FONA Field Notes

Tons of Growth

Richard Evans Schultes was a 20th century biologist who studied medicinal and toxic plants used by Indigenous peoples in the Americas. Throughout his career, he advocated for conservation of the…
FONA Field Notes banner of water pond flowers

Forest Gardens & Growth

Dig into the principles of forest gardening with Lincoln Smith, founder of Forested. Forest gardens are a form of permaculture that integrate edible trees and plants into landscapes. With a background in agronomic…
FONA Field Notes banner of hydrangeas

Summer Fun

Our education program team was busy connecting with students virtually this spring. Already in 2021, we: distributed 2,136 Grow@Home kits to 28 different schools and educational institutions (that’s as many as we made in…
FONA Field Notes banner of southern magnolia

Changemakers

Elke Mackenzie was a botanist and polar explorer who scoured arctic landscapes for lichen during the mid-twentieth century. Her exhaustive collection and description of lichen, primarily from the Stereocaulon genus, remains our greatest understanding…
FONA Field Notes banner of irises

Juneteenth Reflection & Celebration

In this week’s FONA Field Notes, we are sharing resources to reflect on Junteenth’s history, appreciate the impact of food and agriculture on the holiday, support local Black-owned businesses and…
FONA Field Notes banner of okra flower

Growing Strong

We’d like to introduce you to the newest member of our Washington Youth Garden team — our new truck! Our old truck served us well for many years but came…
FONA Field Notes banner of koi fish

Bonsai are Back!

Starting June 1, 2021, the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum is officially open to the public every day from 10 AM to 4 PM. All outdoor portions of the Museum…
FONA Field Notes banner of bonsai in museum

Citrus Wizard

The frost-tolerant Valencia oranges we know today were created in the early 20th century by Lue Gim Gong, a Chinese American horticulturist and farmer. Lue immigrated to the United States…
FONA Field Notes banner of summer flowers

At the Columns

The groundbreaking ceremony for the Capitol Columns was 35 years ago, on May 13, 1986. From footage in our records, here’s a video clip of then-Vice President Bush’s speech where…
FONA Field Notes banner of capitol columns at sunrise

50 Years of WYG

Washington Youth Garden is turning 50! Since 1971, our garden has served thousands of students all over Washington, DC and provided hands-on education to connect youth to food, the land,…
FONA Field Notes banner of historic washington youth garden photo
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