Washington Youth Garden has grown and donated 5,700 pounds of fresh food this year to local students and families. It takes our whole team to support our community — we're grateful for the contributions of our garden team, Green Ambassadors, volunteers, and entire FONA staff in this year's growing season.

According to Xavier, our Garden Manager, the most challenging part of this year was fighting pests and maintaining soil health in the organic garden. The team tried new pest control methods in order to reduce their population sizes. The team also found that deep mulch gardening was highly effective in WYG. This soil management technique keeps carbon and nutrients locked into the soil, reduces weeds, and is very easy to implement.

The secret to this year's success? Xavier believes companion planting and succession planting made a huge difference in this year's food production. Companion planting allowed the team to fill as much vertical growing space as possible with plants, while carefully coordinated succession planting maximized the entire growing season. We even grew cucumbers and tomatoes through October thanks to succession planting!

The most rewarding part of this year was seeing so many people enjoy Washington Youth Garden after it was closed to the public in 2020. As our 2021 growing season winds down, the program team is already thinking how WYG can continue impacting students, families, and Arboretum visitors in 2022.

What has FONA accomplished in 2021? This year, FONA strengthened our partnerships and adapted and expanded our programs. Gifts from FONA members and others make all this work possible — thank you!

Check out our 2021 Highlights to get a quick glimpse of our work this year. Our full End of Year Report will be shared in December.

Join us December 11th and 12th from 10 AM to 4 PM for our Christmas Tree Sale & Holiday Market at the National Arboretum.

Pre-order your Christmas tree, wreath, or garland for pickup or delivery. Pick them up (1) at the National Arboretum during our sale on December 11-12, (2) at our partner site in Alexandria, VA before the sale, or (3) have it delivered to your home.

Visit the Procrastinator's Holiday Market — Saturday only! Featuring gifts and goodies from local vendors, family-friendly arts and crafts, and holiday train rides. Give the gift of FONA this holiday and purchase a FONA membership, Washington Youth Garden honey, or a one-of-a-kind Arboretum Christmas ornament.

We're looking for volunteers to help with our Christmas Tree Sale from 10 AM to 4 PM on Saturday, December 11th. We can also arrange for shorter shifts to accommodate your schedule.

The vibrant yellow leaves of ginkgo trees in fall offer a striking contrast to the National Arboretum's landscape. Those found in the Ellipse Meadow near the Capitol Columns and others in the Gotelli Conifer Collection are particularly stunning this time of year.

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

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