The U.S. Botanic Garden, in collaboration with Smithsonian Gardens, will present Orchid Mystique: Nature's Triumph - the 17th annual orchid exhibit, February 18-April 29 in the Conservatory Garden Court and East Gallery. The popular show will feature orchids from around the globe and will observe the 100th anniversary of Japan's gift of cherry blossoms to Washington. To that end, the orchids will be presented in settings evocative of Japanese gardens. It has been said that “the tranquility of the Japanese aesthetic invites appreciation of the beauty, form and exquisite floral complexity of nature's most diverse plant family.”
Brookside Gardens in Wheaton, MD will present a daylong symposium dedicated to sustainable horticulture titled Green Matters: Urban Farming Pioneers on Friday, February 24. The food-focused symposium will highlight innovative approaches to feeding the world's population. The featured participants will be:
Dickson Despommier, Columbia University Emeritus Professor and author of The Vertical Farm: Feeding the World in the 21st Century, Darrin Nordahl, landscape architect and author of Public Produce, Ben Flanner, Head Farmer/CEO and co-founder of the Brooklyn Grange rooftop farm, and Jeff Semler Maryland State Coordinator of Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education
The symposium promises “to kindle your inner urban farmer and entice you to think about food production in wholly different ways.”
