Smithsonian Garden Fest 2015 Will Focus on Pollinators

Smithsonian Gardens will host an all-day celebration for its ninth annual Garden Fest, “Pollinators!” Friday, May 8, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Enid A. Haupt Garden.

Garden Fest highlights each of the Smithsonian’s gardens and connects people to plants through engaging hands-on activities and educational demonstrations. An annual tradition for Smithsonian Gardens since 2006, this is an all-day, family-friendly event.

This year’s Garden Fest program will celebrate National Public Gardens Day with an array of activities focused on the important roles that pollinators play in food and ecosystems. Visitors can explore the history of honey bees, learn what they can do to attract pollinators to their own garden and participate in multiple hands-on activities.

Garden Fest will also feature the return of popular events like the annual Container Contest, water bottles from Fairfax Water and musical performances by Bay Jazz Project throughout the day.

Click here to find out more about Smithsonian Gardens’ participation in the federal effort to protect and restore domestic populations of pollinators.

Garden Fest is presented by Smithsonian Gardens, which was established in 1972 to manage the grounds of the Smithsonian museums and to create interior and exterior horticultural exhibitions. Its research and educational programs promote the ongoing development of collections of living plants, garden documentation and horticultural artifacts. Garden Fest will be held in the 4.2 acre Enid A. Haupt Garden, a public rooftop garden above the interiors of the Freer and Sackler galleries and National Museum of African Art. The Haupt Garden is between the Smithsonian Castle and Independence Avenue. For more information visit http://www.gardens.si.edu/

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SI-198-2015