The United States Botanic Garden is located on Capitol Hill and is run and budgeted by Congress. The Garden is made up of three separate components. The Conservatory consists of several sections, featuring various species of plant life collected from around the globe. A park on the other side of the garden includes many of these species and is designed to inspire visitors to become involved with gardening-related pursuits in their own homes. Finally, a production facility helps research new methods of propagation of plant life and prepares new plants for display in the Garden and in plant shows around the country.
The National Garden provides "living laboratories" for environmental, horticultural, and botanical education in a contemplative setting. The major features of the National Garden are the Rose Garden, the Butterfly Garden, the Lawn Terrace, the First Ladies' Water Garden, the Regional Garden, and an outdoor amphitheater. The Rose Garden is designed as an outdoor garden room featuring many varieties of the rose, our national flower. The First Ladies' Water Garden, a simple but elegant square with a frame of surrounding paving, is designed to create a memorable image of the central role that water plays in the well-being of plants, animals, and humankind. The Water Garden honors the First Ladies of the United States by recognizing their notable service to our country. The Regional Garden presents outstanding plants native to the mid-Atlantic region in naturalistic settings arranged along a moisture gradient.
The newly renovated Conservatory offers the citizens of Washington and visitors from across the nation a beautiful and fascinating living plant museum here on our Nation's Mall at the foot of the U.S. Capitol. We invite you to return again and again, to watch us grow and to see our ever-changing exhibits.