For many years the Central Courtyard of the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington has been one of our favourite places to visit. Once inside the museum, it’s easy to find the Central Courtyard, or, to give it its official name, the Kogod Courtyard, named after Robert and Arlene Kogod, philanthropists and art collectors.

The courtyard is a beautiful space with garden beds of ficus and black olive trees, shrubs, and ferns. During the day it is filled with natural light from a graceful glass dome overhead, which shields the area from the weather all year round and maintains a comfortable temperature for the many visitors. This dome also links the American Art Museum to the National Portrait Gallery, making it easy to move between the two museums without going outside, which is great during rain, heat, or chilly December days.

It was during our Thanksgiving trip to visit our family, that we went to the Downtown DC Holiday Market which was situated directly outside the entrance to the American Art Museum. Before browsing the market, we went into the museum for an early lunch – mainly because it was so cold and my fingers and toes were freezing!

There’s a small cafe inside selling a good selection of sandwiches, soup, pastries and more – my favourite is a huge, filled Brioche roll. I give up all hope of watching calories and eating healthy when in DC and pay the price when I get on the scales at home. The cafe opens directly onto the courtyard with plenty of small tables and chairs. Some visitors sit in the courtyard having lunch, others might buy a coffee and sit working at their computers.

The planting in the white marble garden beds is changed from season to season and by far my favourite time to enjoy them is winter, when the planting creates a perfect, wintery display. Wouldn’t it be lovely to have white marble beds in our gardens? On reflection, perhaps not – they belong in a sophisticated space and my garden’s certainly not a sophisticated space!

Events are also held in the Kogod Courtyard – one of the largest event locations in DC and a magical venue when it’s lit at night. But I was there during the day, as a tourist alongside locals and other tourists, enjoying a sandwich, the architecture and the planting.

I’m not sure if the plant in the second photo of the slider below is a Chinese Evergreen (Aglaonema commutatum), I don’t have much any knowledge of indoor plants. So, if I have it wrong, I’m happy to be corrected!

I really loved the Poinsettias on the raised stands! I like how the metal stands blend into the background, with Poinsettias repeated around them. It started me wondering if I could do something similar in one of my garden beds. Getting the planting right would be the main challenge. It’s something I’ll give some thought to, but I wonder if it could possibly work, or would they be too top-heavy and blow over in the wind?

Finally, after getting some food and warming up, we braved the -4C chill and headed back to the Christmas Market to buy some goodies and enjoy the saxophonist playing on the market stage, adding perfectly to the Christmas atmosphere.

Catherine x