United States Botanic Garden
| United States Botanic Gardens | |
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Engraving from Picturesque America: Or the Land We Live In, Volume II, 1874
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 Location within Washington, D.C.
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| Type | Botanical garden |
| Location | 100 Maryland Ave., SW, Washington, DC 20001, United States |
| Coordinates | 38°53′17″N 77°00′47″W / 38.888°N 77.013°WCoordinates: 38°53′17″N 77°00′47″W / 38.888°N 77.013°W |
| Created | 1820 (formally established in 1850) |
| Administered by | Holly H. Shimizu |
| Visitors | 750,000 per year |
| Status | Open all year including holidays, free admission to all gardens - Conservatory is open 10am to 5pm |
| Website | usbg.gov |
The United States Botanic Garden (USBG) is a botanic garden on the grounds of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C., near Garfield Circle. The Botanic Garden is supervised by the Congress through the Architect of the Capitol, who is responsible for maintaining the grounds of the United States Capitol. The USBG is open every day of the year, including federal holidays. It is the oldest continually operating botanic garden in the United States.
The Columbian Institute for the Promotion of Arts and Sciences in Washington, D.C., first suggested the creation of the Botanic Garden in 1816. The idea of establishing a botanic garden in Washington, D.C., was also supported by the Washington Botanical Society, organized in 1817, many of whose members were also members of the Columbian Institute, however this society disbanded in 1826.
In 1820, President James Monroe set aside 5 acres (20,000 m2) for a "national greenhouse." Dr. Edward Cutbush, founder and first president of the Columbian Institute, was one of the earliest advocates for a plant repository and saw the necessity for a botanical garden "where various seeds and plants could be cultivated, and, as they multiplied, distributed to other parts of the Union."
The tract, which was swamp land, was located next to the Smithsonian Museum and a mere eighty feet from the steps of the Capitol. The land was situated between First and Third streets and Pennsylvania and Maryland avenues on the west side of the Capitol building. It was originally owned by David Burnes, the Scots farmer who owned much of the site of the city of Washington. He had been warned in 1796 that if he chose to plant crops "on the avenue and the Mall", it was at his own risk as something might be done "almost any time" to make a thoroughfare.
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