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N° 148 — May 3, 2023

Enjoy regular updates and insights from FONA, the U.S. National Arboretum, and our award-winning Washington Youth Garden.

Weekend Wrap-Up

Thank you to everyone who attended our Garden Fair & Plant Sale last Saturday! We had a wonderful day celebrating plants and sharing the National Arboretum with over 4,700 people who attended.


Most of all, thank you for supporting our work. Funds raised from events like the Garden Fair & Plant Sale allow FONA to advocate for the National Arboretum, provide youth and adult programs, and build partnerships within the community.


We'd love to hear how we did so we can make this event even better next year. Please fill out our event survey if you attended last weekend's Garden Fair.


Event Survey >

Summer 5K Early-Bird Prices

Early-bird registration for our Summer 5K ends tonight at midnight! When you sign up for the race by midnight (11:59 PM) on May 3rd, registration costs $40 and includes a race t-shirt (see shirt design to the right). Standard registration starting on May 4th costs $55 and does not include a t-shirt.


The Summer 5K will take place on Saturday, June 3rd and will feature:

  • A secure course closed to all cars.
  • A DJ at the start/finish line to pump you up and cheer you on as you finish the race.
  • A professional photographer taking photos along the course. These photos will be shared with all participants after the race for free!
  • A yoga class for runners with Bluebird Sky Yoga at 9 AM after the 5K. The class costs $5 and is geared towards post-running recovery. Sign up when you register for the 5K.


Register for the Race >

Bonsai Activities

The National Arboretum is hosting many bonsai activities and events during the month of May. Come experience the world of bonsai:

Photo from the Potomac Bonsai Association.

Bonsai Festival

May 5th | 9 AM - 4 PM

May 6th - 7th | 9 AM - 3 PM


Enjoy bonsai vendors, demonstrations, and workshops all weekend long. There will also be a juried exhibit of bonsai created by Potomac Bonsai Association (PBA) members for the public to view from May 5th through May 14th. This event is co-hosted by the PBA and the U.S. National Arboretum. Please note, the Beginners Bonsai Workshop requires pre-registration.


Details & Registration >

World Bonsai Day

May 13th | 10 AM - 4 PM


Celebrate the 13th Annual World Bonsai Day at the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum! There will be docent-led tours of the Museum and a children's activity table.

chrysanthemum bonsai

Bonsai Basics: Chrysanthemum Bonsai

Series of Five Classes Beginning May 13th


The horticultural perfection of a bonsai does not have to take decades to accomplish. The

chrysanthemum can be artfully shaped into a bonsai within one growing season. Register for a series of five chrysanthemum bonsai classes, beginning on World Bonsai Day, Saturday, May

13th, 2023, and produce a styled, blooming

chrysanthemum bonsai by November. Registration is $150, read the full event program here. FONA members, use your discount code.


Registration >

Bonsai Film Event

May 13th | 4:30 PM - 7:30 PM


Spend an evening in the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum with special after-hours activities. Enjoy a tour of the Museum, koto music, free sake tastings, and a screening of Bicentennial Bonsai: Emissaries of Peace followed by Q&A with the filmmakers. This film chronicles the historic gift from Japan of 53 bonsai trees to the United States in celebration of its bicentennial, which now live in the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum. Read the full event program here. Registration is $12.50, and you can also pre-order a bento box for $20 to pickup during the event. FONA members, use your discount code.


Registration >

Satsuki Bonsai Exhibit:

Azaleas of Old Japan

May 20th - June 4th


​Colorful cultivars of late-blooming Satsuki azaleas have been hybridized in Japan for hundreds of years. This annual exhibit showcases the Arboretum's most spectacular examples in a two-week indoor display in the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum. Based on individual bloom times, trees may also be displayed in the outdoor pavilions before and after the exhibition. The Museum is open daily from 10 AM to 4 PM.

Food Truck Weekends

We are bringing food trucks to the Arboretum this May! Enjoy lunch or a snack during your weekend visit. A different food truck will be set up next to the Visitor Center from 10 AM to 2 PM on the following days:

  • Saturday, May 6th
  • Sunday, May 7th
  • Saturday, May 13th
  • Saturday, May 20th

FrogWatch

After having to cancel the April FrogWatch event due to inclement weather, we have rescheduled this event for Friday, May 12th from 7:30 PM to 9 PM.


Join the DC Department of Energy and Environment, alongside Living Classrooms Foundation, for a DC FrogWatch event. FrogWatch USA is a national citizen science program of the Akron Zoo that invites individuals and families to learn about the wetlands in their communities and help conserve amphibians by reporting data on the calls of local frogs and toads. Registration is required, tickets are $15.


Registration >

Upcoming Events

FrogWatch

May 12, 7:30 PM - 9 PM

Citizen science frog survey

Details & Registration >


Music in the Meadow:

Cumbia Heights

May 13, 6:30 PM - 9 PM

Evening concert in the meadow

Add Your Name to the Waitlist >


Summer 5K

June 3, 8 AM

Run or walk through collections in bloom, members use discount code

Register for the Race >


Music in the Meadow:

U.S. Navy Band

June 11, 2 PM - 3:30 PM

Afternoon concert in the meadow

Details & Registration >


Springhouse Run Volunteer Days

Various dates and times

Keep the restored stream healthy

Upcoming Dates & Registration >


Forest Bathing Walks

Various dates and times

Meditation and mindfulness

Upcoming Dates & Registration >

The Arboretum is open every day from 8 AM to 5 PM except December 25th.

There is a temporary traffic plan in effect until mid-May that impacts traffic flow and parking throughout the grounds.

Check Our Website for Full Details >

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Friends of the National Arboretum
3501 New York Ave NE
Washington, DC 20002
202.544.8733
FONA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit membership organization with the mission to preserve and enhance a vibrant public space and support experiential programming that instills a love of plants, nature and the outdoors in all who visit, while promoting the overarching research and education mission of the U.S. National Arboretum.

Since its inception, FONA has helped support the Washington Youth Garden, Capitol Columns, Flowering Tree Walk, horticultural and research internships, restoration of Springhouse Run, and much more.

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