The inaugural meeting for the year is a round robin in which share what we’ve learned from a year of gardening, the successes and the failures, and new products we’ve found useful and those we haven’t.

*Note: this meeting is a week later than our usual schedule.*
Dr. Sara Via returns for an encore appearance.  Previously, she’s addressed the club on soil health and research on developing a more sustainable lawn materials. She’s back this time to catch us up on her research and let us in on her latest discoveries.

What’s a good native replacement for our beloved non-natives?  Which native plants perform well and doesn’t get too weedy? Alex Dencker is the horticulturist with Smithsonian Gardens and he’s here to share his knowledge with us.  Alex previously worked at Behnke’s; some of you may remember running into him there!

One of our favorite garden club events, in which we make small tabletop arrangements, and take them to charities that serve our community. The materials for these small arrangements are gathered from members’ gardens and members have a good time accessing their inner floral designer.  How to condition greens. More information and details will be provided closer to the date.

The 11^th Street Bridge Project will be the first elevated park in the DC area, a pedestrian connection across the Anacostia River using piers from the former 11^th St. bridge. Laticia Taylor, the Communications Manager for the 11^th Street Bridge Park, will update the club on the project.  Don’t miss this opportunity to get the latest on a dynamic use of existing remnants of infrastructure.

Claudia Kousoulas has written a book about private gardens in the Potomac area.  She will share with us what she has seen in these special spaces and how we might adapt some of their good ideas for our own gardens.

Sam Droege, Wildlife Biologist at he US Geological Survey, has  surveyed birds, crickets, frogs, and now bees.  He says there are 450 bee species in the U.S., not all of them native.  If we want to help these pollinators flourish, we have to plant the right native flowering shrubs or perennials. Come find out what flowering plants send bees the right invitation.

Caleb Stoltz and Andrew Bort design and install custom edible gardens in the DC area for folks who value flavor, a healthy ecosystem and support for the local economy. As passionate gardeners and cooks, they want to connect clients and home cooks with nature.  Hear about their work enriching urban and suburban landscapes.

Note

• If you would like to attend one of our meetings as a nonmember, please contact us through our contact form.