New York Times – “The United States has a rich yet relatively unknown tradition of beautiful gardens, said Cindy Brown, the education and collections manager at the Smithsonian Gardens in “Go to the Washington, D.C. Travel Guide.” href=”http://travel.nytimes.com/travel/guides/north-america/united-states/washington-dc/overview.html?inline=nyt-geo”>Washington. “Gardens in this country date back to the 17th century and continue to be an attraction today,” she said, “but most people aren’t aware of how many of them there are and don’t necessarily think of them as destinations.” Ms. Brown, 59, said she hoped that perception would change when the exhibition “Cultivating America’s Gardens,” a collaboration between the Smithsonian Libraries and the Smithsonian Gardens, opened at the National Museum of American History in Washington last month. The show, on display through August 2018, gives visitors a snapshot of gardens in the United States from their beginnings to the present day. Here are edited excerpts from an interview with Ms. Brown…”