Green Spring Gardens

8/19/12

  

     I made a recent visit to Green Spring gardens which is a park in the Fairfax County park system.  All of the photos in this post are from this park.  I live in Fairfax County, and this park is a gold mine of information not only for residents of Fairfax County but also the surrounding Washington, DC area.

     The gardens and educational programs focus on landscaping techniques for the Washington metro area.

patio garden

     There are over 20 thematic demonstration gardens.

children's garden

     The gardens feature a wide variety of trees, shrubs, vines, perennials, annuals, bulbs, vegetables and fruits that provide ideas and inspiration for the home gardener.

apple orchard

grape vines

vegetable garden

     Gardening classes are held year round here on topics such as basic gardening, garden design, invasive plant ID and native alternatives, and include educational programs for schools.

     A valuable resource at the park is the horticultural reference library with over 3,000 volumes, 30 magazines, nursery catalogs, and newsletters from national plant societies.

tropical greenhouse

     There is also a greenhouse with tropical plants, and a gift shop with not only books, but gardening tools, wind chimes, and packets of seed gathered from the gardens.  The park website (www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/greenspring) has numerous plant information pages, under the gardening heading, for recommended annuals, perennials, bulbs, deciduous trees and shrubs, evergreen trees and shrubs, vines, grasses, plants that attract birds and butterflies, etc.

historic house

     The park was originally cultivated farmland (oats, wheat, corn, rye) on which a brick house was built in 1784.  You can take a tour of the house or enjoy one of the programs presented there on daily life, social customs, food, and fashions followed by tea.  The last owners deeded the house and 16 acres to the Fairfax County Park Authority in 1970.