LOCALevents

Classes, Events, and Plant Shows/Sales

• Thursday, August 25, 10:30–11:15am Intro to Seed Saving (Online Discussion) Seed-saving is an affordable way to cultivate variety and preserve heirloom plants in your garden, but how do you do it? Join Amanda Helin, a gardener at the U.S. Botanic Garden, as she discusses the basics of seed-saving, answers questions, and helps you get started with this age-old practice. Free to attend. Pre-registration required at https://www.usbg.gov/.

• Thursday, August 25, 6:30–8pm Garden Book Club We will discuss Garden Variety by Christy Wilhelmi. (You can order it new or used at our Amazon link: https://amzn.to/31jvN8V or at our Bookshop store: https://bookshop.org/ a/79479/9780063113480.) To join us on Zoom, pre-register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIlcuqprD4jEtBQCPV_ EZL8MMC7hsSyUXFu. The Washington Gardener Magazine’s Garden Book Club meets quarterly via Zoom and is free and open to all.

• Friday, August 26, 10–11:30am Fall Lawn Care Fall is the ideal time to restore coolseason grass, the most common turfgrass grown on lawns in our area. Virginia Extension Master Gardener Joyce Hylton describes how to improve lawns and the underlying soil, and outlines steps for ensuring a beautiful, weed-free lawn, with an emphasis on sustainable practices and minimizing the impact on our native pollinators and wildlife. Live online talk. Free. More details at https://MGNV.org.

• Sunday, September 4, 12:30–1:30pm Garden Photo Show Opening Washington Gardener invites you to the opening reception of our garden photo show at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens in Vienna, VA. Free and open to all. • Saturday, September 10 Members only 8–9am Public 9am–4pm* Friends of Brookside Gardens Annual Fall Plant Sale Choose from a variety of perennials, shrubs, and trees—including many native plants. Proceeds benefit Brookside Gardens. The plant list and details to be posted in late August. Find out more at http://www.friendsofbrooksidegardens.org. *Note that the sale is open while supplies last.

• Saturday, September 17, 9am–3pm Family Fall Festival & Plant Sale The festival, held at Green Spring Garden, will have activities for the entire family, including classes for children and adults, a silent auction, a book sale, and a bake sale. Vendors will be selling a large variety of plants and other items. Admission is free. Sponsored by the Friends of Green Spring (FROGS). For more information, contact Green Spring at 703-642-5173.

•Saturday, September 17, 6:30pm The American Horticultural Society’s 100th Anniversary Gala “A Great American Garden Party” Join the society for cocktails and dinner overlooking the Potomac River, then enjoy drinks, dessert, and dancing under the stars. Inspired by the quintessential American garden party tradition of strolling and celebrating among brilliant flowers and spectacular views, they are hosting an epic evening marking the American Horticultural Society’s historic headquarters success in being able to remain open to the public forever. Purchase tickets at https://ahsgardening.org/.

Looking Ahead

• Saturday, September 24, 1–4pm Uncommon Evergreen and Deciduous Azaleas Plant Sale Conducted by the Northern Virginia Chapter of the Azalea Society of America (NV-ASA). All sales will be outside the Kirkwood Presbyterian Church, 8336 Carrleigh Parkway, Springfield, VA. See details at www.nv-asa.org/sale. • Saturday, October 1, 10am–2pm USNA Fall Festival & Bulb Sale Unique bulbs and family activities. More details online soon at FONA.org.

• Thursday. October 20, 6:30–8pm Getting Your Garden Ready for Winter Gardeners are often overwhelmed by the long to-do list of garden tasks. Learn what chores are essential and which you can safely skip as you prepare your garden for winter while making a big difference to the success of next year’s garden. Kathy Jentz shares her best cost-saving tips and teaches you how to “batten down the hatches” for winter’s worst weather. Held live online. Hosted by Brookside Gardens. Fee: $12 | FOBG $10 | Register for class #PBG0062 300001 at ActiveMONTGOMERY.org.

• Saturday, October 29, 9am–12pm Garden Symposium: Urban Gardening and Design 101 Do you have a small space, but big garden dreams? In this half-day symposium, turn your growing dreams into reality and learn how to build a gorgeous and unique garden that showcases your personal style, while still being functional and productive. Presenters Kathy Jentz and Teri Speight share tips and tricks from their new book, The Urban Garden: 101 Ways to Grow Food and Beauty in the City, to bring style and practicality into your own garden. $62 per person. Code 52Y.ZVNK. Register online at www.fairfaxcounty. gov/parks/parktakes or call Green Spring Gardens at 703-642-5173.

Event Listing Updates

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How to Submit Events

To submit an event for this listing, email washingtongardenermagazine@gmail. com with “Event” in the subject line. Our next deadline is September 5 for the September 2022 issue, for events taking place after September 15. o