As our gardens slowly wake up from their winter slumber, Xavier and Emilia of our Garden Team are nurturing over 5,000 baby vegetable seedlings in the greenhouse. They are growing lots of greens like kale, collards, Swiss chard, spinach, and head lettuces, as well as other spring crops like sugar snap peas, onions, and beets. The team is excited to try new things this year, including planting naturally pest-deterring flowers like marigolds.

These sprouts will soon populate garden beds in the Demonstration Garden at the Arboretum and our four partner schools. Our team is also purposefully planting extra seedlings so we can give them to other school gardens around the city and support our entire community having access to fresh food!

Want the power of FONA's programs at your fingertips? Sign up for our new quarterly newsletter and get the best garden resources for teachers created and curated just for you by our Washington Youth Garden team.

Arboretum visitors are welcome to take photographs as they explore the collections and exhibits, but you need a permit if you are taking a photo or video shoot.

Not sure if you need a permit? Check out the Arboretum's website for the full breakdown.

There's lots of ways to connect with the Arboretum this March. Join the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum staff on March 13th, 10 - 11:30 AM for a free demonstration as they repot a 105-year-old trident maple in the "root over rock" style.

Participate in the 34th Annual Lahr Symposium on March 20th, 9:30 AM - 3 PM. This daylong program brings subject matter experts on ecological, botanical, and horticultural advancements in a virtual format. Tickets are $75 ($60 for FONA members).

Or spend a quiet morning of guided meditation in flowering collections. Join FONA for one of our Forest Bathing walks this spring:

Tickets are $35 ($28 for FONA members).

We're celebrating Women's History Month — this week we honor Black women in food and agriculture. This episode from Edible Activist, a podcast based in DC, highlights 10 women growers, farmers, artists, and healers from close to home in the DMV and around the United States. Check out the wonderful work these women are doing!

We want to give credit to Humankind Studio for their help redesigning FONA's website. FONA is incredibly grateful for the wealth of expertise and professionalism Humankind brought to this task. Thank you!