D.C. We had the opportunity to explore the 13 gardens that enhance any visit to the nation's

capitol and the Smithsonian museums. [Washington, D.C. - Kenny Burgamy, Reporting]

Any visitor to the world's largest museum and research complex known as the Smithsonian

Institute will notice the intricate gardens that are professionally maintained just outside

the Washington buildings. The most widely visible of the Smithsonian consist of nineteen

museums and galleries as well as the National Zoological Park. Seventeen of these collections

are located in Washington, with eleven of those located on the National Mall.

[Barbara Faust - Dir. of Smithsonian Gardens] The, the Smithsonian Gardens mission is to

enrich the Smithsonian experience, through horticultural exhibits, fine gardens, collections,

and education. What I do as director of the Smithsonian Gardens is leave, lead an incredible

group of horticulturalists, gardeners, and volunteers. It's um; it's just the dream job,

really. It's a dream a job for me. I always say I have the best job in the, uh, room.

[Kenny] The director of the Smithsonian Gardens said

it is hard to comprehend the world's largest museum facilities without the horticultural

flavor. [Faust]

I can't even imagine that. I mean the gardens are such an integral part of the Smithsonian

experience. In fact, I think you know, when the visitor steps on our grounds, they're

surprised by the incredible, fine gardening that's going on here at the institution.

[Kenny] The Smithsonian Gardens are expansive and

require a large staff, working year round. [Faust]

Well, we have 13 gardens. We uh, we do gardens that are thematic around each of the museums,

that are located here, on the National Mall. Our newest garden will be the National Museum

of African American History and culture, which will open, in mid- September. Uh, but we also

have uh, our American History gardens which includes a victory garden, uh, a vegetable

garden, uh, as well as at our Natural History museum, we have an urban bird habitat, which

um, which uh, helps to educate the public on how to uh, attract wildlife to their backyards,

as well as a butterfly habitat garden, which we are in the process of renaming, a pollinator

garden, and renaming, and reinterpreting, so that, um, again, we encourage the public

to learn how to uh, to build gardens that are healthy for pollinators.

[Kenny] And what you see up and down the national

mall is actually a small portion of what is down by the staff of the Smithsonian Gardens.

[Faust] One of the, one of the things about being

a public garden is that you've got to be able to have plant material that is readily available,

and particularly public gardens that want to do something a little bit different. And

so, our garden, our gardens, um, the plant material is mostly supplied by our greenhouse

nursery division. This is a 64,000 square foot greenhouse facility that is off site,

located about 10 miles, in Suitland, Maryland. Not open to the public, but maybe by appointment.

We do have some individuals that come by and see our incredible facility. And there we

have 16 individuals that are growing uh, tropical plants to, to bedding plants, and also curating

and managing our orchid collection. You know one of the things I am really worried

about is that there are not enough students going into the field of horticulture, agriculture

in general. Uh, we really have a hard time finding good candidates. We have a hard time

finding um, interns to come and learn about, particularly our field of public horticulture.

So I, I think this is something we all need to get behind and work on.