New Native Plant Memorial Garden Opens At River Farm In Fort Hunt

FORT HUNT, VA — A new memorial garden displaying native plants was unveiled at River Farm, which is on land that was once part of George Washington's farms.

The Clara B. Plein Memorial Garden was opened June 7 with a reception featuring donors, dignitaries, horticulturists, River Farm friends, and American Horticultural Society board members and staff. The namesake, Clara B. Plein, a gardener who the grandmother of American Horticultural Society board of directors chair Scott Plein.

"The Memorial Garden is a tremendous palette of plantings that is definitive of both our cultural and natural past," said Plein in a statement. "It pays homage to River Farm’s wondrous history as part of George Washington’s original farmland and exemplifies the AHS’s focus on best gardening practices."

According to the American Horticultural Society, the new native garden features 2,400 plants across 30 species. Native plants represent 68 percent, and the remainder is made up of native cultivars.

The garden drew collaborations from landscaping and nursery companies from around the region, as well as funding from the White House Farm Foundation.

Participating companies included:

• Ruppert Landscaping: Installation
• KT Enterprises : Donation procurement and project coordination
• South Riding Nurseries: Delivery support
• Jordan Honeyman Landscape Architecture: Landscape design
• Babikow Nursery (Baltimore, MD)
• David’s Nursery (Exmore, VA)
• Hanover Farms Nursery (Rockville, VA)
• Ingleside Nurseries (Colonial Beach, VA)
• Kurt Bluemel Nursery (Baldwin, MD)
• Riverbend Nursery (Riner, VA)
• Sandy’s Plants (Mechanicsville, VA)
• Saunders Brothers Nursery (Piney River, VA)
• The Perennial Farm (Glen Arm, MD)
• White House Farm Foundation (Bristow, VA)
• Willoway Nurseries (Avon, OH)

"Our goal was to support the American Horticultural Society’s mission by creating a stunning greenspace that will serve as a beacon of sustainability, beautification, and ecological restoration in a region rediscovering natural heritage," said Sophia Ciallella, regional landscape designer at Ruppert. "We are honored to have contributed our expertise and are excited to continue providing dedicated landscape management for River Farm, a neighborhood and national treasure."