States across America, including the District of Columbia, have designated April as Native Plant Month, thanks to the efforts of The Garden Club of America’s member clubs and collaborating organizations. Read about the many benefits native plants have to offer and why it makes sense to celebrate and plant them!

It’s fairly common in residential neighborhoods to see trees surrounded by grass or by small mulch beds, often heaped high like a volcano. But did you know that your trees would be healthier and grow faster if you replaced that turf and mulch volcanos with a 2-4” deep ring of mulch that extends out to the tree’s drip line or even beyond? Let’s look at why this is.

Many of us want to plant native trees for their beauty and the benefits they offer for humans, wildlife, and the ecosystem. But how do we know which native trees are best suited to our site? The key is understanding what conditions our native trees are adapted to in the wild, and choosing native trees that match the conditions of our site. Its also important to create a wholistic habitat and ecosystem for the newly planted tree that will best support it.

Wildfires around the country, continent, world seem to be on the rise. Wildfires in Maui have been attributed to higher temperatures, prolonged droughts, and invasive grasses. But could it happen here in Fairfax County? Can we comfort ourselves that the East Coast is generally a humid environment; invasive grasses have not been imported to feed cattle; we have higher trust in our utility’s emergency response capability, infrastructure, and access to emergency services?

Bradford pears began life as a hugely popular hybrid flowering tree. Then they became a limb-shedding hazard. Now they have morphed into a family of invasive trees that are overwhelming open spaces and depriving birds and other wildlife of food. And they’re growing right in the middle of McLean.