The Best Cure for Spring Fever

 

          
           Photo by Margaret McClung

If you’re like me when spring time rolls around, then you must be itching to get outside and bask in the glorious sunshine. How about killing two birds with one stone? You can make your way to the National Mall to work on your tan and infuse your brain with the rich history of the cherry blossoms, the Enid A. Haupt Garden and much more.

Every year, falling between Mach- April  The National Cherry Blossom Festival  takes place. The festival celebrates the 1912 gift of the Cherry Trees from the Japanese Mayor Yukio Ozaki. The gift of the trees resembles one of the many principles of the United States, the significance of friendship between two countries. Today, millions of people travel to DC each year to marvel at the cherry blossoms and partake in the festivities.

Situated in between the Smithsonian Castle and Independence Avenue and above The National Museum of African Art  , The Arthur M. Sackler Gallery  and The S. Dillon Ripley Center   lies The Enid A. Haupt Garden. Enid Annenburg Haupt was a horticultural expert who passionately dedicated her life to funding gifts to build, restore and maintain gardens around the world. The Garden opened to the public in 1987 featuring various landscape components, such as the Parterre, Moongate Garden and the Fountain Garden.

The Victorian inspired Parterre  is a formal structured garden designed with elaborate colors, symmetrical patterns and designs. The specific layout of colorful planting on the Parterre fluctuates between seasons. In conjunction with the Asian inspired Sackler and Freer Galleries, the Moongate   Garden represents a similar design to the architecture and gardens of the Temple of Heaven in Beijing, China. In Chinese culture, the main two components of the garden, granite and water symbolize the body and spirit of the earth. The garden was successfully designed to be a place of relaxation and contemplation for its visitors. The Fountain Garden, located near the entrance to the National Museum of African Art is a representation of a 13^th century Moorish palace and fortress in Grenada, Spain. The Fountain Garden includes a central fountain and water channels, which symbolize the four rivers of paradise as described in the Koran.

 

Photo by Margaret McClung

Check out these sites for more information on the Cherry Blossom Festival and Smithsonian Gardens:

Smithsonian Garden Tours

Cherry Blossom Festival Events

2012 Bloom Watch

Enjoy!

 

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~Margaret McClung