National Herb Day Celebration - May 7th

There is nothing quite like growing herbs in your home garden!

They add spice to your cooking, aromas to your garden walks and (if you want to share) are host plants for visiting butterflies. But many herbs also provide wonderful health and beauty benefits.

The benefits of herbs are so diverse that since 2006, a special day has been set aside  to raise public awareness about them.

The first HerbDay was held on Saturday, October 14, 2006. But due to requests from herb lovers all over the country, HerbDay was officially moved to the spring since  more people in more parts of the country have a larger variety of herbs growing at this time of year than do in fall.

For gardeners who would like to learn more about the wonders of herbs, plan on  attending  Celebrate Herbs at the U.S. Botanic Garden Conservatory,   100 Maryland Ave., SW, Washington, DC, on May 7th from 10:00 am – 4:00 pm.

Discover the significance of herbs in our lives and the many ways herbs can be used safely and creatively for health, beauty and culinary enjoyment. Enjoy demonstrations, activities, discussions and displays. You won't want to miss this amazing opportunity to learn more about herbs!

If you would like to purchase some herbs before the HerbDay event, the Potomac Unit of the Herb Society of America will be having their annual plant sale on April 29-30th in conjunction with the Friends of the National Arboretum Garden Fair.

FONA Garden Fair & Plant Sale - April 29th & 30th

The Friends of the National Arboretum will be holding a plant sale in conjunction with their garden fair this weekend, Friday, April 29 and Saturday, April 30, remainders (if any) sold Sunday, May 1. The event will be held at the US National Arboretum, 3501 New York Ave NE, off Bladensburg Rd.

This annual event from the Friends of the National Arboretum is a long-standing favorite among serious and weekend gardeners alike – with affordable prices and the widest range of plants and vendors of any gardening event in Washington, D.C. Buy new, rare and hard-to-find plants, with offerings from the finest specialty nurseries in the region and more local plant societies than ever before. A great opportunity to get advice from National Arboretum horticulturists, FONA master gardeners, landscape designers and other local experts. Also fun and educational activities for children, music performances, food vendors, and garden accessories.

The fair coincides with the Arboretum's spectacular display of more than 10,000 azaleas, so bring your friends, bring the family, and make a day of it!

HOURS: "Members Only" on Friday, April 29 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. (but you can join at the door or in advance at www.fona.org.)

Open to the public on Friday, April 29 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., and on Saturday, April 30 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Any remainders will be sold Sunday, May 1 from 9a.m. to 12 noon.

More information at http://www.fona.org/.