Over 2,000 people attended our Winter Festival and Christmas Tree Sale this past weekend! Thank you to all who joined us in celebrating the holidays, supporting local vendors and crafters, and building community at the National Arboretum. These events are major fundraisers for FONA, and help us connect people to nature at the Arboretum.

The Winter Festival was our last community event for 2023, but save the date for FONA's Garden Fair & Plant Sale on Saturday, April 27th, 2024. The annual spring festival is even bigger than the Winter Festival!

Please fill out our event survey if you attended the Winter Festival and/or the Christmas Tree Sale. We want to continue to improve these events and appreciate all feedback.

Event Survey >

If you stopped by FONA's table during the Winter Festival, you might have tried guessing the weight of a cushaw squash. This particular squash was grown in the Washington Youth Garden, FONA's one acre demonstration garden at the Arboretum.

The cushaw squash (Cucurbita argyrosperma) was domesticated thousands of years ago by Indigenous Americans in tropical Central America. Also known as the "sweet potato pumpkin," the cushaw squash remains a staple ingredient for many Indigenous nations in the southwestern United States. It is also used in dishes throughout the southeastern U.S., southern Appalachia, and Louisiana.

Stop by the Washington Youth Garden during the growing season and discover other culture crops that you can grow in your own garden!

The restrooms near the Grove Parking Lot and Asian Collections Parking Lot will close for the season on Monday, December 11th. They will reopen again in the spring. The restrooms in the Visitor Center and Arbor House will remain open through the winter.

This week, we want to share our gratitude for FONA's members. As a member-driven organization, FONA members are a crucial part of our community.

Members enabled us to fund seven horticulture and research internships at the National Arboretum. They also made it possible for us to connect over 16,000 people to plants and nature this year through community events and programs. The support of our members allows us to think towards a stronger, brighter future at the National Arboretum. Thank you to all our members for making our work possible!

Visit our website if you would like to learn more about becoming a FONA member or how to gift a FONA membership.

Learn More About FONA Memberships >

Plant materials can be a great addition to any Christmas tree and holiday decor. Stop by the National Arboretum's Visitor Center lobby to get inspiration on how to use natural material from your garden when decorating this year!

Many of these botanical adornments were collected from the Arboretum and turned into decorations by Arboretum staff. A special thank you to Kevin Conrad, Kamala Codrington-White, John Shearin, Erin Holden, Taylor Cammack, Bradley Evans, and others who selected and decorated these trees.

Forest Bathing Walk

Sunday, December 31, various times

Meditation and mindfulness

Details & Registration >

Native Plant Sale

Saturday, March 23, 2024

Local native plant vendors

Save the date — details to come

Spring into School Gardening

Saturday, March 23, 2024

Free resources for educators, in WYG

Save the date — details to come

Flowering 5K

Sunday, March 24, 2023

Run or walk through collections in bloom

Save the date — details to come

Garden Fair & Plant Sale

Saturday, April 27, 2024

Plants, vendors, and activities

Save the date — details to come