Join the National Arboretum's team! The Arboretum is hiring a Public Horticulture & Engagement Unit Leader at the GS 14 level. This leadership position will guide the development of horticultural and educational displays and exhibits that align with the Arboretum's research and outreach priorities.

This position is based out of the Arboretum's main D.C. campus. Applications will close on September 6th.

Apply for this Job >

Enjoy a beautiful summer evening at the Arboretum this Friday, August 23rd during the final summer extended evening hours. The grounds will remain open to the public until 8 PM. This is free for all, and is made possible by FONA and the Capitol Hill Community Foundation.

Please note that only the R Street entrance will be open for visitors during evening hours.

FONA members can stop by the Member Social in the Ellipse Meadow from 5 PM to 8 PM. Bring a picnic blanket and enjoy free refreshments, a family-friendly activity, and a chance to connect with other members.

This year, 10 new Green Ambassadors and 3 returning crew leaders spent six weeks together in the Washington Youth Garden, around the Arboretum, and throughout the broader D.C. community. Gardening, harvesting fruits and vegetables, cooking, and construction were new skills for many of these high schoolers. Throughout the summer program, they developed and honed these skills and shared the success of their labors with others. The Green Ambassadors hosted two produce distributions to share food from WYG with families in the community. They also built two raised garden beds and completed construction of a large u-shaped bed. They even taught teachers during the Summer Institute about building raised beds, giving teachers the confidence that they, too, can build raised beds at their school.

Mariyah Whitley, Program Manager, was impressed by how hard the Green Ambassadors worked. Gardening in incredibly high heat is an uncomfortable, difficult task, and the Green Ambassadors leaned into the challenge. Mariyah was also struck by how much the Green Ambassadors grew and opened up both as individuals and as a group. Participants themselves noted growth in their ability to assess their strengths and initiative for team work, and to give and receive feedback.  

Success for the Green Ambassador Program is about more than building careers in the environmental field. It’s also about growing an interest and passion for sustainable agriculture and community engagement for whatever the participants go on to pursue in their lives. One participant noted that they "plan to use carpentry to fix things in case of an emergency and incorporate gardening into [their] lifestyle and to give back to [their] community.” Perhaps most notably, all participants left the program with a very high desire to make a difference in their community. We look forward to staying connected and seeing what they do next — maybe you’ll even see them in the future at a FONA event or in the garden!

Have you ever taken a moment to rest on one of the teak benches nestled beside a trail or under a tree at the Arboretum? These commemorative benches not only offer respite to visitors, they also honor loved ones or a special occasion. Each bench is tax deductible and has a custom engraved plaque. A single term is 15 years, though donors can choose to extend this.

While there are benches all over the Arboretum, we are especially excited that some new locations recently opened up in the National Herb Garden. These locations are centrally-located and easily accessible.

Email Us to Learn More >

The common pawpaw is a shade-loving understory tree native to much of the eastern United States and boasts the largest edible native fruit in the country. The fruit is mainly eaten by mammals, and the tree is an important larval host to the Zebra Swallowtail butterfly and the Pawpaw sphinx moth. Ripe fruits are soft and fragrant with an incredibly sweet flavor generally likened to bananas or mangos. Asimina triloba has such tropical flavors thanks to its family, Annonaceae, made up of plants that grow mainly in the tropics, including fruits like soursop and custard apple. Though delicious, they bruise easily and don’t keep very long. They are seldom grown commercially, though they can sometimes be found at farmer’s markets. Several varieties with improved fruit size or production can be found on the market, though make sure to get two plants with different genetics if you want fruit, as they don’t self-fertilize.

Plant pawpaws in your pollinator garden or food forest, though be strategic since the fly- and beetle-pollinated flowers may be a little smelly. Find this plant in Fern Valley, the Washington Youth Garden, or at the far end of the Bonsai and Penjing Museum. Per the Arboretum’s rules, please do not pick the fruit from these trees. Check your local farmer’s market instead to taste the fruit!

Kamala Codrington-White, an ORISE fellow at the National Arboretum, shares plants of note at the Arboretum in this recurring segment. Find these plants on your next trip to the Arboretum. Top two photos by U.S. National Arboretum.

It's time for a bioblitz! From Thursday, September 5th through Sunday, September 8th, join the Anacostia Watershed Society (AWS) for the 2024 Anacostia River Bioblitz.

Using the iNaturalist app, participants act as community scientists to document the species of plants, mushrooms, and animals found in their yard, park, or anywhere in the Anacostia watershed. Participants go at their own pace as they explore on their own. AWS will also host a morning observation session on on Saturday, September 7th with partners and experts. Registration for this session is required, and opens on August 28th.

Learn More & Participate in the Bioblitz >

4th Fridays Summer Evening Hours

August 23, 5 PM - 8 PM

Arboretum grounds stay open to the public

Community Fishing

August 24, 9 AM - 12 PM

Free fishing along the Anacostia

Add Your Name to the Waitlist >

Music in the Meadow: Rochelle Rice

September 6, 7 PM - 8:30 PM

Outdoor concert with jazz, folk, & soul vibes

Purchase a Ticket >

Community Fishing

September 15, 1 PM - 4 PM

Free fishing along the Anacostia

Add Your Name to the Waitlist >

Dinner Under the Stars

September 17, 5:30 PM - 9 PM

Cocktails & tented dinner in the Meadow

Purchase a Ticket or Table >

National Public Lands Day

September 28, 11 AM - 1 PM

Free family activities in WYG

Learn More & Register >

SoulFULL Vegan Fest

October 13, 11 AM - 4:30 PM

Plant-based food, live music, speakers

Learn More & Register >

Bulb Sale & Garlic Planting Party

October 26, 11 AM

Edible & ornamental bulb sale, free family crafts, fall planting in WYG

Save the date — more details to come

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 >