‘Greening the Greenway’ project has taken root and is expanding
By James Albright
Four beds of native plants have taken strong root along Columbia Pike in downtown Annandale through the hard work of volunteer gardeners, the support of business and institutional leaders, and donations from the public.
Two weekends ago, the “Greening the Greenway” team evaluated the progress of the beds during a seasonal weeding activity. Each location showed strong plant growth after the first year; the plantings will expand significantly over the next two years.
To make that happen, the team plans a late October planting session and is looking for some additional community support.
The initial “Greening the Greenway” beds were planted by volunteers with discounted seedlings from EarthSangha, our area’s premier nonprofit native plant nursery.
The first bed, planted in front of the ACCA Child Development Center, replaced about 300 square feet of grass with 15 different native species. This early bed has weathered its location next to the most active festival site in Annandale; the heavily compacted soils have slowed growth but the majority of plantings have done well.
A challenging sloping site at the United Baptist Church, planted this spring, has prospered with special maintenance attention from church members.
Two other beds, planted on either side of the entrance to Underdog Coffee and Bread, have shown the most dynamic growth. A healthy mix of plants and flowers has thrived throughout the summer.
Each site has required several maintenance visits over the year, but as native plants prosper, the need for this work should be reduced.
“Greening the Greenway” takes its name from the still-developing Annandale Greenway community trail.
The central part of the Greenway travels through the urban core of Annandale along Columbia Pike. During the first year of Mason Supervisor Andres Jimenez’ term, the Greener Mason Advisory Council discussed enhancing the Greenway with plants along the length of the community trail, which extends for five miles from Annandale Community Park to Green Spring Gardens.
Related story: The Greening the Greenway initiative is growing
The area most in need of “greening” is the central portion of the trail, between Evergreen Road and Medford Drive, and the Greening the Greenway team is focusing its efforts on that section of the trail.
Using only plants native to the Northern Virginia ecosystem, the goal of the project is to create a series of native gardens along the street where possible. This effort grew out of community concerns about the loss of green spaces, the increased pace of impervious development, and the need to reduce the “heat island” effect of uninterrupted pavement.
For the fall 2026 planting effort, Greening the Greenway plans to fill holes in the existing beds with additional plants from EarthSangha as well as a minor expansion of one of the beds.
In the spring of 2027, the initiative will seek to add a couple of sites to the existing portfolio; any businesses or organizations interested in participating should contact [email protected]. Potential volunteers are also encouraged to reach out.
The overall cost of the program for the fall 2026 planting is estimated to be about $300. If readers are interested in helping this round of the Greening the Greenway project, the remaining costs can be offset by making a donation through the EarthSangha website. (Enter “Greening the Greenway” in the “First Name” box of the “In Honor/Memory of” section of the donation page.) Donations to Earth Sangha are tax-deductible.
EarthSangha’s Wild Plant Nursery is the region’s most comprehensive effort to propagate native plants directly from local forests and meadows. Check out the great work Earth Sangha is doing throughout the area.