JOIN US AT THE
Del Ray
Gardenfest
Sunday April 21, 2024
Noon - 4pm
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Colasanto Park baseball field
Commonwealth Ave x Mt Vernon Ave
GardenFest is a fun, free, educational afternoon of garden-centric demonstrations, informational booths, and interactive activities. We're inviting the neighborhood to come out and learn about all sorts of gardening topics, such as the Master Gardeners of Northern Virginia plant clinic, at-home composting, growing native plants, and beekeeping. We'll give away hundreds of native tree seedlings and seed packets to anyone who wants them! Plants will also be available for sale for you to bring home. GardenFest is hosted annually by the Del Ray Citizens Association (DRCA). You can more about the DRCA, and how to become a member, at this link.
MAP
EXHIBITORS
Click each photo to learn more!
Tree Stewards of Arlington and Alexandria
Wildlife Rescue League
Southern Exposure Seed Exchange
City of Alexandria
Resource Recovery Division
Plant Swap | Shoshanna & Co.
The Dog Store
Del Ray Farmers Market / Power of Produce
The Genius Genus
Warwick Village Citizens Association
City of Alexandria Stormwater Management Program
Seed Your Future
Nature's Best Mosquito Control
Northern Virginia Beekeepers Association
Organic Edible Gardens
Alexandria Beautification Commission
City of Alexandria
Office of Climate Action
Nature by Design
Jerome "Buddie" Ford Nature Center
Master Gardeners of Northern Virginia plant clinic
Love & Carrots
Friends of
Duncan Library
City of Alexandria Office of Environmental Quality / Sanitary
Ecoplantia
SCHEDULE
3:00 pm
Organic Edible Gardens presentation: Introduction to Permaculture, demonstrate fruit tree pruning techniques and show examples of perennial edible plants that grow well in our area.
Organic Edible Gardens Table
2:00 pm
Presentation of the Alexandria Beautification Awards: Each year, the Alexandria Beautification Commission solicits nominations for its Beautification Awards in the following categories: residential, commercial, architectural, and community. Criteria for judging include plant materials, design, architecture, the inclusion of environmentally sustainable practices, maintenance, and neighborhood context. See details - and nominate yourself or others - at alexandriava.gov/beautification
Main Stage
1:30 pm
The Genius Genus Presents "Fur-Friendly Foliage: Pet-Safe Houseplants 101":
Join us for an engaging conversation exploring the wonderful world of pet-friendly houseplants! Learn about a variety of green companions that will thrive in your home while keeping your furry pals safe. Stick around for a hands-on demonstration on creating a pet-friendly display for your houseplants. Discover how to cultivate a harmonious environment where your plants and pets can flourish together.
Genius Genus Table
Presentation of the 2024 Ellen Pickering Environmental Excellence Award
Main Stage
2:30 pm
Southern Exposure Seed Exchange Talk: Basic seed-saving techniques, the organic seed-saving movement and the importance of seed-saving in the urban setting
Southern Exposure table
12:00 pm
12:15 pm
12:30 pm
12:45 pm
1:00 pm
1:15 pm
Tree Stewards Table
Tree Stewards: Presentation about tree physiology
2:15 pm
2:45 pm
1:45 pm
3:15 pm
3:30 pm
3:45 pm
FREE TREES
Free native tree seedlings are provided courtesy of Fairfax ReLeaf.
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Flowering dogwoods: Flowering dogwood is a 20-40 ft., sometimes taller, single- or multi-trunked tree with a spreading crown and long-lasting, showy, white and pink spring blooms. A lovely, small, flowering tree with short trunk and crown of spreading or nearly horizontal branches. Graceful, horizontal-tiered branching; red fruits; and scarlet-red fall foliage are other landscape attributes.
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Smooth alders: Smooth Alder is a small, deciduous tree that may grow 10 to 15 feet tall. It can be found naturally in wet areas including streambanks and bogs. The leaves are alternate with a wavy, toothed margin and hairy underside. The bark is smooth and gray-brown with a fluted appearance. In late winter, slim, green, male flowers and red, female flowers mature. The small tree produces a seed that matures in the fall and persists through the winter.
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Chickasaw plums: A twiggy, thicket-forming tree, 15-30 ft. tall, with fragrant white flowers in flat-topped clusters and yellow fruit ripening to red in August or September. Short, crooked trunk and flat-topped crown. Scaly, nearly black bark. Reddish branches are covered with thorn-like side branches. Pale-yellow fall foliage. Thicket-forming shrub or sometimes a small tree, with slender, spreading branches, small white flowers, and red plums. Cultivated by the Chickasaw Indians and other indigenous peoples before the arrival of Europeans. This plum is eaten fresh and made into jellies and preserves. Improved varieties are grown in the Southeast.
Indigobush: Full sun to shade tolerant. Indigobush is a small shrub that can reach heights of 3 to 10 feet tall. It has a fast growth rate and can grow in any well-drained soil. It has a purplish blue bloom in the early spring. The flower attracts bees and native pollinators. The fruit is a small and short legume that is desired by game birds, song birds and small mammals. Indigobush can be used as a windbreak or an ornamental.
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