Manager's Message
by Judy Zatsick, Manager, Green Spring Gardens
Judy Zatsick
2023 is off to a great start at Green Spring Gardens. We have so much going on that I want to share with you.
For garden lovers, the warm weather has coaxed some of our national collection of witch hazels into bloom, five weeks earlier than last year. Check out FROGS board member Linda Nordstrom’s article in this issue to locate them. Lovely Japanese apricots have opened in several of the gardens, and the snowdrops have been blooming for over a month along with mahonia, false holly, and sweetbox. There really is something in bloom every month of the year at Green Spring Gardens.
Site historian Debbie Waugh and her team have presented the first tea programs of the new year to sold-out groups. Sign up quickly, as many of Debbie’s teas sell out within hours of registration opening. Or consider booking a private tea for a group of 18 or more, with a history-themed lecture or garden tour.
Community Horticulture is already in high gear. Read about Farmers Market Coordinator Caroline Hockenberry in this issue. She and Molly Cullen have already scheduled Farmers Market vendor meetings and have plans for new initiatives at our ten markets, including choice foods, live music, and children’s activities. Farmers Market food vendors will be featured at our Spring Garden Day in May. Bring your appetite!
Pam Smith, who oversees our Green Spring Extension Master Gardener program and Community Garden Plots, has several new horticultural programs that outreach into our community, including a very successful healing garden program at Shirley Gate, a Get to Green program to advise on garden creation at Fairfax County schools, as well as our hugely successful edible garden, which provided over 2,000 pounds of fresh produce for a local food bank. Patricia Dietly, Garden Plot coordinator, is poised to cut the ribbon at nearby Hogge Park, where new garden plots await eager gardeners.
Jade tree with starry flowers located in the glasshouseThe weather has been mild and lovely. If you do need to come inside to warm up for a few minutes, you’ll want to have a look at the wonderful art in the horticulture center or at the historic house. We sponsor the work of many local artists, and much of the work is for sale.
Finally, one of the highlights of winter is our almost 75-year-old Crassula ovata, or jade Plant, in the glasshouse. This wonderful specimen has been on display in our glasshouse for over 25 years. Every January it is covered with hundreds of white stars, a lovely sight, which reminds me of all the wonderful stars in our community, including you, who help to make Green Spring the spectacular garden that it is!
Thank you for your support. Come and visit us!
