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Entry bubble Get a Dose of Summer in Winter: Visit a Botanical Garden

By: Jake | January 07, 2008 | Category: Home and Family

I can’t claim to have a green thumb, but it’s not due to lack of trying. I have successfully planted some houseplants including my hippopotamus chia pet, but my experience is limited since I don’t have a yard.

I know it’s probably too cold to think about gardening, but the topic has been on my mind ever since I visited the U.S. National Botanic Garden (USNB) last month. My parents were in town and my mom, who is a master gardener, wanted to spend some time looking at the holiday exhibit. While the holiday exhibit was impressive, I was struck by the sheer volume of the 4000 plants growing in  the garden year-round.  Also, the USNBG provides gardening tips and recipes.

There are thousands of botanical gardens around the world according to the Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI), a conservation organization that links botanical gardens worldwide in order to preserve and promote plant diversity. BGCI says that botanical gardens hold documented collections of living plants for the purposes of scientific research, conservation, display and education.

It's very likely there is a botanical garden near you since there are hundreds of botanical gardens in the United States. The U.S. Department of Agriculture provides various resources to find botanical gardens in the U.S. Not all botanical gardens are open to the public, so you should check public visiting hours before you go.

| View Comments [3] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: botanical   flowers   garden   gardening   plants  

Comments (3):

blue comment bubble Posted by Mary Ann on January 07, 2008 at 10:03 AM EST

Visiting a botanical garden is actually a great way to escape the cold, mid-winter doldrums. It can offer a dose of spring when you most need it.

One thing about your link to the list of botanical gardens though. You should probably be linking to http://riley.nal.usda.gov/nal_display/index.php?info_center=8&tax_level=2&tax_subject=7&level3_id=0&level4_id=0&level5_id=0&want_id=273&topic_id=1064&placement_default=0 instead of the list of Web site search results you're currently sending folks to. A reference librarian at the National Agricultural Library pulled that list together.

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blue comment bubble Posted by Gary on January 07, 2008 at 11:23 PM EST

We have visited this location many times along with my friends at http://3tpro.com and its beautiful. We highly recommend it to anyone in the area or out on vacation.

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blue comment bubble Posted by Jake on January 08, 2008 at 08:50 AM EST

Thanks Mary Ann,

I have changed the link.

Jake

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