A national azalea garden in Washington, D.C.

Part of the azalea collections at the U.S. National Arboretum/By Patricia Leslie

Lavenders at the U.S. National Arboretum/By Patricia Leslie

Azaleas at the U.S. National Arboretum/By Patricia Leslie

A haven for peace and nature seekers who want greens on the grounds which rise towards the sky and provide beautiful natural color can be found within the city limits of Washington, D.C. at the  National Arboretum.

Look, look!  

A beauteous site of hillside azaleas may still be in bloom by the time you read this, spreading their pale colors hither and yon to soothe a weary soul. 

At the U.S. National Arboretum/By Patricia Leslie

Part of the azalea collections at the U.S. National Arboretum/By Patricia Leslie

Lavenders at the U.S. National Arboretum/By Patricia Leslie

A forest of color at the U.S. National Arboretum/By Patricia Leslie 

Can you find the frogs at the U.S. National Arboretum?/By Patricia Leslie

Azaleas of all colors at the U.S. National Arboretum/By Patricia Leslie

Azaleas at the National Arboretum/By Patricia Leslie

Azaleas at the U.S. National Arboretum/By Patricia Leslie

Wandering the azalea paths at the U.S. National Arboretum/By Patricia Leslie

If you're a guest or member of St. John's Episcopal Church at Lafayette Square, you may join others to partake in a eucharist right in the center of it all and praise God for these heavenly surroundings. 

The National Arboretum brochure says its staff planted more than 15,000 azaleas on Mount Hamilton in 1946-47 which is the Arboretum's highest point at 240 feet and one of the highest elevations in the District of Columbia, offering a view of the U.S. Capitol, two miles west.

Landscape artist B.Y. Morrison arranged the cascading symphony, stacking colors and timing  blooms. 

Azaleas are not solo greens which thrive here, but they are joined by dogwoods, ornamental cherry trees, magnolias, boxwoods, and many more examples of nature's bounty.

Merriam-Webster says "arboretum" is "a place where trees, shrubs, and herbaceous plants are cultivated for scientific and educational purposes."

The Arboretum's website (which hasn't been updated since 2017 [budget cuts, you understand]) says the garden was established in 1927 by an act of the U.S. Congress. It operates under the umbrella of the Agricultural Research Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture

The park has 451 acres and 9.5 miles of winding roadways.  The visitor count is about 600,000 annually.  Garden clubs and volunteers help maintain the galleries where  research, development and education are ceaseless.  

Yes, you can get married here and celebrate other festivities, too. See the website. 

An azalea forest at the U.S. National Arboretum/By Patricia Leslie

Azaleas at the U.S. National Arboretum/By Patricia Leslie

The colors are a welcome sight from the browns and greys of winter. Can you smell their fragrance? Anything this lovely must smell good but they have none. Not needed!/By Patricia Leslie

 They could be ballerinas dancing in tutus at the U.S. National Arboretum/By Patricia Leslie

In the distance at the Arboretum are the National Capitol Columns which formerly stood at the U.S. Capitol 1828-1958 but were moved in 1958 for the Capitol's expansion and because of a design flaw/By Patricia Leslie

Twenty-two National Capitol Columns now at the U.S. National Arboretum/By Patricia Leslie

A plaque describes the efforts for 30 years by Arboretum friend and benefactor, Ethel Shields Garrett, to have the Columns permanently placed at the Arboretum. For years the Columns lay in storage and were dedicated here in 1990/By Patricia Leslie

The first inauguration of President Abraham Lincoln with the National Capitol Columns, March 4, 1861/Library of Congress, Wikimedia Commons, Alexander Gardner, possible photographer

The plaque dedicated to Ethel Shields Garrett at the National Capitol Columns/By Patricia Leslie

Two of the original 24 Capitol Columns are damaged and lay in the Arboretum's azaleas gardens nearby/By Patricia Leslie

The National Capitol Columns at the U.S. National Arboretum/By Patricia Leslie

The National Capitol Columns at the U.S. National Arboretum/By Patricia Leslie

You may find as did I the sudden surprise of large columns rising from the ground on a vacant piece of hillside which captivate sight and incite wonder about their locations here.

It's how the stars are lit at night
     and how the dew drops glisten
     How evening shadows mock the light
     and it's how the silence listens

     From the gentle sway of trees
     that bid such fond adieu
     Songs in a summer breeze
     a voice so clear, so true

     The glory of such symmetry
     so more than fills the eye
     To the beauty of such poetry
     this hopeful heart draws nigh

     In natural peace all love is born
     To live and thrive each blessed morn

"Nature's Gift," Charlie Smith, March 14, 2017

What:  The National Arboretum

Where:  3501 New York Ave., NE, Washington, D.C. 20002

When:  Open 7 days/week (except Christmas Day), 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Admission:  It's free!

Information:  www.usna.usda.gov and 202-245-2726

patricialesli@gmail.com