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N° 129 — December 21, 2022

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


The Arboretum is open every day from 8 AM to 5 PM except December 25th. The Visitor Center and National Bonsai & Penjing Museum will remain closed on Monday, December 26th and will reopen on Tuesday, December 27th.

2022 Reflections

2022 was big year for FONA! The Garden Fair returned, garden-based education was in-person at schools and in the Washington Youth Garden, and thousands of people attended our events and programs.


Check out our infographic to see all FONA accomplished this year! Thank you to all our donors, supporters, and partners who made this year great.


Stay tuned for our full Annual Report coming in early 2023.


2022 In Review >

Photo by Matthew Rakola

Members Make a Difference

Support from FONA members and donors drives our work. Their contributions allow us to support the National Arboretum and provide events and programs for the community. Thank you to all our members — you make our work possible!


Become a member or renew your membership today to support our work and help us build off this year's accomplishments. There is less than two weeks left to lock in 2022 membership rates for another year before they increase on January 1st, 2023.


Join or Renew Your FONA Membership >

There are many ways to support FONA in addition to becoming a member. We welcome gifts of cash/check/credit card, stock and securities, IRA distributions, planned legacy gifts, Combined Federal Campaign (#81610), and more.


See All the Ways to Support FONA >

Arboretum Adventures

Download the Arboretum's mobile app to discover something new during your holiday visit to the National Arboretum. This app features seasonal highlights, self-guided tours, and a map of all the plants in the Arboretum.


Download the Arboretum's mobile app for iOS or Android platforms.

From our Friends: National Bonsai Foundation

Cultivated Stones: Chinese Scholars' Rocks from the Kemin Hu Collection is now available for pre-order. This 152-page book details the recent gift of Chinese stones to the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum. It was published by the National Bonsai Foundation and includes stunning photos and writings curated by Arboretum staff.


Learn More About Cultivated Stones >

Cover from National Bonsai Foundation

Photo from National Bonsai Foundation

A selection of Chinese scholars' rocks from the Kemin Hu Collection is available to view in the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum's Exhibits Gallery until December 31st. See traditional landscape stones, modern stones, and animal-shaped stones. The Museum is open daily from 10 AM to 4 PM, but is closed on December 25th and 26th.


More About the Exhibit >

In Memoriam: Margaret Gibson

Margaret Gilchrist Gibson passed away on November 28, 2022 at the age of 100. Mrs. Gibson and her twin daughters, Jean Mason and Joan Black, were one of the original families involved in the creation of Washington Youth Garden in the 1970s.


Mrs. Gibson and her family lived in the Arboretum neighborhood for many decades until they moved to North Carolina in 2020. They played an active role in building and shaping the Arboretum community through their involvement with the Arboretum Neighborhood Association and Arboretum Recreation Center. We are grateful to Mrs. Gibson for her efforts to build community around the National Arboretum. 


Mrs. Gibson left a wonderful legacy. More than 50 years later, FONA’s Washington Youth Garden is still going strong and engages more than 7,000 DC students each year! 


Read Margaret Gibson’s Obituary >

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

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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