ARE YOU CURIOUS BY NATURE?
FONA & THE ARBORETUM
Friends of the National Arboretum (FONA) was founded in 1982 as an independent 501(c)(3). FONA serves as the primary private partner of the U.S National Arboretum in Washington, D.C. We preserve and enhance this vibrant public space and facilitate experiential programs that instill a love of plants, nature, and the outdoors in all who visit the Arboretum. We also promote the overarching research and education mission of the Arboretum.
Past Accomplishments
We were instrumental in bringing the Capitol Columns to the Arboretum in the early ’90s. We funded the Flowering Tree Walk surrounding the meadow so all people can enjoy its beauty regardless of ability. Our volunteers planted over 30,000 native plants along the Springhouse Run creek to improve the Anacostia River’s water quality.
Current Work
Our Washington Youth Garden is the Arboretum’s largest community outreach program. Revenue from our venue rental program funds the Arboretum Director’s Fund which pays for things like consultants, supplies, and building maintenance projects. Our plant sales and fairs support our mission and connect visitors to the Arboretum.
Future Plans
We developed a new Core Master Plan that provides a blueprint for future projects around the Arboretum. We invest in the future of horticulture by funding internships that support the collections. Our Meyer Kidder Fellows will increase the Arboretum’s research capacity and connect the Arboretum with world-class post-doctoral researchers.
Share the gift of the Arboretum
David Fairchild Society
A passionate community of supporters with membership starting at $1,200.
Grow the Garden Campaign
Donate to help us renovate the Washington Youth Garden. This project will make the garden more engaging, accessible, and productive.
Other Ways to Support
Support FONA through securities, donor-advised funds, planned giving, bench donations, and more.
GROW THE GARDEN: FENCE RENOVATION
We are renovating Washington Youth Garden’s perimeter fence as the next step in our Grow the Garden campaign.
Replacing the existing fence will:
- Make the garden more inviting to youth and families
- Create a visible, central entry point to the garden by adding a front entrance
- Incorporate honeycomb elements to make the fence more visually interesting and engaging than the existing chain link fence
- Continue to keep out deer, raccoons, and groundhogs
- Expand the growing space
Donate today and together we can grow the garden! We have already secured $50,000 in grant funding for the fence renovation, and $60,000 in combined matching gifts for the campaign. To unlock these gifts, we must raise $60,000 from our community. Whether it’s $15, $50, or $500, every donation makes a difference.
*Donations are for the entire Grow the Garden campaign and do not count towards annual membership.
Looking into the Washington Youth Garden from outside the existing fence. Photo by Rosi Fotography.
An example of a garden fence that incorporates wooden elements into its construction. The new WYG fence will incorporate honeycomb elements to make the fence more visually interesting and engaging.
A new Garden Agreement sign hangs from the existing fence to welcome visitors to the garden.
An example of a garden fence that incorporates wooden elements into its construction. The new WYG fence will incorporate honeycomb elements to make the fence more visually interesting and engaging.
Students walk into the garden to attend a field trip. The garden hosts many events and programs throughout the year.
Click the map to view in full screen, or click here for a downloadable version.
Campaign Phases
FONA is committed to providing excellent youth education at the National Arboretum. Each phase of the Grow the Garden campaign helps us make the Washington Youth Garden more engaging, accessible, and productive for future generations.
- Conceptual redesign
- Community feedback
- Final redesign
- Fence renovation (fundraising in progress)
- Raised bed construction (funding secured)
- Interpretive & wayfinding signage (ongoing)
- Widen garden paths to be ADA accessible
- Build a whimsical garden supply shed
- Plant fruit & nut trees
- Interpretive & wayfinding signage
- Decorative plantings in front of garden
- High-visibility signage
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Luke Dickinson
John Healey
Carolyn Peery
Nadia Shebaro
Craven Rand
Janet Nuzum
Melissa Stahl
Maura Allen
Bernard Foster
Eric Michael
Catherine Robbins
Inas Anderson
Marcel C. LaFollette
Lee Coykendall
Laurel Cullen
Hans Wien
Dorothy Woodcock
Anonymous
Michael Stevens
Ursula Kondo
withers horner
Elissa Feldman
John Strand
Linda Lee
Kay Glenday
Cecilia Carroll
Angela Domanico
Austin Pedersen
Mary Frase
Diann McGarvey
GAIL CHARNLEY ELLIOTT
Bill and Donna Roberts
Jeanne Connelly
Matthew McClellan
Lesley Conroy
Nadia Mercer
Maryam Trowell-McCloud
Kari Rowe
Mark & Cindy Clark
Maura Allen
ellen mack
Annetta Kushner
Avis Black
Progress Toward Matching Gift
Joelle Gamble
Catherine Kerkam
Harold Belcher
Brooke Breckenridge Morton
Tuckie and Donald Westfall
Anonymous
Kathleen Horan
Kevin Garrahan
Barbara Schmitt
Megan Greenaway
Margaret Strand
Richard Boyd
Caroline Angelo
Ruth McDonald
Julie Crudele
Penny Morrill
Anonymous
Judith Ritz
Anonymous
Tom Gavin
Linda Marks and Ralph Lopez
Nadia Mercer
Maisha Martin
Karen Rand
Tom Broderick
Kevin McIntosh
Luke Dickinson
Pamela Raymont-Simpson
Richard Boyd
Dick Cecka
Patricia Nutter
mark buscaino
Stella Edosomwan
Anonymous
Barbara Shea
Anonymous
USDA Natural Resources Conservation Science
AWARD-WINNING EDUCATION PROGRAMS
With a focus on serving under-resourced communities, FONA nurtures curious minds and healthy bodies by connecting youth to food, the land, and each other. Our youth education programs take place at Washington Youth Garden on the grounds of the U.S. National Arboretum and in partner schools across Washington, DC. They work with DC educators to create strong, sustainable school garden programs and connect students to garden education. Our programs also provide year-round employment opportunities and green career paths for DC high school students.
Learn about our education programs & Washington Youth Garden
UPCOMING EVENTS AND PROGRAMS
Forest Bathing
Other Activities
RECENT POSTS
Friends of the National Arboretum Instagram
We’re out of Christmas trees — but fear not! We’ll have more at our Christmas Tree Sale tomorrow, December 3rd from 10 AM to 4 PM. For everyone who’s currently at the Winter Festival and wanted a tree but couldn’t get one, you’ll get a 20% off discount if you come back tomorrow. Just make sure to get the coupon from our team to bring back tomorrow. . . . #nationalarboretum #nationalarboretumdc #usnationalarboretum #holiday #holidaymarket #dc #dmv #dcevents #dmvevents #christmastree
We can't wait to see you at our Winter Festival tomorrow, December 2nd! Here's some important event details to help tomorrow go smoothly: TIMING 🎁 Winter Festival: Saturday, December 2nd from 10 AM to 4 PM. Food trucks will open at 11 AM. 🎄 Christmas Tree Sale: both Saturday, December 2nd and Sunday, December 3rd from 10 AM to 4 PM. Saturday's tree sale will take place right next to the Winter Festival. LOCATION & PARKING — Both the Winter Festival and the Christmas Tree Sale will be held in the New York Avenue Parking Lot. — Enter the Arboretum through either the New York Avenue entrance (3501 New York Avenue NE) or the R Street entrance (2400 R Street NE). — Parking is available in the New York Avenue lot, but we expect it to fill quickly. There is overflow parking in the R Street lot (10 minute walk from the event) and the Grove lot (20 minute walk from the event). Please do not park in the grass alongside the road. REMINDERS 🐶 Dogs are allowed on leash. 🌳 Take advantage of Saturday's fantastic weather to explore the Arboretum's winter wonders. The Camellia Collection, Gotelli Conifer Collection, and National Bonsai & Penjing Museum all offer spectacular things to see during the winter months. Link in bio for full event details. See you tomorrow! . . . #nationalarboretum #nationalarboretumdc #usnationalarboretum #winterfestival #christmastree #winter #holidaymarket #vendors #shoplocal #dc #dcevents #dmv #dmvevents
Celebrate the holidays at FONA's Winter Festival & Christmas Tree Sale this Saturday, December 2nd from 10 AM to 4 PM! Saturday's weather is looking like a great day to get outdoors! We will have over 35 local vendors so you can find the perfect gift for everyone in your life. Shop for a Christmas tree, wreath, and garland at our Tree Sale (happening both Saturday and Sunday). Plus, @dcchildcareconnections will host free holiday-themed, family-friendly activities. Link in bio to learn more, see the full list of vendors, and register for the event to receive important event updates. .
This week, we want to share our gratitude for FONA's David Fairchild Society members. This community of individuals is passionate about learning, sharing, and supporting the National Arboretum's and FONA's work. We particularly enjoyed diving deeper into the Arboretum's collections with DFS members this year. We have hosted five seasonal tours so far this year (with one more to go!) that were led by Arboretum horticulturists and curators. These tours explored the Arboretum's plant conservation work and impact on the American nursery industry. The David Fairchild Society is over 100 members strong and still growing. Link in bio to learn more about DFS or to join. . . . #nationalarboretum #nationalarboretumdc #usnationalarboretum #member #donor #nonprofit #davidfairchild #horticulture #gardens #grateful #dc #fall #cherryblossom #herbarium
Washington Youth Garden Instagram
Scroll to see our Garlic Planting Tips, and try growing garlic in your own garden this year! Garlic is planted in the winter and harvested in early summer. Find other useful growing tips for school and home gardens by signing up for "School Garden Gateway", our quarterly newsletter full of resources picked by our School Garden Support program team. Link in bio to sign up today! . . . @fonarboretum #schoolgarden #fall #fallplanting #garlic #school #garden #plantingtips
Need to complete community service hours for school? Want to meet other teens interested in gardening? Join us for our final Teen Volunteer Day of the season this Saturday, November 4th from 9 AM to noon in the Washington Youth Garden. During the October Teen Volunteer Day, teens assisted with maintaining garden beds, harvesting tomatoes, and extracting red noodle bean seeds to save for next year. This weekend, volunteers will help prepare the garden for winter. Fill out our teen volunteer interest form in the link in bio and we will get back to you with more details. . . . #volunteer #dc #nationalarboretum #nationalarboretumdc #communityservice #usnationalarboretum #community #dc #teenvolunteer #washingtonyouthgarden #wyg @fonarboretum
Don't forget to stop by the Washington Youth Garden between 11 AM and 2 PM tomorrow, Oct. 28th for our annual Garlic Planting Party! Join us in celebrating the end of the growing season with garlic planting, food tastings, vegetable harvesting, art activities, and more! All ages are welcome to join. Wearing Halloween costumes is highly encouraged! Link in bio for full event info and directions. . . . Friends of the National Arboretum #nationalarboretum #usnationalarboretum #nationalarboretumdc #fall #fallevents #dc #dcevents #familyfriendly
How much do you actually know about pumpkins? If it weren't for Indigenous peoples domesticating pumpkins and squash thousands of years ago, they would have gone extinct long ago. Pumpkins are one of the oldest domesticated crops in the Western Hemisphere. Indigenous Americans in what is now the Oaxaca region of Mexico began cultivating pumpkins over 10,000 years ago. Their use spread to Indigenous communities in eastern and northern North America by about 2,700 BCE. Indigenous peoples started cultivating squash thousands of years before beans and corn. Before humans arrived in the Americas at least 14,000 years ago, wild squash populations in the genus Cucurbita had developed a symbiotic relationship with giant mammalian herbivores. These large mammals were able to eat the bitter seeds produced by these wild squash, while smaller mammals couldn't tolerate them. When humans arrived, they hunted these large mammals to extinction, and the squash that depended on these animals almost went extinct, too. Domestication began as humans started using squash likely first as tools and containers, then cooking less bitter-tasting ones for food. . . . #Repost @fonarboretum with @use.repost #nationalarboretum #usnationalarboretum #nationalarboretumdc #culturecrops #indigenouspeoples #indigenouspeoplesday #pumpkins #fall #garden #pumpkinpie
FONA FIELD NOTES NEWSLETTER
Our weekly FONA Field Notes newsletter provides timely updates on the National Arboretum, FONA, and the Washington Youth Garden. See our all our past newsletter issues, in addition to our other publications and magazines, on our Publications & Media page.
Winter Festival & Christmas Tree Sale this Weekend
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