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[00:00.04]Placed among the busy streets of Washington, D.C.

[00:05.08]is a large public garden that many Americans have never heard of.

[00:11.68]The U.S. National Arboretum

[00:14.52]includes a collection of flowering plants called azaleas,

[00:19.32]a field of native plants called ferns,

[00:23.24]and flowering trees in the dogwood tree area.

[00:28.80]Government scientists are in charge of the 183-hectare area.

[00:36.32]Their main goal is to strengthen the U.S. economy

[00:40.16]by making sure an important kind of agriculture,

[00:44.64]called the nursery industry, continues to perform well.

[00:50.64]"What we do is support the American nursery industry ...

[00:55.28]which is really one of the largest forms of agriculture,"

[01:00.20]said Richard Olsen, director of the National Arboretum.

[01:06.28]He said that different kinds of agriculture industry

[01:10.68]like ornamental landscapes, horticulture, and turf,

[01:15.76]"... all of that occurs in every county, in every state of the union.

[01:21.72]So, it forms a large portion of American agriculture

[01:26.52]and therefore, an important part of the economy."

[01:31.92]The most recent numbers

[01:33.88]from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, or USDA,

[01:38.96]show that the ornamental and landscape plant industry

[01:44.16]creates $13.8 billion in sales each year.

[01:49.76]The garden was established by Congress in 1927.

[01:55.92]It plays a leading part in researching and developing plants like

[02:01.48]trees, shrubs, flowers, and grasses.

[02:06.44]Olsen called the arboretum

[02:08.80]a "science-based research facility and public garden."

[02:14.20]He said the place has bred or released around 650-plus plants.

[02:21.08]They include more than 450 azaleas for landscaping,

[02:26.32]but also trees like maples, American elms, and hemlocks.

[02:33.04]The arboretum is home to one of the largest collections

[02:37.48]of preserved seeds in the world.

[02:41.24]The National Arboretum Herbarium

[02:43.88]houses around 700,000 example seeds.

[02:49.44]They include seeds from plants

[02:52.04]that the USDA considers as economically important.

[02:58.00]Scientists collect many genetically different seeds

[03:02.20]within a kind of plant from both native and non-native plants.

[03:08.96]The reason for collecting that data

[03:11.68]is to protect plants from harmful situations like

[03:16.16]climate change, changed environments,

[03:19.52]or other new and possible risks.

[03:23.48]Kevin Conrad is a lead plant scientist at the arboretum.

[03:29.32]He said there are examples in USDA history

[03:33.52]where a gene from a plant like wheat or grapes

[03:37.96]has been able to solve a disaster

[03:40.92]or a collapse of an important agricultural crop.

[03:45.92]While the scientists do their work,

[03:48.68]the public is free to explore the arboretum grounds.

[03:53.48]About 600,000 people visit the gardens each year.

[03:59.28]That is a small amount compared to the 25 million

[04:03.76]who visit the monuments and places in the National Mall.

[04:09.60]Although many people may not know it,

[04:12.00]the arboretum has had a hand in developing

[04:16.20]many of the plants that are part of American landscaping.

[04:22.00]Conrad says the goal is to green the landscape.

[04:27.08]And he added, "It's to create a welcoming,

[04:30.56]secure, safe, beautiful, calming landscape for the public."

[04:37.12]I'm Gregory Stachel.

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Words in This Story

garden – n. a public area with many plants and trees

nursery – n. a place where plants (such as trees or shrubs) are grown and sold

occur – v. to happen

portion– n. a part of a larger amount or area

landscape – v. to make changes to improve the appearance of (an area of land)

breed – v. to keep and take care of animals or plants in order to produce more animals or plants of a particular kind

preserve– v. to prevent from decaying

monument – n. a building or statue that honors a person or event