Smithsonian Gardens

Sometimes weather-weary people want to admire plants indoors – which is where Wardian cases come in. Serendipitously invented by an amateur Victorian naturalist, Wardian cases are like an early terrarium which protect plants and allow them to flourish in otherwise non-ideal growing conditions.
Three of these cases are located at the National Museum of American History, giving visitors a pop of life mixed in with the museum’s historical and cultural objects. Two are located in the LeFrak lobby outside of the Warner Bros. Theatre. The third case is located at the top of the east wing escalators on the second floor. The plants contained within the cases are part of Smithsonian Gardens Nationally Accredited Orchid Species Collection^TM.
The orchids currently on display are listed below.