ARBORETUM PICTURE OF THE WEEK Do you know what this is? Click here to find out. To perform a custom search of the Arboretum site - type in a keyword or phrase. Or, go to our Site Map page to browse our page links. DIRECT ARBORETUM SUPPORT Donations -- Volunteering PRIVATE SUPPORT GROUPS Friends of the National Arboretum Herb Society of America National Capital Area Garden Clubs, Inc. National Bonsai Foundation

Inauguration History at the Arboretum Beginning with Andrew Jackson, many U.S. presidents were sworn into office on the front steps of the nation's Capitol at the foot of 24 towering sandstone columns. The inaugural ceremonies were moved to the back of the Capitol to accommodate a larger audience after Dwight David Eisenhower was inaugurated in 1957. In 1959 the front of the Capitol was renovated, and the original columns and steps that were part of so many earlier presidential inaugurations were removed and replaced with new ones. But those original columns and steps were not lost. Today, they stand on a prominent knoll at the U.S. National Arboretum where visitors may walk among them and try to guess which step the Presidents-elect stood on when they took the oath of office. Imagine standing on the very step that Abraham Lincoln stood on! This month, Barack Obama will be sworn in at the Capitol as the 44th President of the United States. He will use the Bible that Lincoln placed his hand on when he became president in 1861. The act is just one of the ways the inaugural committee is paying tribute to the 200th anniversary of Lincoln's birth. One way that citizens may celebrate the inauguration of the new President as well as recognize Abraham Lincoln's birthday is to visit the National Capitol Columns at the U.S. National Arboretum. One visitor, Emmanuel Touhey, explains what the experience meant to him in a letter published in the Washington Post, titled "On the Steps of History." [Read that off-site article here].

EDUCATION The 23rd Annual Lahr Native Plant Symposium and Plant Sale Saturday, March 28, 2009 Mark your calendar! This year's symposium, "Native Plants: In Design" features an exciting group of speakers who will present an array of topics related to designing landscapes with native plants. The annual Friends of the National Arboretum (FONA) Native Plant Sale will run concurrently, featuring a collection of local native plant nurseries offering an extensive selection of plants. Registration information will be available here in January 2009. For more information, call 202-245-5898 or e-mail Lindsay.Hicks@ars.usda.gov   View Arboretum Calendar of Events

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RESEARCH Introducing Viburnum 'Nantucket' The National Arboretum is pleased to announce the release of 'Nantucket', the 20th viburnum cultivar from the shrub breeding program. This outstanding plant was selected for its large, mildly fragrant white inflorescences, dark semi-evergreen narrow leaves, and upright relatively compact growth habit. With a mature size of 12 feet high by 7 feet wide, 'Nantucket' is well-suited as a specimen plant, in a hedge or mass planting, or as a backdrop in the shrub border. 'Nantucket' originated from a cross made in 1988 by the late Donald Egolf using 'Eskimo' as the seed parent combined with pollen from a species collected in the wild from China. Based on production and landscape performance at the USNA and at the sites of various cooperators, 'Nantucket' was named and released by the US National Arboretum and Agricultural Research Service in July 2008.    Read Full Story   View Plant Introductions and Award Winners

Arboretum Information || Events & Education || Gardens & Horticulture || Research Activities Support the Arboretum || New Plant Introductions || USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map || Comments Search Our Site United States National Arboretum 3501 New York Avenue, NE; Washington, D. C. 20002-1958 Tel: 202-245-2726    Fax: 202-245-4575 The U.S. National Arboretum is a division of the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center of the Agricultural Research Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Government System Usage Policy || USDA Nondiscrimination Statement || Privacy and Security Policy || Endorsement Disclaimer || Accessibility Disclaimer Last Updated January 8, 2008 5:44 PM URL= http://www.usna.usda.gov *###*