Poinsettias and holiday decorations at the U.S. Botanic Garden

Season's Greenings 2022

The U.S. Botanic Garden (USBG) offers a garden-wide “Season’s Greenings” holiday display this year, running from Thursday, Nov. 24, through Monday, Jan. 2, 2023, closed Dec. 25. As part of the festivities, G-gauge model trains run between 10:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. each day in the gated outdoor gardens and the Conservatory features poinsettias, holiday decor, and D.C. landmarks made from plants. The train display and Conservatory will have extended hours until 8:00 p.m. on Tuesdays in December.

 

Visiting Tips

  • The Garden is busiest on holidays and the weekends surrounding holidays. For a less busy experience, visit during the week if possible.
  • For safety, it is recommended that visitors wear a mask and maintain social distance between your group and others.
  • Strollers are welcome at the Garden, but personal property must be kept in the owner’s possession at all times.
  • The outdoor train display may not run during inclement weather.
  • Please be mindful of terrain changes (stone, gravel, grass, etc.) as you make your way through our outdoor gardens. For additional accessibility information, please visit our Accessibility page.

 

Hours

  • The outdoor train display and Conservatory hours are both 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily between Nov. 24, 2022, and Jan. 2, 2023., closed Dec. 25.
  • On Tuesdays in December, the Conservatory and outdoor train display will have extended hours, staying open until 8:00 p.m.
  • On Dec. 11 and 18, 2022, the gated outdoor gardens will open at 10:00 a.m. to accommodate the Garden’s sensory-friendly programming. For additional information on programs for special audiences, please visit our Accessibility page.
  • The Terrace Gardens and Bartholdi Fountain and Gardens are open dawn to dusk daily.
  • No tickets are required to visit any area of the U.S. Botanic Garden.

 

Outdoor Train Display

Model train display with trains circling a miniature barn, corn, and wheat farmThis year, the outdoor holiday display includes a model train display in the gated outdoor gardens, with trains running from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. between Nov. 24, 2022, and Jan. 2, 2023, closed Dec. 25. The train display will run until 8:00 p.m. on Tuesdays in December.

The trains will run through a display of agricultural scenes from across the United States and around the world, all made from plant parts. Tickets are not required to view the trains or any part of the USBG’s outdoor holiday display, and the train display may not run during inclement weather.

The farming scenes made from plant parts include:

  • Orange Grove, Florida, United States, North America
  • Cranberry Bog, Massachusetts, United States, North America
  • Terrace Farming, Rice and Lentils, Nepal, Asia
  • Hillside Vineyard, Grapes, South Australia, Australia
  • Indoor Vertical Farming, Finland, Europe
  • Coffee-Banana-Sweet Potato Cropping System, Uganda, Africa
  • Sorghum-Millet-Cowpea Cropping System, Mali, Africa
  • Olive Grove, Spain, Europe
  • Potato Farm and Machu Picchu, Peru, South America
  • Onion Farm, Mexico, North America
  • Rooftop Urban Farm, Illinois, United States, North America
  • Artichoke Farm, California, United States, North America
  • Wheat and Corn Farm, Kansas, United States, North America

 

Conservatory decor featuring DC Landmarks Buildings and Poinsettias

Learn about the plants that make up our famous DC landmarks buildings:

 

Gift Shop and Zeke's Coffee

A gift store run by the Friends of the U.S. Botanic Garden and local D.C. small business Rewild will offer a variety of botanically-themed gifts for purchase in the Conservatory's West Gallery, open 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. daily.

Zeke’s Coffee will offer coffee and hot chocolate for sale just inside the gated outdoor garden near the trains. Current Zeke's schedule:

  • Nov. 25 - Dec. 17 -- open Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays from 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.
  • Dec. 18 - Jan. 1, 2023 -- open daily from 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.
  • Dec. 25 -- closed

 

https://www.usbg.gov/blog/poinsettias-flourish-us-botanic-gardenpoinsettias

Poinsettias

Our Horticulture team grows thousands of poinsettias each year. Learn about growing poinsettias, their history, varieties new and old, testing more sustainable growing media, and more!

Learn more >

 

 

Archive of previous holiday shows

Looking for information about previous Season's Greenings shows? Check the archive:

  • 2014: Season's Greenings: Lighthouses (November 27, 2014 - January 4, 2015)

Holiday cheer abounds at the U.S. Botanic Garden! Despite the cold winter outside, the Conservatory boasts a tropical paradise, one of the largest indoor decorated trees in Washington, D.C., and a showcase of poinsettia and their plant cousins. It wouldn’t be the winter holiday season without the fantasy train display in the East Gallery, which chugs along a track through imaginative structures created with plant materials. Explore the seven seas, using lighthouses to navigate your way through this year’s scenic wonderland. Many of the capital’s landmark buildings, all made from natural materials, will be on display in the Garden Court. Come in from the cold and enjoy the sights, scents, and sounds of Season’s Greenings.

 

 

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