Home > Newsroom > Desert Cactus & Tropical Jungles Bloom in DC’s Downtown this Summer
WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 20, 2023) – More than 50 tree boxes across the Golden Triangle Business Improvement District (BID) are showing off new styles and vegetation, as part of a contest to crown the most creative downtown plantings.
Some of the most unique include a desert landscape and a lush tropical paradise and were announced today by the BID as part of an annual effort to dress up the central office corridors and continue providing new habitats for pollinators.
The BID contest, GLDN+ Streets, runs as a collaboration with the Smithsonian Gardens and features judging from a panel of experts, including Smithsonian Gardens horticulturists Joy Columbus and Sarah Dickert, Amelia Draper of NBC 4, D.C. Deputy Mayor Lucinda Babers, and Luis Marmol of Dumbarton Oaks.
Leona Agouridis, President and CEO of the Golden Triangle BID, says the contest is intended to create a welcoming, educational, and vibrant street scene. “Planting lush and distinct gardens creates a more hospitable environment for urban pollinators and adds beauty downtown. Several gardens also feature signage to educate passersby about pollinators,” Agouridis said.
More than 20 properties across the business district participated in this year’s contest, planting more than 50 tree box gardens that serve as colorful and beautiful showpieces to dress up the office corridor.
The BID began hosting GLDN+ Streets in 2011 to enhance the vibrancy of the neighborhood during the summer. Today the effort continues as a way to embellish spaces that have been changed by the pandemic and the work from home shift.
The five GLDN+ Streets winners – designated as “2023 Judge’s Choice” – are: 1025 Connecticut Ave., 1120 Connecticut Ave., 1150 Connecticut Ave., all owned by Blake Real Estate; and 1875 K St. and 1615 L St., both owned by Carr.
The tree box contest is only one small part of the outdoor activations imagined by the Golden Triangle BID during warmer months. Beginning in July, the BID will be hosting the first ever theatre production in the area, when the Rorschach Theatre produces a show called Angel Number Nine. There is also a Go-Go concert happening on June 22 at 5 pm on Connecticut Ave, just south of Dupont Circle. And GLDN+ TriFit returns on June 28, with outdoor fitness classes happening at 2100 M Street NW from 5:30 to 6:30 pm every Wednesday through July.
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About the Golden Triangle Business Improvement District
Formed in 1998, the Golden Triangle Business Improvement District (BID) enhances Washington, DC’s central business district, the 44-square-block neighborhood stretching from The White House to Dupont Circle. For more information, visit: goldentriangledc.com and connect on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
