Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens, a 12-acre national park in Northeast devoted completely to water plants, is miles away from Washington’s most popular tourist attractions.
Nevertheless, it shouldn’t be missed, says Barbara Seeber , author of “A City of Gardens,” which includes a chapter on the Kenilworth gardens.
“It’s a very unique, beautiful place. It’s the only national park in the country devoted entirely to the study of aquatic plants and wetlands ecology,” Ms. Seeber says. “In July and August, when the water lilies and lotuses are blooming, it’s just incredible.”
To highlight this floral peak, the gardens put on an annual water lily and lotus festival. This year it will take place Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. It will feature tours of the pond and greenhouse (normally not open to the public), a photography contest, a puppet show, face painting and gardening workshops.
Also featured this year will be the Festival of Lotus & Asian Cultures, sponsored by local Korean groups. The lotus festival will include lotus tea tasting, meditation sessions, flower arrangement and archery demonstrations as well as a drawing contest for children.
“Last year we had 1,500 visitors, but with the addition of the lotus festival, we’re hoping for around 2,000,” says Deborah Kirkley, park ranger at Kenilworth. “I think kids especially enjoy the face painting and the puppet show.”
The gardens consist of about 45 ponds, which, this time of year, are full of blooming water lilies and lotuses in white, pinks and reds. The visitors center, near the entrance to the gardens, provides information on the different types of plants and supplies visitors with maps.
One of the largest water lilies is the Victoria, named after Queen Victoria of England. It has an entire pond devoted to it. Its flowers are up to 15 inches wide, and each pad is large enough “that a child could lie down on it,” Ms. Seeber says.
Water lilies bloom for three to 14 days, opening and closing with the change of light. Some bloom in the evening and some at night. The water lily family’s formal name is Nymphaea, referring to the graceful female spirits of ancient myths who lived in lakes and rivers.
The lotuses, which at Kenilworth are not quite as numerous as the water lilies, rise tall above the water. In a pool next to the visitors center are some East Indian lotuses. They are in direct descension from ancient plants whose seeds were recovered from a Manchurian lake bed. The seeds are up to 960 years old, according to the National Park Service.
The gardens also have a rich animal life, which includes frogs, snakes, turtles, beavers and geese, Ms. Kirkley says.
“Sometimes the kids get scared when they see the dragonflies. There’s lots of them, and they’re quite large,” she says. “But then we tell them they eat mosquitoes, and the kids don’t have a problem with them anymore.”
Not all animals, however, do only good in the garden.
“We have two beavers, and they love to eat the roots of the water lilies,” Ms. Kirkley says.
Another staple of the gardens is a snapping turtle named Buster.
Beyond the gardens to the west and north are remnants of the marshes that dominated the Anacostia River before Washington was built. They can be accessed by trails and a winding boardwalk equipped with benches for visitors, be they birders or those inclined to meditate.
“It’s very peaceful. You don’t expect to find a place like this in the middle of Washington, D.C.,” Ms. Kirkley says.
As far as the eye can see there are marshes, trees and water. No buildings or other man-made structures are visible from most parts of the boardwalk. The only reminders of modern civilization are the occasional sirens and the constant white noise of surrounding expressways.
This must have been similar to how it looked when Civil War veteran Walter B. Shaw bought the land in 1880 and started propagating water lilies, Ms. Kirkley says. He soon had thousands of lilies and started selling them, she says.
Then, in the 1930s, the gardens were threatened; the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was going to dredge the river. The Interior Department stepped in and bought the property in the late 1930s, which helped preserve the area for future generations to enjoy.
Ms. Kirkley says this is what she hopes families will do — enjoy, while learning a thing or two about the gardens.
“I hope they will learn about the marsh ecology and enjoy seeing all the blooming water lilies and lotuses,” Ms. Kirkley says, “and I guess I hope they will develop an appreciation for nature.”
When you go:
Location: Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens, 1550 Anacostia Ave. NE.
Directions: From Virginia, take Interstate 295 and get off at the Quarles/Eastern Avenue exit. Make a quick left onto Eastern Avenue and then another quick left onto Kenilworth Avenue. Go one block and make a right onto Douglas Street and another quick right onto Anacostia Avenue. The gardens and parking lot are on the left. From Washington, take Route 50 east. Merge onto I-295 south. Take the exit for Eastern Avenue and the Aquatic Gardens. Continue straight a short distance and then turn right onto Douglas Street and take another quick right onto Anacostia Avenue. The gardens are on the left.
Hours: 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily.
Admission: Free.
Information: 202/426-6905 or www.nps.gov/nace/keaq.
Notes: Bring good walking shoes, food and water. There are plenty of shaded picnic tables, but no vending machines or food service on-site or nearby. There is a water fountain near the visitors center. Count on a tour of the gardens taking at least one hour. If visitors choose to go to the boardwalk and marsh trails, that can add another hour to the tour.
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