Just A Stroll Through the Garden

This weekend, I got busy crossing things off my bucket list. My mother-in-law lives 3 minutes from Dumbarton Oaks,  a D.C. mansion that has been open to public tours since 1963, so we went together. We stuck to the gardens, which is all I really wanted to see, despite the fact that it was a heat index of over 100 with some real nice humidity around 80% or something. #SwampCity

National Geographic has rated Dumbarton Oaks #6 on their Top 10 Gardens From Around The World List. I wholeheartedly agree with their rating.

All you see here is their grounds, and there is even more off to the right side. If you have not visited NoVa before, you may not realize just how green everything is in this area. But the humidity makes the vegetation wild.

Kitchen gardens

Urn Garden

Pebble Garden

The Orangery was both my and my mother-in-law's favorite place. It was a beautiful enclosed veranda with these plants that cover the walls and hang in the windows.

 

I would just want to sit in here all day, every day, sipping lemonade under the slow turning fan blades, pretending to be a Southern Belle.

Wisteria covered walkways

Detail of the Pebble Garden

The main house's exterior was being renovated, but you can see how beautiful it was below. 

View from the backyard, through The Orangery, to the front yard.

I would highly recommend this as a To Do when you next visit D.C. I'll be coming back in either the fall or spring so I can stroll through it a bit slower and really enjoy myself!