River Farm Gardens

Author's Comments

Most people drive past the sign on the George Washington Parkway and never turn in. I understand why. There is nothing about the entrance that announces what is waiting at the end of the drive, and that is part of what makes River Farm the kind of place I find myself recommending quietly, almost reluctantly, to people I trust will not overshare. Twenty-five acres of Potomac riverfront, a working headquarters for the American Horticultural Society, and a set of gardens that unfold at a pace most public spaces no longer allow. In April the azaleas and dogwoods take over and the upper lawn becomes something I can only describe as generous - old trees framing the river in the distance, benches placed exactly where you would want to sit, almost no one else there on a Saturday afternoon. I have photographed weddings here. I have photographed no one here. Both felt appropriate. Golden hour is the hour. The light comes in low from across the Potomac and catches the garden beds sideways, which is how gardens want to be photographed. The trees on the upper lawn throw long shadows across the grass and the river reads silver through the gaps. It is not a dramatic landscape. It is a quiet one, and the photographs that come out of quiet places tend to age better than the photographs that come out of loud ones. Entry is free. The gate closes earlier than you would expect, so check before you go. And if you find yourself alone on the lawn with the river going gold behind the oaks, resist the urge to post about it for a little while. Let the place stay the way you found it.

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