U.S. Botanic Garden

U.S. Botanic Garden The U.S. Botanic Garden inspires people to appreciate, study, and conserve plants. Est. 1820
(2788)

The United States Botanic Garden (USBG) is the oldest continuously operating public garden in the United States, established in 1820. The USBG inspires people to appreciate, study, and conserve plants to enrich society locally and globally. The Garden is dedicated to promoting botanical knowledge through the cultivation of an ordered collection of plants; presentation of plant displays, exhibits,

and educational programs; and by fostering sustainability and plant conservation. The Garden is a living plant museum accredited by the American Alliance of Museums and Botanic Gardens Conservation International, serving more than one million visitors per year.

Bloom alert! When you’re in our World Deserts house, make sure to stop and … well … smell at your own risk! This hairy, ...
09/05/2026

Bloom alert! When you’re in our World Deserts house, make sure to stop and … well … smell at your own risk! This hairy, stinky flower is called carrion flower (Stapelia gigantea). The succulent finger-like plant makes large starfish-shapes flowers that stink to attract flies and other pollinators that are attracted to rotting flesh as places to lay their eggs. The beautiful interior is almost dizzying! This fascinating beauty is native Tanzania to South Africa. Have you smelled this small-but-mighty stinker?

Spotlight on “America’s State Flowers!” The official flower for TEXAS is the bluebonnet (Lupinus spp.). An iconic member...
08/28/2026

Spotlight on “America’s State Flowers!” The official flower for TEXAS is the bluebonnet (Lupinus spp.). An iconic member of the pea family (Fabaceae) that flourishes in the state’s alkaline soil, bluebonnets can grow in dense clusters and are often planted to beautify Texas roadsides and highway medians. All species of bluebonnets growing in Texas (currently at least six) are considered the state flower.

The “yellow rose of Texas,” despite being a popular folk song, is not the state flower and does not appear to have ever been up for consideration — and there are no yellow roses from Texas. The bluebonnet was competing against a prickly pear cactus flower and cotton when it was named in 1901.

Bloom time: May-July

Swipe to see the full plant plus a custom creation of the flower made for us by artist Emily Paluska !

Find the official flowers for all 56 U.S. states and territories in our exhibit “America’s State Flowers” on display through Oct. 12, 2026. See the full list of state flowers and a map of their locations in the Garden: www.USBG.gov/AmericasStateFlowers

08/25/2026

It’s time for ! And this year, there is a lightweight category for our smaller, native species! So we’re coming in strong with a Nymphea odorata native waterlily to try to win the new lightweight category! Seeing as how we have a Rose Garden celebrating America’s national flower during this 250th anniversary year, we thought we’d measure how much weight it can hold using roses! Can it hold a dozen??

Wish us luck, and check out our competition on the channel! This is the fourth annual event organized by Denver Botanic Gardens. [Final measurements for competition notes: 9” across, weight held: 1 lb., 13.5 ounces]

Spotlight on “America’s State Flowers!” The official flower for the Northern Mariana Islands is flores mayo (Plumeria sp...
08/23/2026

Spotlight on “America’s State Flowers!” The official flower for the Northern Mariana Islands is flores mayo (Plumeria spp.) Plumeria flowers, also called flores mayo, are known for their distinctive scent. The Carolinian people of the Northern Mariana Islands also use them in traditional head garlands, which appear on the territorial flag. Find these beauties blooming in our Garden Court.

Bloom time: May-July

Swipe to see the full plant plus a custom creation of the flower made for us by artist Emily Paluska !

Find the official flowers for all 56 U.S. states and territories in our exhibit “America’s State Flowers” on display through Oct. 12, 2026. See the full list of state flowers and a map of their locations in the Garden: www.USBG.gov/AmericasStateFlowers

We’re looking to expand our volunteer corps! The U.S. Botanic Garden is accepting applications for Public Engagement and...
08/21/2026

We’re looking to expand our volunteer corps! The U.S. Botanic Garden is accepting applications for Public Engagement and Hands-On Gardening volunteers. Public engagement volunteering opportunities include for greeters, discovery cart facilitators, garden guides, and program support! For Hands-On Gardening volunteering, opportunities are for weekday mornings and middays.

¡Buscamos voluntarios bilingües! We are looking for bilingual volunteers! If you speak English and Spanish and are interested in sharing about plants and the Garden, please apply and join our volunteer team!

Learn more and apply at www.USBG.gov/Volunteer

The Garden will be closed Aug. 22-23 as the Freedom 250 Grand Prix races through DC right alongside the USBG. Watch for ...
08/20/2026

The Garden will be closed Aug. 22-23 as the Freedom 250 Grand Prix races through DC right alongside the USBG. Watch for us as they make the turn to go up 3rd Street by the U.S. Capitol!

We have a fun plant connection to IndyCar racing! Guayule is a desert plant native to the desert Southwest that has been used to make tires used in several races, including the Music City Grand Prix. This photo shows Kyle Kirkwood alongside his car sporting tires made from guayule plant rubber. Come see guayule plants growing in our World Deserts house, as well as a tire made from guayule rubber that is on loan to us from USDA Agricultural Research Service!

Did you know some U.S. race cars have used tires made from U.S.-grown natural rubber from a U.S. native plant? Join us o...
08/19/2026

Did you know some U.S. race cars have used tires made from U.S.-grown natural rubber from a U.S. native plant? Join us online at noon today to learn about guayule and USDA’s research that found how this plant makes natural rubber in quantities usable for products! (And you can see the plants in our World Deserts house!)

“Meet Guayule: Rubber from a U.S. Desert Plant!” Register to join us online Aug. 19 at noon: https://events.zoomgov.com/ev/AukdhX_iDKXePoRmxQdzoOfmiZGjg1B83dmc7MzfETyn4q_JjrCg~AjYfIUiV7QdUhYNod1pqUxy4LJT3-MQJsokjbmKkS3r0NAwqO_eMT8x2ug

Wednesday, August 19, 2026
12:00 PM to 1:00 PM Eastern
Location: Online
FREE: Pre-registration required: https://events.zoomgov.com/ev/AukdhX_iDKXePoRmxQdzoOfmiZGjg1B83dmc7MzfETyn4q_JjrCg~AjYfIUiV7QdUhYNod1pqUxy4LJT3-MQJsokjbmKkS3r0NAwqO_eMT8x2ug

We are a Plant Rescue Center, accepting rare and endangered plants that are seized at the border due to illegal traffick...
08/15/2026

We are a Plant Rescue Center, accepting rare and endangered plants that are seized at the border due to illegal trafficking. This Bulbophyllum macranthum orchid native to Southeast Asia came to us along with hundreds of others being illegally trafficked in 1999. Our care resuscitated them, and now flower profusely.

You can help combat illegal plant trafficking. Don’t take take rare plants from the wild, and if you’re buying rare plants in person or online, look for signs that they may have been illegally taken from the wild like bark still attached to orchid plants or damage to leaves and ask the seller for proof they have the legal right to sell that rare plant. Together, we can keep our planet’s rare and endangered plants healthy and protected.

Another fantastically colored Lycoris species is blooming! L. sprengeri is called electric blue surprise lily, and we ca...
08/13/2026

Another fantastically colored Lycoris species is blooming! L. sprengeri is called electric blue surprise lily, and we can see why! The colorful electric blue almost vibrates against the hot pink and then ages to blue-purple. These flower best in part sun, and are winter hardy in USDA zones 6-10.

08/12/2026

Formosa lilies (Lilium formosanum) are blooming throughout the outdoor gardens! Find a beautiful stand of them alongside our Rose Garden! These sweetly scented flowers bloom in late summer and early fall, can grow in full sun to part shade, and are winter hardy in USDA zones 5-8.

Address

100 Maryland Avenue SW
Washington D.C., DC
20001

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 5pm
Tuesday 10am - 5pm
Wednesday 10am - 5pm
Thursday 10am - 5pm
Friday 10am - 5pm
Saturday 10am - 5pm
Sunday 10am - 5pm

Telephone

+12022258333

Website

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