TOP AREA GARDENING EVENTS Classes, Events, and Plant Shows/Sales • Saturday, March 26, 11:30am Seasonal Containers for Food and Beauty (Online Lecture) Container gardens bring joy, particularly in an urban setting. From edible plantings to unexpected scents, containers can add seasonal lift no matter what size pot is available. During this online lecture, join Teresa Speight, owner, Cottage In The Court; author of Black Flora (coming spring 2022), and co-author, The Urban Garden: 101 Ways to Grow Food and Beauty In The City (coming spring 2022,; as she shares hints, tips, and suggestions that can add value to basic containers, all while they are simply beautiful. Free, but pre-registration required. Go to https://www.usbg. gov/OnlinePrograms. • Saturday, March 26, 9am–3pm Native Plants: Forces for Conservation and Community The 35th Annual Lahr Symposium returns with its tradition of presenting subject matter experts on ecological, botanical, and horticultural advancements in a day-long program. Join the U.S. National Arboretum to learn and find inspiration from the invited speakers. This year’s program will be held virtually. It highlights the role of public gardens in native plant awareness and explore research about the impact of woodland wildlife on the dispersal and evolution of oak species. For more details, contact programs.usna@ars. usda.gov. • Sunday, March 27, 9am–2pm Native Plant Sale This sale will take place along Meadow Road between the U.S. National Arboretum’s Visitor Center and National Herb Garden, and will feature several native plant vendors. Be prepared to wear a mask when browsing plants and interacting with vendors. Registration is preferred, but not required. See https:// www.fona.org/. • Tuesday, March 29, 7:30–9pm Speciation in North American Fringed Orchids Talk The Orchidaceae is one of the most
species-rich plant families, representing nearly 10% of flowering plant species. Evolution of specialized pollination syndromes and adaptation to a variety of habitats has been connected to large radiation events in Orchidaceae, but orchids’ symbiotic relationship with specific fungi may also play a role in diversification in the family. This talk is hosted by Maryland Native Plant Society both via Zoom and in person at the Hilton Garden Inn, 7810 Walker Drive, Greenbelt, MD. Register for free at https://www.mdflora.org/. • Friday, April 8 and Saturday, April 9, 10am–4pm AHS River Farm Plant Sale & Garden Market Each year, the American Horticultural Society holds a two-day plant sale and garden product marketplace at its River Farm headquarters in Alexandria, VA. After a two-year hiatus, the event is back. Explore the gardens in spring bloom. Food available for purchase onsite. Visit the River Farm Garden Shop for books and unique gifts. See the list of vendors at https://ahsgardening. org/about-river-farm/events-programs/ spring-garden-market/. • Sunday, April 10, 2–3pm Small Space Gardening Co-authors Kathy Jentz and Terry Speight will discuss their book, The Urban Garden: 101 Ways to Grow Food and Beauty In The City, at Homestead Gardens in Davidsonville, MD. Small space gardening is one of the hottest trends in horticulture in 2022, as people work to maximize every inch of planting space in backyards, patios, balconies, and porches. Learn how you can maximize the small spaces on your property for fruits, vegetables, cut flowers, and pollinators! Drawing from their recently published book, Jentz and Speight will include all the ways small spaces can count, including container gardening. This class is free, but requires registration. Register at https://homesteadgardens.com/upcoming-events/. Participants will have the opportunity to purchase the new book and enjoy a signing with the authors.
• Tuesday, April 12, 7–8:30pm Native Gardens for Your Woodland A fun collaboration between Sustainability Matters and Blue Ridge Wildlife Center with some great info about planting natives plus a special appearance by some “animal ambassadors.” It’s free/virtual, but registration is required: https://www.sustainabilitymatters.earth/events/woodland0422.
Looking Ahead • Saturday, April 23, 10am–3pm Spring Celebration and Plant Sale at the Glencarlyn Library Garden Celebrate the 150th anniversary of Arbor Day with an educational tree walk starting at 1pm, featuring the beautiful native trees in and around the garden. The Small Trees Make Big Canopies program of the Master Gardeners of Northern Virginia (MGNV) will give away saplings during the event. There will be children’s activities throughout the day. Other event offerings include native plants from Hill House Nursery, locally grown vegetable and fruit starts, and a variety of plants propagated at the Library Garden, local honey, hand-made pottery, T-shirts, recycled bags, and used books from the Friends of Arlington Libraries. The Library Garden is at 300 South Kensington Street in Arlington, VA, and is a demonstration garden of the MGNV. Proceeds from sales at this free event support the garden yearround. • Saturday and Sunday, April 23-24 Leesburg Flower & Garden Festival Downtown Leesburg, VA.
Event Listing Updates See updated event listings on the Washington Gardener discussion list. Join by emailing WashingtonGardenersubscribe@googlegroups.com.
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 April 5 for the March 2022 issue, for events taking place after April 15. o MARCH 2022
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