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.
The Coffee Pot water tower celebrates Stanton’s Scandinavian cultural heritage as well as the legacy of Stanton-born Virginia Christine, the spokeswoman for Folger’s coffee. The pot is painted in Swedish style with hearts and flowers; it is 35 feet tall and 20 feet wide. It is capable of holding 800,000 cups of coffee (were it actually used as a coffee pot), earning it the title of “World’s Largest Coffee Pot.” High maintenance costs led the town to take the pot down, but it is still on display at the town’s historical society. The replacement water tower is shaped like a cup and saucer. It is 96 feet tall and holds 150,000 gallons of water. Its appearance mimics the Swedish style of the Coffee Pot.
Building materials: bamboo, gourd, kiwi vine, estrella, Harry Lauder’s walking stick, birch bark, acorn cap, leaf pod, mahogany pods and leaves, pistachio shells, coconut, putka pods, grape vine
Copper basket, Potomac Atrium, posted earlier: