Garden Spots in Havana

A couple of weeks ago, I returned from a week in Cuba with the Santa Fe Photographic Workshops. I went to see Cuba before (as one of our group members put it)  “there’s a Starbucks on every corner.” It was an incredible trip, and I’m already planning to return next year if I can.

I didn’t go to photograph gardens, and the photos I took for the most part fell into other themes – architecture, people, cultural events, and the city itself. More of those images later. But to my surprise, there were plants and parks everywhere. Plants on balconies in pots. Lushly planted pocket/plaza parks. Bougainvillea growing up the sides of buildings. And in some cases, ferns sprouting out of cracks in the facades of some of the older, crumbling  but still magnificent edifices that serve as businesses or in-town tenement apartments. While I work on my other images (too many!), here are a few photos of green spaces in Havana.

Bougainvillea growing in the Plaza Cathedral in central Havana.

A variety of pots with tropical plants on the second floor apartments surrounding a square.

More consistency here, but look how large the plants are growing!

Workers setting out new plants (annuals here, probably perennials there) in a small park in a central Havana.

Cubans can be found at any time of day (or night) in the many parks dotting the center of Havana.

This looked like a self-seeded plant (or maybe a container plant) that has been allowed to grow ad infinitum.

Havana residents use their balconies to dry laundry and grow plants.

A rare ‘gated garden’ like you might see in Charleston or Georgetown.

Plants on a balcony above a restaurant spill over and soften the walls.

Inside the US Botanic Garden

Several weeks ago, before the DC area became inundated with snow, a photographer friend had some business to attend to at the U.S. Botanic Garden in downtown DC. The visit entitled her to a parking pass right in front, and she was kind enough to invite me along.

I had forgotten how nice it is to see plants in the winter without having to freeze any part of one’s anatomy off in the process. The Botanic Garden doesn’t allow tripods, so we went armed with high ISO’s and explored various parts of the building, starting with the entry hall.

Azaleas and cyclamen in bloom under a canopy of tropical palms in the entry hall of the US Botanic Garden.

The Garden’s interior spaces are designed to mimic various kinds of climates, ranging from tropical jungles to desert spaces. Along the way, I saw orchids, lots of air plants, misting water (in the jungle area), and birds of paradise. The Children’s Garden and the “Southern Exposure Garden” were “closed for the winter” but would be worth a return visit. If you’re in the DC area, don’t miss this gem, tucked away up near the Capitol. It’s a great place to forget winter and enjoy yourself.

The soaring three-story “jungle” space, viewed from the second level.

The perfect place for a beauty shot.

Bougainvillea ‘Salmon’ in the Jungle Garden

Cymbidium ‘At Sea,’ an orchid on the lower floor of the Jungle.

The smooth gray bark of a ficus tree (I think), reaching stories up in the Jungle Garden.

Misting stations keep the Jungle humid, and are a challenge for the photographer.

Blue and yellow bird of paradise plants, with an air plant “wall hanging” nearby.

More white orchids in the Jungle.

The Desert Garden, with visitors enjoying warmer temperatures than those outside.

Moving out of the Jungle into drier parts of the Botanic Garden, I spotted this Lunaform pot.

Wow, were those azaleas going on a carousel ride?