N° 244 — April 30, 2025

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

Arboretum Updates

The National Arboretum recently completed two long-awaited and important infrastructure projects at the Washington, D.C. campus.


The brick pathways under the National Herb Garden's arbors were leveled to make them safer and more accessible to visitors. The roots of the plants growing up the arbors had caused the pathway to become cracked and warped over the years. This made the pathway dangerous to walk on and difficult for those with wheelchairs or other accessibility needs to visit. The newly renovated pathways now allow all visitors to enjoy the plants growing on and under these magnificent arbors.

Photo by Dan Jewett, National Arboretum

Photo courtesy of Dan Jewett, National Arboretum

The Capitol Column lights were also recently replaced. Sometimes guests visit the Arboretum during the evening, either for wedding receptions, public extended evening hours, concerts, or other events. These visitors can now appreciate seeing this prominent feature of the Arboretum's landscape illuminated at the top of the Ellipse Meadow.


Completing these projects took time and an incredible amount of coordination from the Arboretum's Facilities Team. Dan Jewett, the Arboretum's Facility Manager and Supervisory Construction Representative, played a crucial role in managing relationships with contractors and ensuring these projects were completed to a high standard.

Community Fishing Next Friday

Registration is now open for community fishing at the National Arboretum on Friday, May 9th from 5 PM to 8 PM. Come fish along the Anacostia River at the Arboretum with FONA and the Anacostia Riverkeeper. No fishing experience is necessary and all ages are welcome to join. Anacostia Riverkeeper will provide all supplies and fishing instruction.


Register for Community Fishing >

Photo by Anacostia Riverkeeper

Don't want to fish? Come enjoy extended evening hours instead! The entire Arboretum will stay open to the public on Friday, May 9th until 8 PM. This is free for all to enjoy, and is made possible by FONA and the National Park Service.

Weekend Wrap-Up

Thank you to everyone who celebrated spring at the National Arboretum with us last weekend! FONA's Board of Directors hosted our first-ever Spring Cocktail Reception in the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum on Friday. Then on Saturday, we hosted our annual Garden Fair & Plant Sale. We greatly enjoyed sharing our love of plants and the Arboretum through these two events.


Please fill out our short event survey if you attended the Garden Fair & Plant Sale. We want to continue to improve our events and appreciate all the feedback you can provide.


Complete the Event Survey >

Garden Fair Gratitude

FONA is incredibly grateful for all of the support we received to make the Garden Fair & Plant Sale possible. Over 80 volunteers helped on Saturday alone. They helped customers find the right plants, directed traffic, managed checkout, wrangled lines and shopping carts, loaded plants into cars, and so much more.


Further, the Garden Fair Committee spent the past four months preparing for this event. This is a core group of volunteers responsible for planning many aspects of the event, particularly the Plant Sale tent. Committee members attended the Mid-Atlantic Nursery Trade Show in January to gather plant donations, ordered plants from wholesalers, and drove to North Carolina to collect plants donated from nurseries. They also spent the week leading up to the Garden Fair unloading, sorting, pricing, and watering thousands of plants.

FONA could not host the Garden Fair & Plant Sale without all of this volunteer support. Thank to everyone who donated your time and energy to make this event happen!


Special thank you to Bartlett Tree Experts for sponsoring this year's Garden Fair & Plant Sale. We are also grateful to in-kind donations from Anonymous (2), Adcock's Nursery, Bell Nursery, Edelweiss Perennials, Far Reaches Farm, Hawksridge Farms, Hoffman Nursery, Monrovia, Old Glory Nursery, Pender Nursery, Plant Delights Nursery, Pleasant Cove Nursery, R.A. Dudley Nurseries, Alan Rudan, Youngblood Nursery, Zanfel.

Bonsai Festival Weekend

The National Arboretum and the Potomac Bonsai Association (PBA) are celebrating World Bonsai Day with a weekend-long festival, Friday, May 9th through Sunday, May 11th! This year's festival is particularly special since it will celebrate the 400th anniversary of the Yamaki Pine, the Museum's most esteemed bonsai.


Festival activities will include free demonstrations, styling presentations, and children's activities. Workshops are sold out, but a number of walkup spaces may be available. Docents will lead tours of the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum, and exhibits will feature trees from the Museum's and PBA members' collections. Vendors will also have lots of bonsai-related items for sale.


Learn More About the Festival >

Save the Date: Dinner Under the Stars

Save the date for Tuesday, September 9, 2025 for FONA's 29th annual Dinner Under the Stars. Attendees will enjoy a wonderful fall evening at the National Arboretum with colleagues, business leaders, and senior staff and officials from Capitol Hill. Stay tuned — more information about the event and how to sponsor a table is coming soon!

Photo by Lissa Ryan Photography

Upcoming Events

Community Fishing

Friday, May 9, 5 PM - 8 PM

Free fishing along the Anacostia

Learn More & Register >


Extended Evening Hours

Fridays, May 9, May 30, June 20, 5 PM - 8 PM

Arboretum grounds day open to the public


Bonsai Festival Weekend

Friday, May 9 - Sunday, May 11

Celebrating World Bonsai Day, hosted by USNA and Potomac Bonsai Association

Learn More >


Mother's Day Forest Bathing

Sunday, May 11, 9 AM - 11 AM

Meditation and mindfulness

Learn More & Register >

The Arboretum is open every day from 8 AM to 5 PM except December 25th. Last admittance to the grounds is at 4:30 PM.

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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