Mary Livingston Ripley Garden
Ever-changing views are the centerpiece of any stroll garden, and the next time you're in Washington DC, take a walk through this small masterpiece just off the mall, between the Hirshhorn Museum and the Arts & Industries Building.
Designed by architect Hugh Newell Jacobson, the garden is named after Mrs. S. Dillon Ripley, who waged a successful campaign to build a garden on the site instead of a parking lot.
Mrs. Ripley, a lifelong collector of plants, believed the narrow strip of land between Jefferson Drive and Independence Avenue could be a lovely garden filled with blooms and fragrance, and it is now one of the city's first public gardens that comes alive in spring with the blooms of Harry Lauder's Walking Stick (Corylus avellana 'Contorta'), witch hazels, snowdrops and Lenten roses.
Curving brick walks wind through the space, providing new vistas at every turn. In summer, Smithsonian horticulturists fill the hanging baskets with blooms. Bedding plants, along with
perennials
and flowering shrubs, provide color and scent throughout the growing
season.
The garden also features unique planters, benches and fountains from the Smithsonian's collection of historic garden ornament from the 19th century. Some are true antiques and others are period reproductions.
This garden is different from season to season and year to year. Don't miss it when you're next in town -- it's a welcome place to get away from the crowds and enjoy some peace and solitude.
(click on images for larger views)
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