Mary Livingston Ripley Garden

Marie Nesius, KC Master Gardener 2004

On a cold and brisk morning walk around the mall in Washington, D.C. during the third week in April, long before our Charleston gardens were blooming, I discovered the Mary Livingston Ripley Garden. Tucked between the Arts and Industry buildings of the Smithsonian, the garden was created in 1988 in honor of Mary Livingston Ripley, founder of the Smithsonian Women's Committee.

Nestled under the canopy of mature trees, this garden enchanted me with its serpentine paths and blooming plants. I had actually been walking toward the building dedicated to tropical plants when I was stopped in my tracks by a magnificent, gnarly Corylus avellena 'Contorta', Harry Lauder's Walking Stick, so big I could walk right under it. Other large trees included, according to the markers, Acer palmatum ‘Sango-kaku’, coral bark maple; Acer griseum, paperbark maple; several Ulmus americana, American elm; Cupressus arizonica, Arizona cypress; Oxydendrum arboreum, sourwood; Thuja occidentalus 'Lutea', American arborvitae; Juniperus virginiana, eastern red cedar; Chamaecyparis pisifera, threadleaf falsecypress; and Chamaecyparis obtusa, hinoki falsecypress. The trees were so tall they didn't hinder the bloom of the
plants under them, creating instead dappled shade in which most plants seemed to be flourishing. Other trees, like the Chionanthus virginicus, fringe tree, enhanced the plants under them that included Narcissus var., large - cupped daffodil; Hostas var.; Rumex sanguineus 'Astrosanguineus' bloody sorrel or dock; Geranium macrorrhizum, bigroot geranium; Helleborus x hybridus, Lenten rose; Brunnera macrophylla 'Hadspen Cream’, siberian bugloss; Polypodium cyrtomium fortunei Japanese holly fern; Allium albopilosum (syn. A. cristophii), Star of Persia;

Pulmonaria, lungwort; and Arisaema sikokianum, Gaudy Jack.

Lining both the inner and outer curves of the serpentine walk were tulips, massive plantings of a variety named 'Lilac Perfection' under-planted with Viola ‘Purple Duet.' Other tulips, not named, were in shades of white, red and salmon. Colorful pansies were everywhere as were plantings of Polygonatum oderatum, Solomon's seal; Muscari armeniacum ‘Liliaceae', grape hyacinth; Tiarella cordifolia 'Spanish Cross', foamflower; Euphorbia cyparissias, euphorbia; Cotoneaster dammeri 'Strieb's Finding', bearberry cotoneaster; Phlox var.; Galium oderatum, sweet woodruff; and Sarcococca, sweet box. Plantings included several varieties of cranesbill geranium: Geranium phaeum 'Samobar', Geranium sanguineum striatum (syn. Lancastrians) and Geranium endressi.

Shrubs and vines were abundant and varied as the many perennials and bulbs. These included Mahonia aquifolium, Oregon grapeholly, Mahonia bealei, leatherleaf mahonia, a huge multi-trunked Viburnum plicatum var. tomentosum, doublefile viburnum; Syringa microphylla 'Superba’, littleleaf lilac; Hydrangea 'Nigra', black-stemmed hydrangea; and Berberis thunbergii ‘Crimson Pygmy’, Japanese barberry.

Interspersed throughout were garden benches, a fountain, and tall light posts - all designed to make this charming addition to the mall user-friendly.

When I made this wonderful discovery at eight in the morning I was alone (and cold). When I returned around nine with my camera and notebook, I was accompanied by workers who were cleaning the debris from the previous day. By ten that morning, tourists were wandering the path and taking pictures, locals were walking their dogs, and children were playing tag.

One of the things that intrigued me about this garden was the fact that so many of the plants were in bloom. When we left Charleston, most of my plants, except for many of my daffodils had not bloomed. The D.C. garden was filled with blooming plants and shrubs, some of which I have located here, bought, and planted in hopes of creating my own enchanted garden. The names I have included were copied from the markers, when there were markers, and didn't seem to always follow a particular order. This is a truly memorable garden and I encourage you to view the garden in person the next time you are in D.C.