When: closing July 14, 2019
I wasn't really looking forward to seeing this show; it was on my list, so I went to the Postal Museum to see it, but it wasn't with a sense of eager expectation. As it happened, I really enjoyed it. That happens sometimes, a show surprises me by being much better than I think it's going to be. It's what encourages me to go to things I would otherwise skip.
This is a display of stamps featuring flowering plants, which doesn't sound terribly exciting, but the display is so well done that you feel as if you've stepped into a garden. In fact, as you can see a bit in the photo, the Smithsonian Gardens set up a small arrangement of plants at the entrance, and there are garden benches scattered through the show.
Flower stamps are some of the most lovely in the museum's collection, and they are perennial (forgive the pun) favorites among customers. Stamps from the 1960s were the result of Lady Bird Johnson's highway beautification efforts; there have been any number of stamps featuring the cherry blossoms at the Tidal Basin (if you ever visit DC in the springtime, go to see those in person - they are stunning), and in 1992 the USPS released a series of stamps featuring wildflowers from each state.
I loved this quote from Moya Andrews, an Australian gardening expert: "I can satisfy my addiction to flowers even when I mail my bills."
Verdict: A show that provides a colorful respite from the grey days of winter.
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