Enjoy spring at the National Arboretum! We're collaborating with lots of local partners to host exciting activities and events this season, including:

Native Plant Sale

Saturday, March 25 | 8:15 AM - 2 PM

Get a head start on spring and join us for our annual Native Plant Sale, held in conjunction with the National Arboretum's Lahr Native Plants Symposium. This sale will include four vendors selling spring ephemerals and many other choice perennials and woody plants. Registration is preferred but not required for this free event — let us know you're coming.

Details & Registration >

Spring into School Gardening

Saturday, March 25 | 11 AM - 12 PM

Educators, jump start your school garden's spring growing season with supplies and knowledge from Washington Youth Garden. Get free garden supplies such as compost and seedlings, attend a short garden training, and network with fellow educators. Event registration is coming soon — please register to let us know you're coming to this free event.

Garden Fair & Plant Sale

Saturday, April 29 | 9 AM - 4 PM

Celebrate spring with our fantastic array of plants, dozens of local vendors, and family and adult outdoor activities! The plant sale is open exclusively to FONA members from 9 AM to 11 AM, then open to the general public starting at 11 AM (become a member today). All other vendors and activities are open to the public from 9 AM to 4 PM. Registration is preferred but not required for this free event — let us know you're coming.

Details & Registration >

Music in the Meadow

Saturday, May 13 | 6:30 AM - 9 PM

Enjoy a spring evening in the Ellipse Meadow while you dance and listen to music from Cumbia Heights, a DC-based neo-cumbian band. Registration is required to enter the Arboretum for this event. Our suggested ticket price is $25 ($20 for FONA members) and free for children 12 and under, but please pay what you can to attend.

Details & Registration >

Forest Bathing

Various dates & times

Let us guide you in disconnecting from the digital world and reconnecting with nature during this mindfulness experience. Registration is required for these events. Our suggested ticket price is $35 ($28 for FONA members), but please pay what you can to attend. Event registration coming soon!

Volunteer in Washington Youth Garden

Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays

Volunteers at the Washington Youth Garden provide crucial help with gardening tasks such as weeding, planting, mulching, and pest control. You don’t need prior experience, but you must be willing to make friends with the soil and the bugs! Any and all volunteers are welcome, but we greatly appreciate those who can regularly commit to volunteering throughout the growing season.

You can also help with FONA events like our seasonal festivals and 5Ks.

Volunteer Interest Form >

We're hiring a Demonstration Garden Assistant for the 2023 growing season! This part-time seasonal position will work closely with the Garden Managers to support maintenance of Washington Youth Garden. Apply by Friday, March 3rd.

Job Description >

Apply today to be a vendor at our Garden Fair & Plant Sale or other annual festivals! We have a limited number of booths available at these events and spaces are filling quickly.

Vendor Application >

Connecting Cultures: Japanese Flowering Cherries in America

Saturday, March 18 | 1 PM - 4:30 PM

Join the National Arboretum for a half-day program all about Japanese cherry trees. Registration is required and costs $20 ($16 for FONA members).

Details & Registration >

36th Annual Lahr Native Plants Symposium

Saturday, March 25 | 8:15 AM - 2 PM

Learn from native plant professionals about efforts to reestablish beautiful and unusual habitats and how we can successfully manage and design our cultivated landscapes. Registration is required and costs $100 ($80 for FONA members). When registering for the Symposium, please select which concurrent session you would like to attend.

Details & Registration >