First Flower Fridays: A Major Success

Several DC Natives garden owners have a green thumb. They can tell a weed from a wildflower, a shovel from a spade, and bee balm from scarlet sage. The beauty about the DC Natives model, however, is that our garden owners are also novices. Residents that are a bit timid around , just learning that bees can be our friends, and that .How do we know this? Because we love spending time with our community, you share your garden experiences, and oh, yeah: we sent you a survey earlier this year.

And oh, did we listen to what you had to say! We heard that many of you wanted more support and education in caring for your gardens. So what we did was convene with our board of directors and came up with First Flower Fridays, DC Natives Demonstration Garden Series! 

We kicked things off the first Friday in April, providing hands-on instruction right in the gardens of community members. We met at the homes of our co-founders Ms. Anne Miller and Ms. Peaches Dorsey to spruce up their pollinator gardens after the winter, plant a few new plants and have some refreshments. 

Throughout the spring and summer, we journeyed across Wards 7 & 8, doing demonstrations, pouring libations, and spreading the gospel of pollinator magic! We’d like to offer a big thanks to those who hosted including Lia Cheek, Zerline Hughes Spruill, Anne Miller and Peaches Dorsey, Lee Keeling and Synta Keeling, who held a very informative FFF around pollinator gardens and renting your home through Airbnb. Who knew pollinators could also attract a second income!

Now that the cooler seasons are upon us, our First Flower Fridays will reconvene in the spring. We hope you’ll join us again or for the first time as FFF is a great way to meet other DC Natives gardeners, brush up on skills and learn new things! Invitations are sent via email so keep your eyes peeled!