SEASONAL FESTIVALS & PLANT SALES
BULB SALE & GARLIC PLANTING PARTY
Celebrate fall and our amazing WYG community with us during our annual Bulb Sale & Garlic Planting Party! This event will take place in the Washington Youth Garden on Saturday, October 26th from 11 AM to 2 PM.
The event is free and open to participants of all ages. It will have:
- Edible and decorative bulbs for sale
- Family-friendly art activities
- Garlic planting
- Food tastings
- Garden tours
- Vegetable harvesting
- Freshly prepared, authentic Caribbean food for sale by Gale Livingstone of Deep Roots Farm
Wearing costumes is highly encouraged!
What kind of bulbs can you buy? We’ll have tulips, daffodils, amaryllis, mixed bulb sets, and more for sale! Bulbs are planted in the fall and bloom in spring. Some do well when planted containers, so you don’t need a yard in order to grow them. They are also great pollinators and attract bees and butterflies! Click here to see the complete list of bulbs ordered for this sale.
This event is located at the Washington Youth Garden (click to navigate via Google Maps, or see adjacent map). Enter the Arboretum through either the New York Avenue (3501 New York Ave NE) or R Street entrances (2400 R Street NE). Park in the Grove parking lot.
Click the map to view in full screen.
REGISTRATION
Registration for this free event is encouraged but not required. Please let us know you’re coming and to receive important event updates.
CHRISTMAS TREE SALE
The annual Christmas Tree Sale will take place on both Saturday, December 7th and Sunday, December 8th from 10 AM to 4 PM. Although we will not host the Winter Festival this year with holiday vendors and kids activities, we hope to host it again in the future.
You can still shop for Christmas trees, wreaths, and garlands during the Christmas Tree Sale. Trees will soon be available for pre-order. You will be able to have them delivered to your house, or you can pick them up at the Arboretum on either December 7th or 8th. Pre-ordering is not required but guarantees you a quality tree. A portion of all sales directly support FONA through this important annual fundraiser!
NATIVE PLANT SALE
The Native Plant Sale takes place every year in March in conjunction with the National Arboretum’s Lahr Native Plants Symposium. Our annual Native Plant Sale includes a small number of plant vendors (~3-5 vendors) from across the mid-Atlantic selling spring ephemerals and many other choice perennials and woody plants. We will share more information about the 2025 Native Plant Sale in early 2025.
GARDEN FAIR & PLANT SALE
Thank you to everyone who attended the 2024 Garden Fair & Plant Sale! This annual event takes place every year on the last weekend of April. This is our largest seasonal festival and is an important fundraiser for FONA.
Shop thousands of plants and over 30 local gardening, lifestyle, and food vendors. You can also get advice from our expert gardeners and enjoy free family activities. We will share more information about the 2025 Garden Fair & Plant Sale in early 2025.
VENDOR APPLICATION
Apply today to be a vendor at our annual seasonal festivals! Each event draws thousands of attendees to the National Arboretum. We have a limited number of booths available at these events and spaces fill quickly.
EVENT VOLUNTEERING
Volunteering at FONA’s events throughout the year is a great way to support our work building community at the National Arboretum. Spend a day enjoying plants and people by volunteering at our annual Garden Fair and Plant Sale, or help with other seasonal festivals, concerts, 5K races, and more. No experience is required, but we greatly appreciate when people can commit to volunteering at multiple events throughout the year. Fill out our event volunteer interest form and we will get back to you with more details.
