Winter Lecture Series Preview, 2025
by Aimee Martin, FROGS President
Be sure to go to our first Winter Lecture, on January 19th, at 1:30 pm. Judy Zatsick and Parker Jennings will tell us about the symposium they attended at the iconic Dixter Gardens in England. Learn tips and tricks from one of the world’s greatest gardeners. You can expect to see a little bit of Dixter in Green Spring’s Gardens this year!
Following the Lecture we will have a short FROGS Annual Meeting. As usual, we will report on the past year, plans for the coming year, and our stewardship of your donations and the funds we’ve raised. You’ll also meet our incoming President, Linda Nordstrom, and Vice President, Susan Voss.
Green Spring Goes to Great Dixter
Sunday, January 19
1:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. (16-Adult) Join us for a behind the scenes look at the amazing planning and work that goes into creating one of Britain’s most iconic gardens—Great Dixter. Green Spring Gardens staff Judy Zatsick and Parker Jennings will share photos and notes from a weeklong symposium they attended at Dixter in September. Known for brilliant and artistic plant combinations, incredible horticulture skills and vision, Head Gardener Fergus Garrett offers four symposia each year to share his expertise. Judy and Parker attended lectures and worked in the gardens. Learn tips and tricks from one of the world’s greatest gardeners. You can expect to see a little bit of Dixter in Green Spring’s Gardens this year! $15 per person. Code CZR.31AT
Pleasure Gardens
Sunday, January 26
1:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. (16-Adult) Green Spring historian Debbie Waugh explores the social phenomenon of the 18th century pleasure garden. These vast landscaped entertainment spaces, originating in London and later adopted in America, offered a host of attractions - refined and risqué - set amid ornamental gardens, arbors, and pavilions. At night, many became disreputable venues for scandal, intrigue and worse. $15 per person. Code R33.38T8
The Future of Composting
Sunday, February 2
12:30 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. (16-Adult) The Fairfax County Park Authority (FCPA) teams up with Future Acres Urban Farming to give you the 411 on composting. Learn how to drop off your food scraps at the FCPA’s 10 Farmers' Markets and meet the company responsible for turning it into nutrient-dense compost! Dave Littere, owner of Future Acres, shares what happens to your food scraps after they leave the Farmers Market, the various methods of composting that you can do at home, and what the future of composting holds. Another way that you can be part of the solution to food waste management. $15 per person. Code A8K.23EZ
Gardens in the Age of Jumping Worms
Sunday, February 9
1:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. (16-Adult) Researcher Jordan Thompson will dive into the impacts of the invasive Asian jumping worms on soil health and garden ecosystems. Learn about the unique challenges these worms pose to soil structure, nutrient cycling and plant growth, and get practical advice and actionable steps to preserve your garden in the face of this growing threat. $15 per person. Code K07.9K57
Rethinking the Invasive Plant Issue
Sunday, February 16
1:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. (16-Adult) Join the conversation with JC Raulston Arboretum director, Mark Weathington, as we assess what is a native plant and what plants are truly invasive. Mark shares his insights into these complicated issues and proposes ideas about where we should be focusing our time, energy, and money. Exclusionary ecology cannot put the genie back in the bottle, so let's rethink our approach to invasive plants to achieve realistic, optimum outcomes. $15 per person. Code PSO.QN87
