(16-Adult) Stop feeling guilty about leftover food scraps - learn how to transform your scraps, yard debris and other organic materials into nutrient-rich soil amendments for your garden. GSG staff will provide all the information you need to manage an active compost system. We’ll discuss the basic principles behind the science of composting, why compost benefits the soil and the different compost bins and tools needed for successful composting. Class will begin indoors before moving out to Green Spring’s Compost Station to illustrate examples of composting practices.

(5-Adult) Learn how to use different leaf shapes and bark texture to identify native Northern Virginia trees. Take a walk around the gardens to test your new skills on native trees at Green Spring Gardens. Watch a leaf rubbing demonstration, then create your own leaf rubbing art and take it home with you! All attendees, including parents, must be registered for the program to control size.

(Adults) Experience Green Spring Gardens with all of your senses. Join Ana Ka’ahanui, co-founder of local nonprofit Capital Nature for a slow, meditative walk around the gardens. Contemplative, but more active than meditation, this forest bathing walk will help reduce blood pressure, boost immunity, and enhance mood and creativity. Decompress and feel a deeper connection with the natural world. Bring something to sit on the ground, which may be damp, and a water bottle. Dress for the weather.

(6-Adult) Hummingbirds are a beautiful treat to see in the gardens. Enjoy making a hummingbird craft. Go on a walk to spot hummingbirds and learn which flowers to plant at home to attract them. All attendees, including parents, must be registered for the program.

(3-5 yrs.) Your preschooler will enjoy nature-themed activities and crafts while you meet other playgroup parents one Monday a month. Through games, songs, activities and a garden walk, we will explore seasonal topics. Kids must be accompanied by a parent or guardian who does not need to register for the program.

(Adults) Perhaps one of the most beloved birds in gardening, hummingbirds, astonish us with their aerial acrobatics, their beauty and the important role they play in the garden. Extension Master Gardeners share what plants encourage them to visit your garden and what feeders are best. 

(4-10 yrs.) Harvest herbs from the garden to make teas and other treats.

(Adults) This Juneteenth join BLK FLWR MRKT, a local black woman owned business, in making a floral smudge stick – sometimes known as a smoke wand. Smudge sticks, a bundle of botanicals burned for aroma, have been used by many cultures throughout the world to cleanse and purify both physical spaces and mental energies. Learn about the specially selected herbs and flowers you will use and the historical and cultural importance they hold for Black Americans. Engage your inner-self through writing affirmations, inner-child games and blindfolded sensory activities.

(All Ages) Celebrate Pride Month with a community picnic at the gardens. Bring your own food and seating and enjoy the chance to gather and connect with your family, friends and allies. Visit with site staff in the library to learn about the secret history of flowers and how they were used to communicate among the LGBTQ+ community. All attendees, including children, must be registered and accompanied by an adult.

(All Ages) Bring your teddy bear, picnic blanket and lunch for a Teddy Bear Picnic. Listen to a story read-aloud and sing songs. Make a bear craft and a treat for your picnic. Afterwards, you and your child can have a picnic on the lawn together. All attendees, including parents, must be registered for the program to control size.

(16-Adult) Beat the heat with an early morning tour of the vibrant demonstration gardens, led by a Master Gardener Docent who will dazzle you with stunning plant combinations and tales of Green Spring past and present. Hear about our 18th century origins and our mission today. Find inspiration in our horticulturists’ plant choices and garden bed designs and take their ideas home to try in your own landscape. Garden tours run rain or shine.

(All Ages) It’s garden season and many delicious vegetables are growing and ready to eat. Listen to a story read aloud and sing songs. Then we’ll taste some vegetables and paint with potatoes. All attendees, including parents, must be registered for the program.

(Adults) Join Green Spring horticulturist Brenda Skarphol for a stroll in our summer gardens to look at some of our top perennial plants. Both native and sustainable non-native perennials will be featured, including some newer cultivars. We will see perennials thriving in a range of growing conditions, from sun to shade and in environments that are dry, moist or periodically wet. Plant combinations and eco-friendly gardening styles will be highlighted.