We're celebrating Women's History Month! This week we honor the women who have paved the way in botany and public horticulture throughout our history.

From the traditional ecological knowledge Indigenous women have cultivated and preserved for generations, to the historical role garden clubs have played in women's civil rights, to the essential contributions of Black women in American botany and conservation — women have played an essential role in shaping horticulture. This article from the National Wildlife Foundation walks you through this history and introduces you to these women pioneers.

Soak in spring this month with a morning of guided meditation in flowering collections. Join FONA for one of our Forest Bathing walks this March:

Tickets are $35 ($28 for FONA members). We've even got a special raffle just for our March forest bathing participants!

Join the Holden Arboretum tomorrow evening for the next installment of their Growing Black Roots virtual lecture series. Every month, this series dives into the historical legacy of Black botanists from a broad range of botanical disciplines and highlights pathways towards diversity and inclusion in botanical sciences.

This Wednesday, March 10th at 7PM, Dr. Beronda Montgomery from Michigan State University will share her path in plant biology, the key points that have furthered her research of plant photobiology, and opportunities to learn new skills and engage in mentoring and leadership.

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

Flowering apricot blossoms are bringing the sweet scent of spring to the National Arboretum! These blossoms appear in late winter and early spring and precede cherry blossoms.

How can you tell the difference between the two species? Apricot blossoms have rounded petals and a heady scent, while cherry blossoms have spiky ends and a more delicate fragrance.

Want to find these blossoming beauties at the Arboretum this week? Use the Arboretum's App for iOS or for Google Play!

Looking for blooms closer to home this spring? DC has an incredible diversity of flowering trees — and Casey Trees has mapped them all! Check out their interactive Flowering Tree Map and enjoy the flowering trees your local neighborhood has to offer.