Date/Time
Date(s) - 09/26/2021
10:00 am - 3:00 pm
Location
Ball Sellers House
Categories
Join us on Sunday, Sept. 26 at 12 pm to hear “Colonial Gardens: Plants, Placement and Uses at the Ball-Sellers House.” Kathleen Clements and Cheryl Vann, Master Gardeners of Northern Virginia interns, will discuss their reinterpretation of the BSH gardens. Learn about their extensive research into colonial gardens in the mid-Atlantic region and how it informed their proposal to re-create the colonial house gardens with historically accurate plantings and landscaping. They will also highlight how plants were maintained and used for culinary, medicinal, and ornamental purposes in the mid-1700s. We’re open from 10-3 pm but the presentation is at noon. Learn more about the Ball family and how gardening impacted their daily lives.
Our speakers are:
- Kathleen Clements: Kathleen is a native Arlingtonian whose love of history and horticulture drew her to the Ball-Sellers House Kitchen Garden project. An educator, she has worked as a classroom teacher and reading specialist in public and independent schools. Kathleen developed an interactive curriculum focusing on 18thcentury living in Northern Virginia exploring life on farms, plantations, and in Alexandria. For 16 years she and her students participated in Claude Moore Farm’s Environmental Living Program, a three day/two-night historic simulation of the demands of colonial living.
- Cheryl Vann: Cheryl is a resident of Alexandria and a retired professor of Humanities-based courses from George Washington University. She enjoyed learning from her students, who taught her important crossword puzzle words like “emo” and “grunge.”
Master Gardeners of Northern Virginia (MGNV) is an organization of volunteers who work with the staff of Virginia Cooperative Extension (VCE) to encourage and promote environmentally sound gardening practices. MGNV members must complete over 60 hours of combined classroom and in the field training, as well as 60 hours of volunteer work as interns to become certified by Virginia Tech as VCE Master Gardeners. Additional volunteer work and continuing education are required each year to maintain certification.
Friends of Urban Agriculture whose produce from the Ball-Sellers Kitchen Garden is donated to the Arlington Food Assistance Center will also be on-hand to provide tips on your vegetable and herb gardens.
The Ball-Sellers House is partnering with Master Gardeners of Northern Virginia to host the annual AutumnFest at the Ball-Sellers House and The Glencarlyn Community Garden at the library (just around the corner). The day is full of gardening information, from the colonial era to today! We’re open from 10-3 pm but the colonial garden presentation is at noon.
LEARN: From the experts. Mini-workshops include:
• 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. – Free tours of the Ball-Sellers House, the oldest structure in the Washington metro area, with a knowledgeable docent, free. Meet Friends of Urban Agriculture who tend the Ball-Sellers House vegetable garden and donate all they produce to the Arlington Food Assistance Center.
• 11 a.m. – Climate-Conscious Gardening: Ideas for earth-friendly practices.
• Noon – Colonial Gardens: Plants, placement and uses at the Ball-Sellers House.
• 1 p.m. – Tool Time: How to sharpen and care for your garden tools.
• All Day — Enjoy kids activities teaching about soil. Consult with Audubon at Home Ambassadors and Master Gardeners on questions; Learn about critters with a Naturalist (10 a.m. to Noon).
TASTE: Savory and sweet foods and beverages featuring herbs.
BUY: Native plants from Hill House Nursery; hand-crafted jewelry; recycled reusable bags; ceramics; decorative boxes and cards; watercolor prints; local honey and compost services; used books from Friends of Arlington Library; new “Perfect Partners” T-shirts and more.
MAKE: Sachets and take the scents of AutumnFest home.
Rain or Shine
Ball-Sellers House is just around the corner at Glencarlyn Library Garden
300 South Kensington Street, Arlington, VA 22204