As we prepare to step into the new year, we want to take a moment to reflect on some major accomplishments for FONA in 2024:

We hosted 1,800 students on Washington Youth Garden field trips at the Arboretum. This is the highest number of students since before the COVID-19 pandemic.

In June, we completed renovation of the Washington Youth Garden's perimeter fence. Thanks to the support of 147 donors, we raised $173,000 for this project in just 9 months.

A growing number of volunteers donated their time to FONA's community events and programs. Over half of the people who worked these events were volunteers, which balanced demands on our full-time staff and added vibrancy to the events.

We received full regulatory approval for FONA's new tree canopy trail. We hope to start construction on this trail in 2025, which will be located in the forest behind the Washington Youth Garden. Our goal is to give people a new perspective on trees at the Arboretum by bringing them right into the canopy.

We are incredibly grateful for all that we have accomplished in 2024 in support of the National Arboretum and our community. Thank you to everyone who has made this possible! To learn more, please read the end-of-year letter from Craven Rand, FONA's Executive Director, and Martha Van Dale, FONA's new Board Chair.

Read the Executive Letter >

With your support, FONA helps bring the U.S. National Arboretum to life. Donate before the end of the year to support our work and help us finish the year strong!

With a donation of any amount or an additional year-end gift, you will join or renew your FONA membership and receive special perks. You will also join our growing community of supporters!

Donate Today >

Join our team as a Visitor Programs Manager! This full-time, permanent position will coordinate FONA's visitor programs at the National Arboretum, focusing on community events and partnership programs.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis starting on January 6th, with an expected cutoff date of January 20th, 2025. This position is expected to start in February 2025.

Apply for the Visitor Programs Manager Position >

Spend time connecting to nature at the National Arboretum as you reflect on the past year and welcome the new one. The Arboretum is open every day from 8 AM to 5 PM, except on December 25th. The National Bonsai & Penjing Museum is open every day from 10 AM to 4 PM, but is closed on all federal holidays from November through February. Admission and parking at the Arboretum are free.

Learn More About Visiting the Arboretum >

As flowers and colorful foliage are scarce in winter months, gardeners can turn to woody plants with ornamental bark. The red twig dogwood provides a burst of color with its bright red shiny twigs in an otherwise faded garden. It is native to Canada and much of the United States (only absent in the Texas, Florida, and parts of the Carolinas), where it grows freely in moist soil and vigorously spreads through root sprouts.

In the plant trade, it can be found in different sizes and colors, with golden-twigged and variegated varieties as well as compact and dwarf forms. For maximum effect, it should be pruned back in early spring, as the new growth is the most vibrant. In addition to its winter display, Cornus sericea produces attractive blue-white fruit, and its leaves turn vibrant colors in the fall. Find this plant in various sizes and colors in the Dogwood Collection, Fern Valley, or scattered across the National Arboretum grounds.

Kamala Codrington-White, an Agricultural Science Research Technician 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.

Calling all budding horticulturists, scientists, and archivists! The National Arboretum is accepting applications through January 13th for its 2025 internship program.

The Arboretum's internship program offers hands-on work experience at the nation's premier public garden and research facility. Internships vary in length from three months to one year. Horticulture and archive intern positions are based out of the National Arboretum's main campus in Washington, DC. Research interns could work in the Arboretum's facilities in either Beltsville, MD, McMinnville, TN, or Washington, DC.

Horticulture Internship Details >

Research Internship Details >

Archive Internship Details >

New Year's Eve Forest Bathing

December 31, 9 AM, 12 PM, 2:30 PM

Meditation and mindfulness

Add Your Name to the Waitlist >

Spring into School Gardening

Saturday, March 22

Free resources for educators, in WYG

Save the date — more info coming soon

Flowering 5K

Sunday, March 23

Run or walk through collections in bloom

Save the date — more info coming soon

Native Plant Sale

Saturday, March 29

Local native plant vendors, hosted by FONA

Save the date — more info coming soon

38th Annual Lahr Native Plant Symposium

Saturday, March 29

Learn from experts about native plants, pollinators, and ecosystems, hosted by USNA

Save the date — more info coming soon