The Mary Livingston Ripley Garden is a quiet oasis for countless visitors to the National Mall each year. Its unusual curvilinear design—the work of noted Washington, D.C., architect Hugh Newell Jacobsen—along with a profusion of flowers in raised beds, creates a distinctive sense of intimacy and informality. The garden’s ‘goal’ is to expose visitors to a wide variety of plants and inspire people to expand their plant palette. In the garden’s early years, Smithsonian staff transplanted euonymus from the family home of Smithsonian Secretary S. Dillon Ripley in Litchfield, Connecticut, to form the east wall’s espaliers. Today, Smithsonian greenhouse staff produce the garden’s unique hanging baskets and seasonal plants for the flowerbeds.