A Delightful and Serendipitous Find on the Way to Washington, DC: The Lewis Gintner Botanical Garden

A Delightful and Serendipitous Find on the Way to Washington, DC:  
The Lewis Gintner Botanical Garden

April 16, 2019

We spent a forgettable night somewhere between Charleston and Washington and set off this morning for the Capitol City.  North of Richmond, Virginia we stumbled upon a most delightful and memorable place: The Lewis Gintner Botanical Garden.  The property was once Powhatan Indian hunting ground and was owned by Patrick Henry.  Lewis Ginter was a properous Richmond businessman, who purchased nine acres in 1895.  I was never able to learn how it became a botanical garden, however.

A view of the Richmond Skyline






A lovely Latina celebrating her quinceañera 




Tulips and daffodils were in abundance.  I loved the careful planting of complimentary colors in each of the beds we passed.  There were volunteer gardeners out in abundance working to plant new flower beds.  I would love to visit in the summer to see the rose gardens in bloom.










I had no idea that butterflies like fruit.  I may put some sliced oranges out this summer to attract them!



The butterfly house was a special treat.  There were many children in the house with us.  I loved this little boy's curiosity as he examined one specimen with his magnifying glass.




We spent a long time in the orchid house.  Such a riot of colors and shapes!  They hung over our heads and sprang from crevices in the stone walls.


The roots of a tree and the stone path through and around those roots.  The beauty and power of nature at work.




Here Jeff is playing with a giant kaleidoscope.  He called me over and had me put my phone on the lens to take a couple of videos.  If I ever figure out how to add video to this blog, I will add them.  How beautiful and amazing it was!



I loved this forest of bamboo outside the Japanese teahouse.  A brook babbled along, emptying into a lovely pond in front of the teahouse, which was closed for some sort of upcoming private event.

We spent a couple of hours exploring the gardens before enjoying a delicious lunch in their garden cafe.


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