Sunday, December 2, 2012
AHS will have its annual tree display event Dec. 3-21.
The American Horticultural Society will have its annual holiday season tree display from Dec. 3 to 21, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The trees will be on display at River Farm at 7931 East Boulevard Drive. Viveka Neveln, communications manager and associate editor, said the tree display is a tradition for the organization and provides a holiday environment for visitors. "This has been a long-standing tradition for the American Horticultural Society at River Farm to give our visitors a festive welcome to the state house," Neveln said in a recent email. Neveln said years ago, the annual event was a celebration of horticultural contributions to the holidays with live trees but because live trees can be fire hazards, AHS opted …
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
River advocates honor Alexandra Cousteau.
“Fifty years ago the Potomac River was a national disgrace. It really smelled,” commented Hedrick Belin, president of the Potomac Conservancy in opening the “Romp on the River” at River Farm on Sept. 19. Much of the obvious pollution has been reduced, he contended. Nutrient pollution from agricultural operations has declined, but today, the more serious problem is that pollution is more diffuse and harder to see. “It doesn’t smell,” he explained. Belin was referring to “nonpoint” pollution carried to the river in stormwater runoff from suburbia’s hard surfaces like roofs and parking lots and from farms. Belin said that nutrients from agriculture have been reduced and 50 miles of river frontage protected, but “special interests want to …
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
The American Horticultural Society aims to connect people and plants.
One Mount Vernon-area organization is trying to win a grant award through the Chase Community Giving program. The program was established in 2009 as a way to help support local charities that use less than $10 million in annual operating expenses. This year, Chase customers and employees nominated each 501(c)(3) public charity participating in the voting round back in June and July. The American Horticultural Society, which is headquartered at River Farm in the Mount Vernon area, is one nominee. According to the Chase program, the AHS’s mission is to open the eyes of all Americans to the vital connection between people and plants, to inspire all Americans to become responsible caretakers of the earth, to celebrate America's diversity …
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Meadows are rare in Northern Virginia.
Visitors to the 4-acre André Bleumel meadow at the American Horticultural Society at River Farm can quickly suffer from sensory overload. In late summer and early fall, busy, buzzing bees are sampling the fragrant mountain mint. Crows are cawing and titmice squeaking as bald eagles and hawks soar overhead. Yellow- and black-striped tiger swallowtail butterflies are nectaring on purple, white and magenta blossoms, as yellow black-eyed Susans burst up through 5-foot-tall grasses and wave their silky, golden “heads.” Even the black- and gray-speckled indigo seed pods exude beauty as they sway in the breeze. From the mega to the micro, the Bleumel meadow is now reaching its second flush of color for the year as many plants come into their …
Friday, August 17, 2012
Tomato variety names included ‘Mr. Stripey’ and ‘Early Girl.’
Monday, August 13, 2012
Gala will be Sept. 22 at River Farm.
The American Horticultural Society will hold its 19th annual gala, “Garden Delights: An Evening by the River,” on Saturday, Sept. 22 at the society’s headquarters at River Farm. The event begins at 6 p.m. This year’s honorary chair is Kurt Bluemel, a renowned plantsman, nurseryman and designer who has championed the use of ornamental grasses and herbaceous perennials in the American landscape. His 40-year-old landscape design company, Kurt Bluemel, Inc., works with Fortune 500 companies, zoos, theme parks and businesses across the United States and overseas. Trained in Germany and Switzerland, Bluemel is past president of the Perennial Plant Association and lectures to gardening groups and organizations around the world. The evening will …
Friday, June 29, 2012
Show runs through Sept. 25.
The paintings of a group of local watercolor artists will be on display at the American Horticultural Society’s headquarters at River Farm throughout the summer. The paintings are by members of the group Salon 8. The show runs through Sept. 25 and includes a collection of paintings of magnolia blossoms and pods, each interpreted by one of the eight watercolorists. Also on display are landscapes and floral paintings inspired by the beauty of nature and the play of light on plant forms. There also will be several paintings of views of River Farm itself. All of the artists share a passion for the natural world and a love of trying to capture it through the challenging medium of watercolor. All artists are members of Potomac Valley …
