Get a head start on your spring garden at FONA’s Native Plant Sale on Saturday, March 28th from 8 AM to 1 PM at the National Arboretum. Shop for spring ephemerals, choice perennials, and woody plants from a small number of native plant vendors from the mid-Atlantic region. Hill House Nursery, Goodman LLC Native Plants & Conservation Consultancy, Nature by Design, Seven Bends Nursery, and Pollinator Rare Plants will all join us for this sale (these vendors are subject to change). Please note that the Native Plant Sale is much smaller than FONA’s Garden Fair & Plant Sale, which will be held on April 25th this year.

The Native Plant Sale is held in conjunction with the National Arboretum’s Lahr Native Plant Symposium. You don’t need to attend the Symposium to shop the sale. Registration for the Native Plant Sale is preferred but not required. Please let us know you're coming and to receive important event updates.

Register for the Native Plant Sale >

In the spirit of Washington’s Birthday this past Monday, try your hand at this piece of Presidents’ Day trivia: which president established the U.S. National Arboretum?

Answer: The U.S. National Arboretum was established “for purposes of research and education concerning tree and plant life” by the National Arboretum Act, signed into law by President Calvin Coolidge on March 4, 1927. Next year will mark the 100th anniversary of the National Arboretum!

Learn More About the Arboretum’s History >

Last month, the National Arboretum exhibited at the Mid-Atlantic Nursery Trade Show (MANTS) in Baltimore, MD. MANTS is one of the largest trade shows in the American nursery industry, with thousands gathering to connect, source plants, and showcase the latest in horticultural innovation. The National Arboretum team educated attendees about their work conserving plant genetic diversity and delivering science-based solutions to the nursery industry. It was a valuable opportunity to share their research and build relationships with other industry leaders.

Volunteers for FONA’s Garden Fair Committee also attended MANTS to begin preparing for this year’s Garden Fair & Plant Sale. Twelve nurseries in attendance donated more than a hundred plants for FONA to sell at the Garden Fair. We are grateful for plant donations from Adcock's Nursery, Brotzman Nursery, Hawksridge Farms, Hoffman Nursery, Hopewell Nursery, Lancaster Farms, Manor View Farm, McCorkle Nursery, Monrovia, Old Glory Nursery, Piedmont Carolina Nursery, and Youngblood Nursery. These donations will help FONA raise money at the Garden Fair to support our work at the National Arboretum. 

Thank you as well to the team of volunteers and staff who transported all of these plants into the Arboretum’s greenhouses! Volunteers will care for the plants until they are ready for sale at the Garden Fair & Plant Sale on Saturday, April 25th. More Garden Fair information is coming soon. As a reminder, FONA members get exclusive access to shop the Plant Sale early!

Join or Renew Your FONA Membership to Gain Early Access to the Garden Fair >

Spring into School Gardening

D.C. educators, start the growing season off strong at our annual Spring into School Gardening workshop! Join us on Saturday, March 21st from 11:30 AM to 1 PM in the Washington Youth Garden to connect with fellow garden science teachers, get free supplies for your school garden, and receive hands-on training for how to prepare your garden for spring.

Register for Spring into School Gardening >

Don’t miss another issue of the School Garden Gateway newsletter!

Enjoy a quarterly roundup of resources handpicked by our School Garden Support Program team. This collection of gardening tips, lesson plans, and other educational resources will guide you through all four seasons in your school garden.

Sign up for School Garden Gateway >

The small yellow flowers of the Edgeworthia chrysantha pack an incredibly fragrant punch in very early spring. These flowers are borne in round clusters at the tips of cinnamon-brown branches, and are generally yellow, though orange and red cultivars can be found. Paperbush flowers best in full sun, though it can tolerate some shade, and is hardy to USDA Zone 7 (at least one extra-hardy cultivar, ‘Snow Cream,’ is on the market). In the warm months, this well-shaped shrub is adorned with long, attractive gray-green leaves. As its common name implies, the bark fibers from year-old paperbush suckers are used to make some types of Japanese paper, including banknotes and washi paper. Edgeworthia chrysantha flowers have some significance in Japanese poetry, indicating mid-spring, and symbolizing the bond between family members or unexpected feelings. Find paperbush in the National Herb Garden, the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum gardens, or the Camellia Collection.

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. Photos by the National Arboretum.

Events highlighted in purple have member perks like discounts and early access to registration. Donate any amount to become a FONA member!