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N° 166 — September 27, 2023

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

Fall Festival & Bulb Sale this Weekend

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Fall is here and we're ready to celebrate! Join us this Saturday, September 30th from 10 AM to 2 PM for our annual Fall Festival & Bulb Sale at the National Arboretum. This event will take place near the R Street entrance across from Arbor House (see adjacent map).


Register for this event ahead of time to let us know you're coming. Here's what to expect at this year's event:

BULB SALE


We will have 52 different types of bulbs for sale, ranging from alliums to tulips. New this year, we will be selling California Giant Garlic (which is both edible and decorative), six new bulb mixes, and 12 new bulb varieties.


Bulbs are planted in the fall and bloom in spring. They do well planted in the ground or containers, so you don't need a yard in order to grow them.


See Bulb Order List >

Bottom photo by Marie Joabar

FREE FAMILY ACTIVITIES


Our partners DC Child Care Connections will host tons of free family activities during the event. Activities include a falconry demonstration with raptor expert Rodney Stotts, planting demonstrations, nature-based crafts, a book giveaway, and much more. Registration for the family activities is encouraged but not required.


Register for Family Activities >

VENDOR VILLAGE


Shop from 13 local gardening, art, food, and beverage vendors and exhibitors. Get a head start on holiday shopping! Here's who will be there:

Photo by Cultivate the City

TERRARIUM WORKSHOP


Get your hands dirty and learn how to create your very own mini-ecosystem! Experts from Cultivate the City will instruct you through the process of creating a terrarium. All skill levels are welcome! This event costs $30 and includes a standard open top terrarium, with gravel, soil, decorative moss and an air plant or succulent. Registration is required (FONA members email us for the discount code). This event will take place at 1 PM.


Register for the Workshop >

Saturdays in the Garden

Stop by the Washington Youth Garden this fall on Saturdays for volunteer opportunities and free activities.


Saturday volunteer hours are held from 9 AM to 1 PM each week through mid-November. Volunteers provide crucial help with weeding, planting, mulching, and pest control. All ages are welcome to join these regularly-scheduled volunteer days. Teen Volunteer Days are also hosted on October 14th and November 4th for high school aged teens to build community outdoors.


Learn More About Garden Volunteering >

Swing by from 1 PM to 4 PM on Saturdays through November 4th for free drop-in family programs (excluding holiday weekends). We will have fun garden activities for kids to explore the garden and learn about plants.


The Washington Youth Garden is open to the public any time the Arboretum is open. Our staff are always happy to answer questions or offer ideas of what to explore whenever you see them in the garden.

Plant Spotlight

With white berries and variegated foliage, Beautyberry ‘Duet’ (Callicarpa dichotoma forma albifructa ‘Duet’) makes a lovely contrast to plants with dark green foliage. This Arboretum introduction was the first variegated beautyberry that doesn’t revert to green, featuring pale yellow margins and tiny white flowers that bloom in the summer. The white berries ripen in September and are a good source of food for birds and other animals. ‘Duet’ is a low-maintenance and hardy shrub that can tolerate full shade and resist both disease and pests while looking great for most of the year. Find ‘Duet’ in the Court of Honor in the Introduction Garden. 


Kamala Codrington-White, an ORISE fellow at the National Arboretum, shares plants of note at the Arboretum in this new recurring segment. Find these plants on your next trip to the Arboretum this fall (Photo by U.S. National Arboretum).

Photo by the Washington, DC Chapter of Ikebana International

Ikebana at the Arboretum

Experience a special ikebana exhibit honoring the life and art of Sachiko Furlan in the Exhibits Gallery of the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum September 29th to October 1st from 10 AM to 4 PM. Sachiko was a long-time volunteer at both the Museum and the Embassy of Japan, where she created magnificent ikebana arrangements for special occasions. This exhibit is organized by the Washington, DC Chapter of Ikebana International and is free and open to the public.

Upcoming Events

Fall Festival

September 30

Bulb sale, local vendors, family activities

Details & Registration >


Garlic Planting Party

October 28, 11 AM - 2 PM

Fall planting, crafts, and more in Washington Youth Garden

Details & Registration >


Fall 5K

November 12, 9 AM

Run or walk through stunning fall foliage (Members use your discount code)

Details & Registration >

Winter Festival & Tree Sale

December 2, 10 AM - 4 PM

Holiday market, Christmas trees, activities

Details Coming Soon!


Christmas Tree Sale

December 3, 10 AM - 4 PM

Purchase Christmas trees & holiday greenery

Details Coming Soon!


Volunteer in Washington Youth Garden

Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays

Opportunities for individuals, groups, & teens

Details & Registration >


Forest Bathing Walks

Various dates and times

Meditation and mindfulness

Upcoming Dates & Registration >


Yoga in the Grove

Saturdays at 10 AM

Find your flow with Bluebird Sky Yoga

Registration >

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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