Washington DC National Arboretum

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Location: 3501 New York Ave., NE, Washington, DC

Washington DC National Arboretum is located in northeast DC and is bordered on the east by the banks of the Anacostia River. The site is marked by Mount Hamilton on the west and Hickey Hill on the east with a broad central valley and Hickey Creek running through the center. Initially 189 acres were purchased in 1928; today it encompasses 412 acres.

As the only federally supported arboretum, and probably the largest arboretum in the country, the National Arboretum plays a unique role. It breeds plants for childcareities throughout the country. Its mission is to serve the entire country, and in the controlled environment of its greenhouses it breeds plants for particular childcarees. The primary functions of the Arboretum are research and education and its Federal support allows for long-term projects.

The first and most popular exhibit, the azaleas, was the product of pioneering research of the first director. The Arboretum grounds retain a sylvan look. This has been accomplished by retaining most of the natural woods, including beeches, oaks and Virginia pines, which stood on the grounds when the land was purchased, and limiting the amount of roadways. The exhibition areas are located either along the roadways or on pebbled paths off the roadside.

Their design varies from the formal landscaping of the Gotelli Dwarf Conifer Collection on the north shoulder of Hickey Road to the natural planting of crabapples along Hickey Hill Road. Fern Valley is limited to ferns and other plants native to eastern North America.