Botanic

Botanic

Gardens

From Page A1

of my life,” said Ms. van Dort. “We were working with all these beautiful flower and decorations in the midst of an unsettling near panic atmosphere in the middle of Washington. More than once we wondered what in the world were we doing there instead of being back home in Rappahannock.”

Their carefully laid plans were out the window. Packages of floral material were impounded for weeks, bomb-sniffing dogs inspected everything coming into the building, and the swarms of security personnel throughout the building complicated their work. Security was so tight that even Mss. Crocker, McCarthy and van Dort were fingerprinted as a condition of working in the building.

But it was worth it according to Ms. McCarthy, “Despite a veryf difficult and troubling time, the can-do spirit and enthusiasm of everyone involved made this project something much bigger and more satisfying than we could have ever dreamed. It was a real privilege Fll remember forever.”

The decorations recall the gifts of nature and the joys of our American heritage. The designs, simple and elegant, work in concert with the architecture of the early 20th century building. Grand masses of greenery enhanced with shooting stars, large formal boxwood wreaths, custom-designed cone and nut topiaries provide a grand seasonal spirit. Huge topiary bears befriend birds and other small creatures in a peaceful gesture. A magnificent 22-foot Fraser Fir is decorated with fanciful creatures, large and small and encircled by a large scale model train and 250 feet of track. Opossum, beaver, otter, fox and others made from natural materials peek out from behind branches and ornaments. Over it all a hand carved American Bald Eagle by local artist Ibm Mullaney takes flight.

In another area the designs are more sophisticated, recalling the more formal aspects of the botanic garden. Winter and Summer are combined as a “frozen garden” with sparkling branch