The United States National Arboretum is an arboretum in northeast Washington, D.C., operated by the United States Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service. It was established in 1927 by an act of Congress after a campaign by USDA Chief Botanist Frederick Vernon Coville.

It is in size and is located northeast of the Capitol building, with entrances on New York Avenue, NE and R Street, NE. The campus's gardens, collections, and features are connected by roadways that are long. In addition to the main campus in Washington, D.C., there are research locations at the Henry A. Wallace Beltsville Agricultural Research Center in Beltsville, Maryland and in McMinville, Tennessee.

History

The United States National Arboretum was formally established by an act of Congress on March 4, 1927. That particular area was well-suited for the arboretum because it had varied soils and physiography, and no permanent buildings were then present. Ten months later, President Calvin Coolidge signed a law appropriating $300,000 for the National Arboretum. An initial were purchased in 1928, with an additional being acquired in 1934. Additional land was purchased in 1938, 1948, and 1949 that, along with subsequent minor expansions, contributed to the Arboretum's current footprint of .

Gardens and collections

alt=|thumb|Azalea Collections, U.S. National Arboretum

thumb|Bonsai [[persimmon presented to President Ronald Reagan by the King of Morocco in 1983. National Bonsai and Penjing Museum, U.S. National Arboretum]]

Major gardens

  • Asian Collections
  • Japanese Woodland, Asian Valley, China Valley, and Korean Hillside
  • Fern Valley Native Plant Collections
  • Woodland, prairie, and Southeastern Coastal Plain
  • Flowering Tree Collection
  • The Friendship Garden and Arbor House
  • Gotelli Dwarf and Slow Growing Conifer Collection
  • Gotelli and Watnong Collections
  • Introduction Garden
  • National Bonsai & Penjing Museum
  • National Grove of State Trees
  • National Herb Garden
  • Historic roses, Knot Garden, and themed gardens
  • Washington Youth Garden

Source:

Single-genus groupings

thumb|National Herb Garden, U.S. National Arboretum

  • Azalea Collections
  • Glenn Dale Azalea Hillside, Morrison Garden, and Lee Garden
  • Dogwood Collection
  • Holly Collection
  • Magnolia Collection
  • National Maple Collection
  • National Boxwood Collection
  • Perennial Collections

Source:

A Japanese temple bell hangs at the entrance to the Japanese Pavilion. Cast in bronze in 1798, the bell was donated by the National Bell Festival and installed on January 1, 2024. Featuring three panels of classical Japanese inscriptions, the bell stands 27 inches tall and weighs 80 pounds.

Non-garden features

thumb|upright|Split Ritual by [[Beverly Pepper]]

The National Capitol Columns, a set of twenty-two Corinthian columns which were once part of the East Portico of the United States Capitol building from 1828 to 1958, An eagle nest cam sponsored by the American Eagle Foundation provides a livestream video feed of the nest during mating season.

A small collection of public artwork, including Split Ritual by American sculptor Beverly Pepper, can be found at the Arboretum. The piece is made of ductile iron and stands at H × W × D. It consists of four vertical pieces that resemble large tools. They are placed in a circle on top of a flat, doughnut-shaped foundation. The sculpture was dedicated in 1993.

In 2020, the U.S. National Arboretum re-introduced popular koi (fish) to the reflecting pool near the administration building.

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Capital Bikeshare Station National Arboretum Washington DC 2022-04-14 12-09-49 1.jpg|Bikeshare located at entrance.

Bonsai Museum at the National Arboretum (14450631859).jpg |Bonsai Museum.

Kurume Azalea Bonsai in Bloom (in training since 1982), US National Arboretum.jpg|Kurume azalea bonsai.

Koi pond at United States National Arboretum A - Stierch.jpg|Reflecting pool.

Koi feeding, National Arboretum.jpg|Koi feeding.

Admiral Charles Wilkes plaque at United States National Arboretum.jpg|Admiral Charles Wilkes plaque.

Bletilla striata (3576917675).jpg|Hyacinth orchid (Bletilla striata)

National Arboretum in August (22945371774).jpg|Pathway overlooking columns.

National Arboretum in July (22946329763).jpg|Youth garden.

US National Arboretum from Anacostia River June 2017.jpg|View of the arboretum from the Anacostia River.

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See also

  • List of botanical gardens and arboretums in the United States
  • Architecture of Washington, D.C.

References

  • USNA Grove of State Trees (official site)
  • American Eagle Foundation
  • Friends of the National Arboretum (FONA)
  • National Bonsai Foundation
  • National Capital Area Garden Clubs
  • Washington Youth Garden