesnake master.” Today’s spotlight is a close relative in the Aster family, known as “tall rattlesnakeroot.” Nabalus altissimus is a lesser known native plant that thrives on the dappled and shady moist pockets of forest edges. It can be hard to find this plant from a local nursery, so we hand collected seed from a private woodland in Maryland in order to propagate this unique specimen for our collection. Nabalus acts similarly to shady, late summer blooming perennials like Eurybia divaricatus, brightening up darker areas of the woodland garden and adding an interesting pendulous floral display. 📷: Philip E., Horticulturist #NativePlants #BotanicalGardens #SmithsonianGardens

Bananas have flowers?! Of course they do! Just like with other fruits, bananas form from fertilized flowers. 🍌 The bananas in the Mary Livingston Ripley Garden are Musa basjoo (Japanese fiber banana) and it is the hardiest of all bananas. It will survive in zones 5-10, but the crowns and root zone should be protected with burlap or thick mulch over the winter in colder zones. Originally thought to hail from Japan, scientists have determined it is a native of Sichuan, China. However, it is often used as a source of textile fiber in Japan, thus the common name. This species does not produce an edible banana, just a two-inch unpleasant tasting fruit. But the flower stalk is still very interesting! The flower stalk is a solid enlarged stem with a hanging structure made up of layers of modified leaves that separate the maturing male and female flowers. The outer-most modified leaves fall off to expose a “hand” of yellow to tan flowers atop an ovary, which forms into a small banana when fertilized. Layer by layer, these modified leaves will fall off to reveal a new set of flowers. Once the pseudostem (plant stalk) blooms, it will die, but the plant will send up numerous suckers in its place. Pseudostems that do not bloom will re-grow from the same point year after year. We love seeing this plant pop up every year to provide a tropical flair to the garden! 📷: Janet D., Horticulturist #BananaFlower #Horticulture #SmithsonianGardens

Tree collections in arboretums, botanic and public gardens, parks, and university campuses play a critical role in species preservation, research, and maintaining historical significance. One such important specimen in tree collections is the American elm, Ulmus americana. Ulmus americana is an iconic feature of the National Mall in Washington DC. Unfortunately, the American elm is prone to Dutch Elm disease, which is a fungus spread by elm bark beetles. To help preserve the heritage of elms on the National Mall and surrounding landscapes, we use Ulmus americana ‘Jefferson’, which has a strong resistance to Dutch Elm disease. Learn more in this three-part series with intern Gustavo highlighting the importance of the Smithsonian Gardens tree collection. Video description: a person in a light blue shirt and khakis standing next to a tree. #TreeCollection #Elm #PublicGardens #Horticulture #SmithsonianGardens

Hey, who turned off the lights?! The fall equinox marks the end of the astronomical summer and start of the astronomical fall, which means the days are getting shorter and the nights are getting longer. With less available light, photosynthesis for deciduous plants requires more energy than the energy created in return. As a result, the green in their leaves goes away as chlorophyll - which is responsible for the photosynthesis and green pigmentation - breaks down. Other chemicals that had been present all along then become visible, causing the leaves to “change” color to reds, oranges, and yellows. Taxodium distichum (bald cypress) is one such tree. Though bald cypress is a conifer and has typical needle-like leaves, it loses those needles in the fall. The needles start by turning beautiful bronze and orange colors before the needles fall to ground. Only one other “evergreen” similarly loses its needles - Metasequoia (redwood). Both types of trees are planted in the gardens at the National Museum of Natural History. Check them out this fall! 🍂🌲🍁

It’s National PawPaw Day! 🌳Asimina triloba can grow either individually or in groves. The pawpaw grows the farthest north of any member of the otherwise tropical Annonaceae family, and has the largest fruit of any native North American tree. Its fruit is described as tasting like a custardy banana. The range of this North American fruit tree is likely due to several Native American tribes who cultivated the pawpaw for food and some additional purposes. Iroquois mashed the fruit and dried it in small cakes for storage. Cherokee use pawpaw for food, but also use the inner bark to make ropes and strings. Pawpaws are also the host plant for zebra swallowtail butterflies. 🦋 #NationalPawpawDay #PawPaws #Horticulture

The natural world frequently awakens creativity. How does nature plant seeds into your creativity- photography, artwork, plant displays? Check out “Human/Nature”, located in the S. Dillion Ripley Center, to explore more ways humans connect with nature. Video description: slow-pan of indoor planters that have plants and artwork together. #IndoorPlantWeek #IndoorPlants #PublicGardens #ArtAndNature

“Human/Nature” explores biophilia, our need to connect to natural things (a term coined by respected biologist E.O. Wilson). The exhibit’s largest vignette introduces the idea of biophilia with a comfy couch surrounded by lush tropical plants, which invokes a sense of being enveloped by nature. Studies have shown that spending time in spaces with leafy, green plants can reduce stress, promote relaxation, and improve concentration. Other vignettes explain the biophilic character of water, and why including natural elements in indoor spaces gives us a sense of well-being. Look around your space. What do you have in your home or office to connect you to nature - tropical plants, orchids, indoor water features, flower arrangements? #IndoorPlantWeek #Horticulture #PublicGarden #IndoorPlants #TropicalPlants

It's National Indoor Plant Week, which promotes the importance of live plants in interior spaces, Smithsonian Gardens wants to highlight our current exhibit, “Human/Nature: Why people are drawn to living things”, in the S. Dillon Ripley Center. This exhibit focuses on the interconnectedness of plants and people, and how houseplants improve our lives. We invite everyone to follow along on social media this week for more on the exhibit and indoor plants. For any of our fans who can’t visit with us in person, we invite you to learn more about our exhibit virtually here: https://s.si.edu/3BeYN2Z #IndoorPlantWeek #IndoorPlants #TropicalPlants #BotanicalGardens #PublicGarden #SmithsonianGardens