Covering Annandale, Bailey's Crossroads, Lincolnia, and Seven Corners in Fairfax County, Virginia

Flowers for your vase: Go local

Elegance Formula Sweet Pea Mix from Johnny’s Seeds catalog.  By Marie Reinsdorf Spring is on the way, and Culpeper County flower grower Bob Wollam is starting his sweet peas in a hoop house. They go in now to beat the heat but must be undercover where the soil won’t freeze. Sweet peas have a heavenly … Continued

Explore a Park: Ecological restoration and history at Fitzhugh Park in Annandale

This article is part of the Annandale Blog’s Explore a Park series. Previous parks in the series include Manassas Gap Park and Luria Park in Annandale and Lillian Carey Park in Bailey’s Crossroads. Fitzhugh Park is a 10-acre park in Annandale between the Bristow Village condominium, the Ravensworth-Bristow neighborhood, and the beltway. Features: Playground, basketball … Continued

Salt on roads harms waterways

With wintry weather predicted for Wednesday, it’s a good time to think about the ecological damage caused by using salt on icy roads and driveways.  The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) will introduce a new a Salt Management Strategy Toolkit at a public meeting next month with resources and recommendations for best practices to reduce … Continued

Volunteers tackle trash along Americana Drive

Despite the rain, 15 volunteers put in two hours of work on Veterans’ Day to clean up trash and construction debris along Americana Drive in Annandale.  The event was sponsored by Friends of Accotink Creek and the Fairfax County Restoration Project (FRCP). Conrad Mehan of the Fairfax County Department of Public Works and Environmental Services … Continued

Congressional candidates clash on climate change, racial justice, immigration and much more

Republican candidate Jeff Jordan (left) is running against Rep. Don Beyer (right).  For Rep. Don Beyer, the Democrat who represents the 8th congressional district, the biggest existential threat facing the United States is climate change, while his Republican opponent, Jeff Jordan, says the biggest threat is socialism.  The two candidates offered widely divergent views on … Continued

Holmes Run watershed in Falls Church is the site of a colonial plantation and military base

This was the site of the Dulin farmhouse in the 1700s. The wooded area along the upper section of Holmes Run near Providence RECenter in Falls Church was once a part of a slave-holding plantation in the 1700s. The Camp Alger military base was there in 1898. And in the 1920s, it was the site … Continued

Solarize Fairfax offers discounts for installing solar energy

A solar-powered house in Annandale. The Solarize Fairfax County program offers property owners discounts for a signing up for a solar energy system before Aug. 31. The program offers reduced rates through a pre-qualified solar installer, Solar Energy World, and a streamlined process for exploring solar power for residences and businesses.     Fairfax County homeowners … Continued