Season’s Greenings: Dino-mite!
Celebrate the holiday season in our annual holiday display “Season’s Greenings” with the Conservatory full of poinsettias, holiday decor, and D.C. landmarks made from plants. In the outdoor gardens, find festive lights and decor throughout plus our model train show. This year, G-gauge model trains will chug through displays of dinosaurs made from plant parts, including Tyrannosaurus rex, Triceratops, Velociraptor, and more, plus living plants whose ancestors lived alongside them such as cycads, ferns, and magnolias! The Garden will stay open late seven evenings on Dec. 9, 11, 16, 18, 23, and Jan. 1; and will be closed on Dec. 25.
Traveling Exhibits
Learn about exhibits developed by the U.S. Botanic Garden that are available for your garden or museum to present
2025 Summer Evening Series at U.S. Botanic Garden
The U.S. Botanic Garden invites visitors to come enjoy flowers, live music, and refreshments at four special summer evening events. On the third Thursdays of each month – June 19, July 17, August 21, and September 18, 2025, the Garden will stay open until 8 p.m. for visitors to enjoy the golden hour amidst the USBG plant collection from around the world. Four musical groups will perform live music in the Conservatory Garden Court beginning at 5 pm each date.
U.S. Botanic Garden Shifts Open Hours to 11-6 for June-Aug 2025
From June 9 through August 31, the U.S. Botanic Garden (USBG) will shift open hours for the Conservatory to 11 a.m. – 6 p.m. The shifted hours will allow us to replace the greenhouse glass roof in the Conservatory Garden Court.
Lisa Philander
Deputy Executive Director
Megan Haidet
Partnerships Manager
Join us for an Earth Day event!
Join us for an Earth Day event! We have lots of programs on-site and online all week long, from composting and sustainable gardening and landscaping to tree conservation and family activities!
“Orchids: Masters of Deception” Exhibit at U.S. Botanic Garden Showcases Deceptive Flowers
Orchids captivate and enthrall people around the world. They also captivate and lure pollinators—sometimes through fascinating, beautiful deceit. A variety of orchids from around the world will be in this 29th annual joint orchid exhibit between the U.S. Botanic Garden and Smithsonian Gardens, running Feb. 14-April 27, 2025 at the USBG Conservatory.
Orchids: Masters of Deception
Orchids captivate and enthrall people around the world. They also captivate and lure pollinators – sometimes through fascinating, beautiful deceit! Join us as we showcase some of the unique, bizarre, and intriguing orchid adaptations that deceive pollinators looking for food, mates, locations to lay their eggs, and more. Explore thousands of orchids in this 29th annual joint orchid exhibit between the U.S. Botanic Garden and Smithsonian Gardens.
To Defoliate or Not to Defoliate, That is the Question
Some trees don’t lose their leaves in the fall, instead remaining green year-long. Why is this? What is the reason that some trees lose their leaves in the colder months while others don’t?