Tag: gardening
An open house at the White Gardens reveals how much work a resident curator would have to take on
The foyer in the White House. Potential resident curators and curious neighbors got a chance to look inside the house at the Margaret White Gardens at an open house on Aug. 7. The Park Authority is seeking a resident curator to fix up the house. The curator would pay for the needed repairs and maintenance … Continued
Margaret White wouldn’t have wanted a ‘resident curator’ for the park that bears her name, her son says
The flowering plants at the White Gardens are being overtaken by invasives. The Fairfax County Park Authority is seeking a “resident curator” to live in and restore the house at the Margaret White Gardens, but that’s not what Margaret would have wanted, says her son Doug White. “She didn’t care whether the house was torn … Continued
Sheep offer a quieter, natural alternative to lawn mowing
Sunflower (left) and her daughters Sunday and Zirafa took care of Beverley Rivera’s lawn. Cousin Rudy was part of the lamb crew, too. [Beverley Rivera] Lawn mowing usually doesn’t draw a crowd – except when the “mowing” is done by sheep. Curious neighbors flocked to the home of Beverley Rivera in North Springfield last week … Continued
Park Authority seeks ‘resident curator’ to restore the house at the Margaret White Gardens
The house at the Margaret White Gardens. The Fairfax County Park Authority is seeking a “resident curator” to live in and rehabilitate the house at the Margaret White Gardens in the Falls Church area of Mason District. There will be a public information meeting on the Resident Curator Program for the house July 27 at … Continued
More details emerge on future Annandale Civic Space
Community residents got a chance to explore the plans for the future Annandale Civic Space at a virtual meeting June 29. The new park will be at 7200 Columbia Pike between the ACCA Child Development Center and the Annandale Volunteer Fire Department.
Master gardeners grow food at Green Spring for the needy
The Master Gardeners at Green Spring Gardens. The Green Spring Gardens Extension Master Gardeners are hoping to donate 2,000 pounds of produce they are growing in the Edible Garden at Green Spring Gardens. Last summer, in the middle of the COVID pandemic, the Master Gardeners donated 1,000 pounds to food pantries operated by the Annandale … Continued
Explore a Park: Pine Ridge Park displaced a small Black community
The Bo White Community Gardens This article is part of our series on parks in the Annandale/Mason District area. The last piece in this series explored Toll House Park. The 42.7-acre Pine Ridge Park in Annandale features several ball fields, community gardens, a trail through the woods, a cemetery, and a fascinating history. The site … Continued
Watch the Green Grow program encourages residents to protect the watershed
A native garden in Annandale. Fairfax County residents who take actions to protect the watershed – by not using toxic chemicals on their lawn or replacing invasives with native plants, for example – can chart their efforts on an interactive map. The map is part of the Park Authority’s Watch the Green Grow program, which … Continued
Fairfax County supervisors to consider banning plastic bags for yard waste
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors is holding a hearing Feb. 23, 4 p.m., on a proposed ordinance to ban the use of plastic bags for yard waste collections. The proposed change is aimed at reducing the amount of plastic that ends up in streams and soil, contaminating the environment.
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
Native seedling sale starts this week
American Beautyberry Orders open Feb. 2 for the 2021 native seedling sale hosted by the Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District. Seedlings can be picked up April 16, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., and April 17, 9 a.m.-noon at the Sleepy Hollow Bath and Racquet Club, 3516 Sleepy Hollow Road, Falls Church.
With winter weather on the horizon, TaskTeens is available for snow shoveling
A teen gets the work done. [TaskTeens] TaskTeens, the online service that matches homeowners with teens available for yardwork, is ready for winter. The company, run by a high school student, has about 260 teens from all over the Northern Virginia area ready to perform all kinds of outdoor work. During the summer, most of … Continued
Gardeners encouraged to grow extra produce for food banks
People stuck at home are doing more home gardening, while local food banks are running out of fresh produce, due to the economic hardships resulting from the coronavirus pandemic. Belvedere Elementary School environmental education teacher Stacey Evers put those two trends to together to launch Grow a Row FC, a program that encourages local gardeners … Continued
Rental goats clear out Annandale homeowner’s overgrown yard
Daffodil Cindy Carlson’s wooded backyard in the Sleepy Hollow Woods community in Annandale had gotten overgrown, and she didn’t want to use chemicals on the weeds or have people do the backbreaking work, so she invited Clover, Peanut, Snuggles, and five of their friends to take care of the problem. Clover et al are goats, … Continued
Annandale homeowners highlighted on Sustainable Garden Tour
The 2020 Sustainable Garden Tour features 11 incredible gardens from all over Fairfax County, including a native garden oasis and wildlife habitat created by Annandale residents Jeanne Kadet and Mike Perel. The annual garden tour, sponsored by the Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District, is virtual this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A … Continued