The Smithsonian's Horticulture Services Division manages the grounds of the Institution's museums in Washington, DC, and develops horticulture displays and exhibitions in exterior and interior museum spaces. It also conducts research, produces education programs, and promotes the study of horticulture and the ongoing development of Smithsonian collections of living plants and horticultural artifacts, as well as a photographic garden archive.

Enid A.Haupt Garden

Located directly behind the Smithsonian Castle, the 4.2-acre Enid A. Haupt Garden is actually a rooftop garden, built atop a complex of underground galleries and offices belonging to the National Museum of African Art, the S. Dillon Ripley Center and the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery. The garden comprises three separate sections, each reflecting the cultural influences celebrated in the adjacent architecture and the museums housed beneath it.

The centerpiece of the garden is the Victorian-style parterre, which extends the Smithsonian Castle's grand welcome through an expansive lawn and colorful flowers arranged in formal patterns. Saucer magnolias, wide brick walks and cast-iron benches line the perimeter.

The Moongate Garden draws design inspiration from the Temple of Heaven, a 15th-century religious complex in Beijing. Circles within squares—symbolizing heaven and earth, respectively—appear throughout this meditative setting adjacent to the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery and the Freer Gallery of Art and their unparalleled collections of Asian art.

Located beside the National Museum of African Art, the Fountain Garden is an enclosed environment modeled after the Alhambra, a 14th-century Moorish palace and fortress in Spain. A central fountain, water channels and a chadar —a "veil" of cascading water—delight the senses.

Noted horticultural philanthropist Enid A. Haupt endowed the garden. The landscape design was a collaborative effort of architect Jean Paul Carlhian, FAIA, of Shepley Bulfinch Richardson and Abbott; Sasaki Associates, Inc.; and landscape architect Lester Collins, FASLA.

Kathrine Dulin Folger Rose Garden

The Kathrine Dulin Folger Rose Garden adorns the east side of the Smithsonian Castle and the main façade of the Arts and Industries Building (closed indefinitely pending renovations). From mid-May through November, roses grace the garden with color and fragrance. Bulbs, perennials, annuals, tropical plants, potted herbs and evergreens enhance the garden's year-round beauty. Dedicated in 1998, the rose garden was given in remembrance of Mrs. Folger by Lee and Juliet Folger and the Folger Fund.

Design: Smithsonian's Horticulture Services Division

Mary Livingston Ripley Garden

Located between the Arts and Industries Building and the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, the Mary Livingston Ripley Garden is a horticultural display of hundreds of varieties of annual and perennial plants, unique hanging baskets and unusual trees and shrubs. A 19th-century cast-iron fountain at the center of the curvilinear garden is complemented by antique and reproduction outdoor furnishings. The garden was dedicated in 1988 to honor Mrs. Ripley, founder of the Smithsonian Women's Committee and wife of the Institution's eighth Secretary. It was designed by Hugh Newell Jacobsen, FAIA, and staff of the Smithsonian's Horticulture Services Division.

Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden

Financier Joseph H. Hirshhorn donated his extensive modern art collection to the Smithsonian in 1966, with the stipulation that an outdoor sculpture garden be part of the new museum. Transformed by season, time of day and even weather, the garden provides an ever-changing backdrop and contemplative haven for viewing over 60 large-scale works of art. Architect Gordon Bunshaft, FAIA, created the original plan for the museum, surrounding plaza, and recessed garden. Landscape architect Lester Collins, FASLA, redesigned the garden in 1981.

National Museum of the American Indian

The grounds surrounding the National Museum of the American Indian are considered an extension of the building and a vital part of the museum as a whole. By recalling the natural landscape environment that existed prior to the arrival of Europeans to the continent, the museum's landscape design embodies a theme that runs central to its mission—returning to a Native place. More than 33,000 plants of approximately 150 species can be found throughout the landscape and its four habitats. EDAW, Inc., collaborated with ethnobotanist Donna House (Navajo/Oneida) on the landscape design and plant selection and with design team members Johnpaul Jones, FAIA, (Choctaw/Cherokee) of Jones & Jones and Ramona Sakiestewa (Hopi).

Butterfly Habitat Garden

The Butterfly Habitat Garden, a joint project with the National Museum of Natural History, features four different habitats frequented by butterflies (wetland, meadow, woodland edge, urban garden) and informational signage about their life cycles and behaviors. Created in 1995 and significantly expanded in 2000, the garden was made possible by funding from The Garden Club of America and the Smithsonian Women's Committee.

Design: Smithsonian's Horticulture Services Division

Heirloom Garden

The Heirloom Garden at the National Museum of American History, Behring Center, is a treasury of favorites from what may be considered the classic American flower garden. Heirloom varieties, defined as open-pollinated plants rather than hybrids or genetically altered plants, are showcased in the terrace beds at the Mall entrance of the museum.

Design: Smithsonian's Horticulture Services Division

Victory Garden

Located on the terrace outside the National Museum of American History's cafeteria, the Victory Garden is typical of vegetable gardens created during World War II when growing food for home consumption was an important part of the war effort.

Design: Smithsonian's Horticulture Services Division

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