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N° 206 — July 24, 2024

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

FONA 4th Fridays

Evening at the National Arboretum is a magical time that few get to experience. Come see this magic for yourself this Friday, July 26th during the next Summer Evening Hours. The grounds will stay open to the public until 8 PM. This is free for all, and is made possible by FONA and the Capitol Hill Community Foundation.


FONA members can stop by the Member Social from 5 PM to 8 PM, located on the road between the National Herb Garden and the Visitor Center. Enjoy refreshments, a family-friendly activity, and a chance to connect with other members. This social is a free, drop-in opportunity for all FONA members!

Botanical Legacies: Breeding Bigger Blueberries

Before 1916, the only blueberries available to eat were those foraged from lowbush wild blueberries. Thanks to a lucky partnership between Elizabeth White, a New Jersey cranberry farmer, and Dr. Frederick Coville, a USDA botanist studying blueberry growth requirements, the modern blueberry was born.


White provided the highly acidic agricultural land that blueberries preferred, as well as local knowledge and connections to the best wild blueberry specimens. Dr. Coville provided the botanical research acumen. After five years of cross-breeding wild blueberry specimens, White and Coville cultivated and sold the first containers of domesticated blueberries at market.


While Elizabeth is toted as being the "Blueberry Queen," and Dr. Coville as "the father of the blueberry," some might know Dr. Coville by another title — the first director of the U.S. National Arboretum.


Learn More About this Fruitful Partnership >

Photo courtesy of Whitesbog Preservation Trust

Build Your Legacy

Did you know that August is “National Make-A-Will Month”? It’s a reminder for all of us to pause and take time to consider our legacy and plan ahead for the people, places, and causes that we care about. We at FONA have partnered with FreeWill, a free online resource that allows you to make or update your will in 20 minutes or less. 


If you choose to include a gift to FONA in your will, you’ll be invited to join FONA’s Heritage Society, a dedicated group of individuals who share a love of plants, science, and nature.


You can also make your legacy part of the future of the Arboretum through FONA’s commemorative bench program. This is a wonderful way to honor a loved one or special occasion while also providing a beautiful place of respite and reflection for Arboretum visitors.


Start Your Arboretum Legacy >

Into the Garden

Have you been thinking about volunteering in the Washington Youth Garden but haven't given it a try yet? August is the perfect time to do it! As many FONA staff and regular volunteers go on vacation in August, we are looking for some extra volunteer garden help.


No prior gardening experience is necessary. We'll provide all the tools and instruction — all you need to do is come willing to make friends with the soil and the bugs! Volunteering in the garden is a great way to give back to FONA, connect with other nature-lovers, and learn cool gardening tips and tricks to bring back to your own vegetable garden.


Complete Our Volunteer Interest Form >

Dinner Under the Stars

Join us on Tuesday, September 17th for our 28th annual Dinner Under the Stars! Mix and mingle with friends, colleagues, business leaders, and government representatives under the light of a full moon. Enjoy cocktails in the National Herb Garden and a tented, seated dinner in the Ellipse Meadow against the backdrop of the Capitol Columns.


Reserve your table or tickets before they're gone! Last year this event sold out by mid-August.


Reserve Your Spot at the Dinner >

Upcoming FONA Events

4th Fridays Summer Evening Hours

July 26, 5 PM - 8 PM

August 23, 5 PM - 8 PM

Arboretum grounds stay open to the public


Community Fishing

August 24, 9 AM - 12PM

Free fishing along the Anacostia

Save the date — registration coming soon!


Music in the Meadow: Rochelle Rice

September 6, 7 PM - 8:30 PM

Outdoor concert with jazz, folk, & soul vibes

Save the date — registration coming soon!

Dinner Under the Stars

September 17, 5:30 PM - 9 PM

Cocktails & tented dinner in the Meadow

Purchase a Ticket or Table >


Fall 5K

November 10, 8:30 AM

Run or walk through stunning fall foliage

Race Registration >


Forest Bathing Walks

Various dates and times

Meditation and mindfulness

Upcoming Dates & 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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