U.S. National Arboretum

that Rock Creek Park was almost home to the U.S. National Arboretum?

The U.S. Forest Service received permission from early park commissioners to plant trees for experimental purposes around Camp Goodwill in Rock Creek Park. The forest service hoped to expand and formalize the project, planting international species and turning it into the National Arboretum and Botanic Garden. Opponents to the plan included the Fine Arts Commission and Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr. Olmsted's 1918 report stated that the Arboretum project went against the Congressional legislation that had founded the park. Olmsted said "It does not now, and it never will, look like a part of the natural scenery, It is distinctly out of harmony with it."

This we encourage you to follow Olmsted's lead and help contribute to the natural scenery of Rock Creek Park.

🌻 Leave No Trace-- Leave wildflowers to grow and help pollinators. Don't burn or remove fallen trees or branches from the park as they are important parts of the natural eco-system.

🍃 When considering landscaping or planting at home, choose native species rather than non-native and invasive plants. These native plants help encourage native pollinators and can help attract native birds to your yard. You can learn more about keystone plants at https://homegrownnationalpark.org/faq-2/what-insects-and-plants-by-doug-tallamy.

🌿 Become a W**d Warrior or participate in an Extreme Stream Clean-Up with our park partners Creek Conservancy.

We're thankful to all of our fabulous content providers. There would be no Sustainable Gardening Library without you! Part 1: Alaska Botanical Garden, American University Arboretum & Gardens, Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University, Biodiversity Heritage Library, Bloedel Reserve, Boxerwood Nature Center & Woodland Garden, Brandywine Conservancy, CalPoly Center for Sustainability, UC Santa Cruz Center for Agroecology, Chanticleer Garden, Cleveland State University Delaware Botanic Gardens at Pepper Creek, Environmental Learning Center, Hobart and William Smith Colleges, Indiana State University Community Garden, Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, Lockerly Arboretum, Lurie Garden, Madison Square Park, Native Seeds/SEARCH, New Jersey Highlands Coalition, North Carolina Botanical Garden, , Pasa Sustainable Agriculture, PHS : Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, Pinecrest Gardens, PlantRight, PowellsWood Garden, Principia College, Practical Farmers of Iowa, The Quarry Gardens at Schuyler, Raritan Headwaters Association, San Francisco Botanical Garden, Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, Sarah P. Duke Gardens, The Scott Arboretum of Swarthmore College, Georgian Court University, Smith College Botanic Garden, Seattle University Center for Environmental Justice and Sustainability-CEJS, The Ohio State University Bee Lab, Trees Atlanta, U.S. Botanic Garden, U.S. National Arboretum, The University of Texas at Austin Biodiversity Center, Waimea Valley, Willistown Conservation Trust, Barnegat Bay Partnership, Bellevue Botanical Garden Society, and Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens.

As I strolled Brookside Gardens, of all the roses in bloom, this blossom stood out to me. I kept taking many shots of it to ensure I didn’t miss any angle of its beauty. I have reflected on the start of this journey earlier this year, and look back at how much farther I have grown. I realized who are the honey bees & sunshine in my life who encourage and help in my personal growth to be a better father, partner and overall individual. I have also realized who were the pests and weeds trying to prevent me from growing, or pulling me to the ground and shade.

We have all made not-so-great choices during our lifetimes, and all we can do is learn from those moments in order to outshine the mistakes. Like a flower, we are constantly being attached by enemies that take all sorts of forms, but by being strong & persistent, we can surpass the obstacles such enemies have thrown along the path. Avoid the negativity, and lean in to where the sunlight guides you.

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Canon U.S. National ArboretumMontgomery Parks

Ikebana International, Washington, DC Chapter 1 held its first outdoor exhibit at the U.S. National Arboretum this spring.

Ikebana, or the Japanese art of flower arrangement, has been a complementary art to bonsai for decades. Chapter One has developed an indoor exhibit at the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum for 15 years, but this year's exhibit needed a different venue due to the Museum’s temporary closure during the COVID-19 pandemic:

Got plans for this week? We suggest visiting the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum at the U.S. National Arboretum!!

The National Bonsai Foundation is ecstatic to announce that the Museum is OPEN AGAIN as of June 1, 2021! After closing last March to maintain staff and visitor safety during the COVID-19 pandemic, we are so happy to invite visitors back to enjoy the national collection’s breathtaking and .

Read more about visiting:

As summer quickly approaches and health conditions improve, we all have so much to look forward to. For bonsai enthusiasts, that includes the day when the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum will reopen its doors to the public, as the U.S. National Arboretum is close to announcing an official reopening date!

The National Bonsai Foundation (NBF) looks forward to developing new and exciting exhibits, educational programs and events after this long absence. Your donations make it possible. Give today to support NBF and a new chapter of bonsai: https://bit.ly/2Rp1atS

Thank you George Weigel and PennLive.com for including Greenwood Gardens in your article, "10 beautiful gardens worth a day trip from Harrisburg"! We are happy to be included among such wonderful gardens and we are looking forward to visitors this beautiful spring! Click on this link to read George's story: https://tinyurl.com/rscp68d8 (Free registration required to access)
The Garden Conservancy George Weigel Hershey Gardens Chanticleer Garden Longwood Gardens Wavehilll Ladew Topiary Gardens Mt. Cuba Center New York Botanical Garden Brooklyn Botanic Garden Morris Arboretum of the University of Pennsylvania U.S. National Arboretum Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens PHS Meadowbrook Farm Grounds For Sculpture Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library U.S. Botanic Garden Friends of Green Spring Gardens - FROGS Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens Friends of the Frelinghuysen Arboretum Nemours Estate The Arboretum at Penn State

April 19, 2021 visit. I am glad to have found this place. I can’t wait to go back.

It was great to reunite with the team in a socially distant way at the beautiful U.S. National Arboretum last Friday!

The Nippon Bonsai Foundation produced the film Bonsai Fly to USA: A Gift in Honor of the American Bicentennial in 1975.

The U.S. National Arboretum and the National Bonsai Foundation restored and digitized the piece in 2016. The film documents the journey of the 53 masterpiece bonsai from Japan to the United States in honor of the American Bicentennial – the start to our Museum!

Watch it here:

We are delighted to share that our previous First Curator’s Apprentice Andy Bello has been selected as our new assistant curator!

Andy has grown strong connections with the bonsai community and quickly grown his knowledge base while apprenticing. We know he’ll be an amazing assistant curator, and our trees and grounds will be in great hands with him and Curator Michael James.

See the announcement from Scott Aker, the head of horticulture and education at the U.S. National Arboretum:

Though we are closed for the time being, few Museum and U.S. National Arboretum employees are still hard at work – safely distanced and wearing masks – to ensure trees and plants across the grounds are healthy and thriving when we can welcome visitors again.
We wrote a thank you letter to express our gratitude for these workers’ dedication to the preservation of our trees: