Downtown Greens Inc.

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Fredericksburg, VA
Downtown Greens Inc.

Non-profit community greenspace open to the public from sunrise to sunset 365 days a year.

06/15/2026

National Pollinator Week: Meet the Pollinators

When you hear the word "pollinator," what comes to mind?

For many people, it's the honeybee. Honeybees are certainly important, but they're only one small part of the pollinator story.

Virginia is home to hundreds of species of native bees, along with butterflies, moths, beetles, hoverflies, wasps, hummingbirds, and many other creatures that help pollinate plants. Together, these animals support healthy ecosystems and help produce many of the fruits, vegetables, herbs, and seeds we rely on every day.

The challenge is that pollinators need food throughout the growing season, not just when a few flowers happen to be blooming. That's one reason Downtown Greens is creating a new pollinator garden within our Education Food Garden. By planting a variety of native plants, herbs, flowers, fruits, and vegetables, we can provide a steady source of nectar and pollen from spring through fall.

A diverse garden supports a diverse community of pollinators. Some pollinators prefer tiny flowers. Others seek out large blooms. Some are active during the day, while others work the night shift. The more variety we plant, the more wildlife we can support.

As part of this project, we'll also be installing educational signs to help visitors learn about the pollinators they may encounter in the garden, the native plants they depend on, and the important role they play in both natural ecosystems and food production.

To bring this vision to life, we're raising $2,500 for native plants, soil improvements, educational signage, and installation costs.

As a thank-you for supporting the project:

🌼 All donations of $25 or more will receive a "Born to be Wildflowers" Downtown Greens sticker.

🍯 The first 10 donations of $100 or more will receive a jar of honey harvested from the bees at Downtown Greens.

👕 All donations of $250 or more will receive a Downtown Greens t-shirt in their choice of size and color.

Every donation helps us create a living classroom where people can discover the amazing diversity of pollinators that call our region home.

Because it takes more than one bee to grow a healthy garden.

Donate using the link below...
https://www.downtowngreens.org/donate.html

06/14/2026

National Pollinator Week: Growing Food, Growing Habitat

Did you know that many of the fruits and vegetables we eat depend on pollinators? From tomatoes to squash, berries to herbs, bees, butterflies, moths, beetles, and other pollinators play an important role in helping our gardens grow.

That's why Downtown Greens is excited to announce a new chapter for our Education Food Garden!

Over the coming months, we'll be transforming a portion of the garden into a space that demonstrates the connection between pollinators, native plants, and food production. The center of the garden will continue to feature vegetables and fruits, while the surrounding raised beds will be planted with native, pollinator-friendly plants. Existing herb beds will be expanded with perennial and self-seeding herbs, and annual flowers like sunflowers will be mixed throughout the garden alongside vegetables such as kale and beets.

This new design will create a beautiful learning space where visitors can see firsthand how pollinators support healthy ecosystems and productive food gardens.

We're also planning to install educational signs throughout the garden that will help visitors identify native plants, learn about the pollinators that visit them, and understand why these relationships are so important for both wildlife and the food on our plates.

To make this vision a reality, we're raising $2,500. Every donation helps us create a living classroom where people of all ages can learn about the natural systems that feed both people and wildlife.

As a thank-you for supporting the project:

All donations of $25 or more will receive a "Born to be Wildflowers" Downtown Greens sticker.

The first 10 donations of $100 or more will receive a jar of honey harvested from the bees at Downtown Greens.

All donations of $250 or more will receive a Downtown Greens t-shirt in their choice of size and color.

Together, we can create a garden that feeds people, supports pollinators, and inspires future generations to care for the natural world.

If you'd like to help us reach our $2,500 goal, please consider making a donation today using the link below...
https://www.downtowngreens.org/donate.html

06/09/2026

Our partnership with Virginia Tech's Community Design Assistance Center on our Belman Road site plan has led us to a collaboration with another VA Tech Department, the School of Visual Arts!

Professor Hiromi Okumura and Evans Ahenkorah, both in the School of Visual Arts at VA Tech, are working on a project where they harvest invasive plant materials, process them without the use of chemicals, and turn them into other products.

In particular, they were very interested in mulberry trees. Traditionally in Japan, mulberry has been used for ukiyo‑e paper and is the primary material for washi (traditional Japanese paper).

On May 29, a group from VA Tech including Hiromi Okumura, Evans Ahenkorah, Bri ONeal and Harrison Miles made the trip to Downtown Greens to look for invasives.

We have two main invasive Mulberry tree species in Virginia which thankfully only one persists on our larger Belman Road Campus. However, we do have both species on our Downtown Campus. Present in both our Upper and Lower gardens we have the more widely known White Mulberry (Morus alba) and the Morus papyrifera, aka the Paper Mulberry.

We look forward to seeing their results using our own raw materials, as well working with them in the future!

06/05/2026

After 10 years of everyday use, our drinking fountains in both the Upper and Lower Garden needed replacing. With funding from The Community Foundation of the Rappahannock River Region, we are pleased to announce that both fountains have been replaced and are now operational. Local plumber was able to remove the old fountains, install the new ones and got us back up and running in a day.

The fountain in the Upper Garden, located near the pathway, now features a double pedestal with a lower ASA basin. The Lower Garden fountain, located near the Dixon Street side of the property, remains a single pedestal.

Our biggest thanks to The Community Foundation for their funding support, and to Atlantic Green Plumbing for working with us on the project. As the days get hotter, everyone thanks you!

06/03/2026

CORRECTION!!!! Volunteer hours this week will be on ***Thursday 6/4*** and the ACTUAL cancellation is Saturday 6/6 .

Please come and join me, Khalilah the Education Manager, in some garden shenanigans in creating our "chaos garden". We're planting seeds, defining rows with some mulch and pulling those weeds. Our goal is to plant so much that the groundhog and rabbit won't be able to eat it all and leave some for us humans!

06/02/2026

Thursday, 6/4: Cancelled

Saturday, 6/6, Upper Garden, 9am-12pm: Please join Education Manager Khalilah in our Education Garden - we are growing a "chaos garden" so us humans and the groundhogs + bun rabbits can share. Khalilah is hoping to spread and plant some seeds of leafy greens, sunflowers, and more! Come help spread some mulch, define some garden rows, pull some weeds, and lay down some seeds 🌱

No signup required! Questions? Email [email protected]

05/29/2026

We had to reschedule the basket weaving class which means 2 spots have opened up!

Sign up today to get your ticket to this awesome class taught by Alice Noyes of Handwoven by Design where she will teach you how to make your very own hanging wall basket!

Each ticket covers entry and materials for one person. Every attendee will be going home with their very own basket that hey made themselves!

These classes fill up so grab your tickets now using the link below!
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1988485615003?aff=oddtdtcreator

The class will be held outdoors in the Lower Garden at our Downtown Campus at 206 Charles Street, 22401.

Questions? Email [email protected]

05/27/2026

A polite mint that spreads slowly and won't take over the whole garden?!? Mountain Mint, or 'Pycnanthemum muticum' is a Virginia native plant and member of the mint family (lamiaceae). It was first discovered by the French botanist Andre Michaux in 1790, when he found masses of the plant growing in Pennsylvania. Although the common name is Mountain Mint, it actually does not grow in mountainous regions, but rather in open, moist fields and forest edges, often located along the lower elevations of a mountain. And while it is a mint and will do a bit of spreading, it is a great ‘weed-suppressing’ plant and does not spread as invasively as other common mint plants.

The flowers open over a 3 month period beginning in June and are a great source of nectar for bees, beneficial wasps, moths and butterflies! In fact, it is rare that the plants are not a flurry of activity when in bloom. Much like a typical mint, the foliage is very aromatic when rubbed and is popular in teas and salads. It is also very effective at repelling mosquitoes when rubbed on the skin. This aroma is also a useful tool in eliminating deer browse! This plant is a great addition to any beds that are MINT to feed the pollinators! Want to check it out for yourself? Come to Downtown Greens in the lower garden by the stone circle and grab a whiff!

05/26/2026

Join us Tuesday, June 2nd as the amazingly intelligent Lisa Benoit of Wren & Sparrow fame teaches us everything we need to know about bluebirds and how to welcome them into your world!

This is a free class with no sign up required made possible by our partnership with Central Rappahannock Regional Library

The class will be held at the Fredericksburg Branch Library at 1201 Caroline Street, 22401. Ample parking in rear of building.

Questions? Email [email protected]

05/23/2026

Who is crazy enough to join us this evening on a Twilight Nature Walk in the rain? That's right, as long as there is no high winds or lightning the Twilight Nature Walk is happening as scheduled!

Honestly, it's been so dry, the chance of walking in the rain seems like a balm for the soul. Though, according to the app that is never right, the rain will have stopped by then any way.

So join us, won't you? There are still spots available! Sign up using the link below to enjoy the fields and forest as they soak up this precious precipitation.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1984392347931?aff=oddtdtcreator

Address

206 Charles Street
Fredericksburg, VA
22401

Telephone

+15403717315

Website

http://www.downtowngreens.org/

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