Green Spring Gardens

(Adults) Perhaps one of the most beloved birds in gardening, hummingbirds, astonish us with their aerial acrobatics, their beauty and the important role they play in the garden. Extension Master Gardeners share what plants encourage them to visit your garden and what feeders are best. 

(All Ages) Bring your teddy bear, picnic blanket and lunch for a Teddy Bear Picnic. Listen to a story read-aloud and sing songs. Make a bear craft and a treat for your picnic. Afterwards, you and your child can have a picnic on the lawn together. All attendees, including parents, must be registered for the program to control size.

(Adult) Take a tour of the beautiful demonstration gardens with an Extension Master Gardener docent. Find inspiration in our horticulturists’ plant choices and garden bed designs. Hear about our 18th century origins and our mission today, then step inside for afternoon tea. Garden tours run rain or shine.

A traditional British afternoon tea served in the Historic House follows each tea program. Full tea includes finger sandwiches, pastries, and scone with cream and jam. 

(16-Adult) This full-day workshop will focus on the identification of 'true' sedges in the genus Carex. FCPA Ecologist, Nelson DeBarros, will present on common sedges in Fairfax County and lead participants in keying provided specimens using microscopes. Weather permitting, the afternoon session will include a walk on the grounds of Green Spring Gardens to observe and discuss Carex species in-situ. Recommended for individuals with previous experience using botanical dichotomous keys. This program includes a 30-minute break.

(Adults) Experience Green Spring Gardens with all of your senses. Join Ana Ka’ahanui, co-founder of local nonprofit Capital Nature for a slow, meditative walk around the gardens. Contemplative, but more active than meditation, this forest bathing walk will help reduce blood pressure, boost immunity, and enhance mood and creativity. Decompress and feel a deeper connection with the natural world. Bring something to sit on the ground, which may be damp, and a water bottle. Dress for the weather.

(14 – Adult) Celebrate mothers everywhere with a festive, art-themed bingo game presented by Historic House interpreter Karen Heyda Jackson. Explore artistic depictions of motherhood by well-known artists from around the world while playing an entertaining game of bingo. Prizes and teatime favors included. 

Cost: $23 (lecture only); $48 (lecture + tea) 

A traditional British afternoon tea served in the Historic House follows each tea program. Full tea includes finger sandwiches, pastries, and scone with cream and jam. 

(3-5 years) Your preschooler will enjoy nature-themed activities and crafts while you meet other playgroup parents one Monday a month. Through games, songs, activities and a garden walk, we will explore seasonal topics. Kids must be accompanied by a parent or guardian who does not need to register for the program.

(Adult) Take a tour of the beautiful demonstration gardens with an Extension Master Gardener docent. Find inspiration in our horticulturists’ plant choices and garden bed designs. Hear about our 18th century origins and our mission today, then step inside for afternoon tea. Garden tours run rain or shine.

A traditional British afternoon tea served in the Historic House follows each tea program. Full tea includes finger sandwiches, pastries, and scone with cream and jam. 

(Adults) Use your basic drawing skills to accurately render realistic drawings of trees and their leaves. Artist and instructor Caroline Hottenstein shows you how to use the media of your choice - a micron pen, watercolor, graphite, or colored pencils to capture and highlight details. Previous drawing experience encouraged. A supply list will be emailed before class. Bring a lunch.

(Adult) Tea and coffee are the most popular beverages in the world, and both have legendary pasts. Learn about the history, provenance and health benefits of these flavorful, and competing, brews as we compare and contrast them.  Regardless of your preference, you may change sides in the battle of the cup. 

Cost: $18 (lecture only); $42 (lecture + tea) 

A traditional British afternoon tea served in the Historic House follows each tea program. Full tea includes finger sandwiches, pastries, and scone with cream and jam. 

(Adult) Award-winning actress and Smithsonian scholar Mary Ann Jung performs as Clara Barton, who faced bullying and bullets to save lives as a Civil War nurse. Discover how Clara created The Missing Soldiers Office and the American Red Cross in an interactive performance that reveals her struggles and accomplishments and inspires all of us to "Never Give Up!"

A traditional British afternoon tea served in the Historic House follows each tea program. Full tea includes finger sandwiches, pastries, and scone with cream and jam.

(Adult) Tour the glorious demonstration gardens with master gardener docents. Hear about Green Spring’s fascinating history, our educational mission today and how we can help your summer gardens grow!

A traditional British afternoon tea served in the Historic House follows each tea program. Full tea includes finger sandwiches, pastries, and scone with cream and jam.

(Adults) This Juneteenth join BLK FLWR MRKT, a local Black woman-owned business, in making a floral smudge stick – sometimes known as a smoke wand.

Smudge sticks, a bundle of botanicals burned for aroma, have been used by many cultures throughout the world to cleanse and purify both physical spaces and mental energies.

Learn about the specially selected herbs and flowers you will use and the historical and cultural importance they hold for Black Americans. Engage your inner-self through writing affirmations, inner-child games and blindfolded sensory activities.

(Adult) June is for weddings. Explore the many ways that people have found their mates throughout history, from the ancient roles of matchmakers to the emergence of marriage markets and the origins of “dating.” Discover why June is historically the most popular month for marriage.

A traditional British afternoon tea served in the Historic House follows each tea program. Full tea includes finger sandwiches, pastries, and scone with cream and jam.

(Adult) Mark Twain was born on the day Halley’s Comet visited in 1835 and died on the day of its return in 1910. What are the odds? Hear theories on why coincidences happen and what they mean. Discover some of the most remarkable known coincidences and chance events in human history.

A traditional British afternoon tea served in the Historic House follows each tea program. Full tea includes finger sandwiches, pastries, and scone with cream and jam.

(Adult) Learn about Green Spring’s 18th-century origins, its early owners and the enslaved people who once lived and toiled here. Hear fascinating stories of past residents of the 1784 Historic House and discover how Green Spring became a horticultural and historical resource for visitors today. 

A traditional British afternoon tea served in the Historic House follows each tea program. Full tea includes finger sandwiches, pastries, and scone with cream and jam.

(Adult) Rumor, hearsay, scuttlebutt, scandal. Gossip is widely condemned yet sometimes considered a positive force in society.

Hear all about the origins and changing definitions of gossip, how people have “dished” hilariously through the ages, and why gossiping was once considered synonymous with tea-drinking!

Please note: All tea food for this afternoon tea will be made with no gluten-containing ingredients but cross-contamination is possible. 

Concepts of courtesy and good manners have defined cultures through the ages and made social interaction run smoothly. Learn how manners have changed from medieval times to the Victorian era to the present day and consider the differences between "good manners” and “etiquette.”

A traditional British afternoon tea served in the Historic House follows each tea program. Full tea includes finger sandwiches, pastries, and scone with cream and jam.