We visited the US Botanic Garden’s annual “Season’s Greenings” display titled “Roadside Attractions” featuring plant-based recreations of iconic sights from across the United States, with G gauge model trains chugging around, below, through and above the displays. We also toured the Garden Court with its National Mall buildings and monuments, also all created from more than 70 plant-based materials. I had photographed the Washington exhibit at last year’s show, but found that I missed some of them and also saw that some are a bit different this time around. This year’s display was also very cleverly set up, with many of the roadside attractions spread throughout the conservatory, encouraging people to tour the entire building and not just the room containing the model trains.

We had to wait in line to get into the main exhibit, so I occupied myself with taking pictures of the holiday decorations in the Garden Court. The display opened on Thanksgiving Day, and monitors said until the day we went (Sunday) the lines had stretched all the way around the block and down Independence Avenue. Luckily it took us only about a half hour to get in.

US Capitol made from plant materials, posted earlier: