District of Columbia Gardens

 Dumbarton Oaks : 1703 32nd Street NW, Washington, DC 20007 (202)339-6410.

This brick federal style home is situated on grounds that still include some of the original oaks. Ten acres of gardens designed by Beatrix Jones Farrand incorporate 3 principles: progressive informality, winter interest, and the incorporation of spaces for living. Special areas includes an Orangery, the Beech Terrace, the Urn Terrace, the Rose Garden, the Fountain Terrace (with annuals), the Arbor Terrace, the Lovers Lane Pool, Melisande's Allée (spring bulbs), the English-style Herbaceous Border, the Prunus Walk (cherry trees), Cherry Hill, Forsythia Hill, the Ellipse (hornbeams and a fountain), the Pebble Garden,

 Franciscan Monastery: 1400 Quincy Street NE, Washington, DC 20017 (202)526-6800.

The lovely grounds at the Monastery feature shrines and grottos set among floral displays including rose parterres, beds of annuals, and a variety of flowering trees and shrubs. Future plans of the newly founded Garden Guild call for an Herb Garden, new rose arbors, and increased plantings to promote bird and wildlife habitat.

 Hillwood Museum & Gardens: 4155 Linnean Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20008

 (202)686-8500.

This estate museum, specializing in Russian and European fine and decorative arts and housed in a Georgian mansion, encompasses 25 acres of grounds with pleasure gardens and azalea and orchid collections. Gardens include the French Parterre Garden (a walled garden with water features), the Rose Garden, the Lunar Lawn (a crescent shaped lawn with spring-flowering trees and bulbs and views of the Washington Monument), the Japanese Style Garden, the Cutting Garden, the Friendship Walk, and the Greenhouses (with a collection of 2000 orchids). Closed for renovations until the fall of 2000.

 Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens: Anacostia Park, Anacostia Avenue and Douglas Street NE,

 Washington, DC 20020 (202)426-6905.

This 14 acre island on the Anacostia River features a variety of native and exotic waterlilies, lotuses, and flora both hardy and tropical.

 Smithsonian Institution Gardens: 900 Jefferson Drive, SW, Room 2282, Washington, DC

 20560-0420 (202)357-1927.

Gardens includes the 4.2 acre Enid A. Haupt Garden (with the Fountain Garden (a Moorish influence with water features), the Parterre (elaborate ornamental beds with annuals), and the Island Garden (Oriental influence with 4 bridges suspended over a pool)), the Mary Livingston Ripley Garden (a fragrant garden with 200 varieties of labeled plants), and the Smithsonian Butterfly Habitat Garden (with 4 habitats (wetland, meadow, wood's edge, and urban) and 200 woody shrubs and trees and 2500 herbaceous plants).

 Tudor Place: 1644 31st Street, NW, Washington, DC 20007 (202)965-0400

The home of George Washington's granddaughter, now a National Historic Landmark, showcases 5 1/2 acres of formal parterres, sweeping lawns, and graceful trees and shrubs. Special areas include the south lawn (specimen trees and spring-flowering bulbs), the formal north garden (old-fashioned perennials and roses with boxwood hedges, and a green-and-white garden with a lily pond.

 United States Botanic Garden : 245 First Street SW (between Maryland Avenue and C

 Street), Washington, DC 20024 (202)225-8333.

Conservatory, Bartholdi Park, and, in the future, the National Garden. The Conservatory (closed for renovations) displays exotic plants from tropical, subtropical, and desert regions and holds 4 annual flower shows. Bartholdi Park showcases demonstration gardens for urban or suburban homes. The 3 acre National Garden, in the process of construction, will feature the Environmental Learning Center, the Rose Garden, the Water Garden, and the Showcase Garden (plants native to the mid-Atlantic region).

 United States National Arboretum : 3501 New York Avenue, NE, Washington, DC 20002-

 1958 (202)245-2726.

This 446 acre arboretum contains display gardens, collections, and historical monuments set among native stands of eastern deciduous trees. Special areas include the Administration Building (with aquatic plants), the Asian Collections (Japanese Woodland, Asian Valley, China Valley, and Korean Hillside), the Azalea Collections (Glenn Dale Azalea Hillside, Morrison Garden, and Lee Garden), the Capitol Columns (freestanding columns with a reflecting pool), the Conifer Collections (Gotelli Collection of Dwarf and Slow-Growing Conifers, the Watnong Collection of Dwarf Pines, plus Spruces, Firs, and Japanese Maples), the Dogwood Collection, the Friendship Garden (perennials), the Holly and Magnolia Collections, the newly renovated National Herb Garden (Historic Roses, Knot Garden, Specialty Gardens), the National Bonsai and Penjing Museum (Japanese, Chinese, American and International Pavilions), the National Boxwood Collection (100 species, varieties and cultivars), the National Grove of State Trees, the Native Plant Collections (Fern Valley Woodland, Prairie, and Southeastern Coastal Plain), the Perennial Collections (Peonies, Irises, Daylilies), and the Washington Youth Garden. Tram tours are available.

 Washington National Cathedral: Wisconsin & Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Washington,

 DC 20016-5098 (202)537-6282.

The 59 acre grounds of this impressive cathedral showcase lovely gardens, including the Bishop's Garden, modelled after a medieval walled garden. The Cathedral's Greenhouse sells plants.

 White House Gardens: 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20006

 (202)456-2200.

These famous grounds include the Jacqueline Kennedy Garden (a sculpture garden), the South Lawn, a Children's Garden, and, of course, the Rose Garden.

 Woodrow Wilson House: 2340 S Street, NW, Washington, DC 20008 (202)387-4062.

This 1915 Georgian revival style townhouse, Woodrow Wilson's retirement home, includes a recently restored backyard garden.