This garden next to Pilgrim Road, a memorial to Mrs Phyllis Nitze, former All Hallows Guild President, has been redesigned and replanted several times. Changing conditions of sun and drainage and even new plant discoveries and trends made us decide to replant parts of this area again. At this moment five new Cornus florida are …
For years, spring-flowering bulbs were planted in several of the beds in the Bishop’s Garden; however, digging up the spent bulbs after bloom was destructive to the formal perennial plantings. Recently only the Sundial Bed became a showcase for spring bulbs and was afterward filled with other plants. For a long while, herbs were in …
As we enter summer our new Pollinator Garden is coming into full flower and welcoming new visitors. We have featured this garden in earlier blog posts, but after planting early this spring, it is beginning to come into its own. The Pollinator Garden is located adjacent to the entrance to National Cathedral School’s Athletic Center, …
Friendship, Volunteers, and Tradition An enduring chain of friendship has helped to form the history of Flower Mart. Many Flower Mart volunteers are a part of a legacy that goes back years (or even decades), and spans generations. One of Flower Mart’s exceptional volunteers was All Hallows Guild Board Member Betty Gordon – who provided …
Recent warm weather has caused the Olmsted Woods to “spring” to life! Not only are leaves popping out on the trees and the spring blooms appearing, but our devoted group of Olmsted Woods volunteers has resumed their work removing invasive plants. Take a Walk in the Woods or join our Volunteers any Wednesday Morning The …
WHY POLLINATORS? The recent surge in scientific and popular interest in pollinators has spawned a new curiosity about the habits and cycles of the bees, moths, bats, hummingbirds, and other insects we had previously taken for granted. Bee colony collapse and the disappearance of monarch butterflies are topics once the province of scientists and entomologists …
the All Hallows Guild Carousel Caliola Since 1963 All Hallows Guild has owned the historic traveling carousel (circa 1890) that appears each year at Flower Mart. Before catching a glimpse of the carousel, Flower Mart visitors hear the music of the 1937 Wurlitzer caliola calling them to ride. The caliola itself, though newer than the …
During the February 3, 1939, meeting of the All Hallows Guild Executive Committee, a Board member proposed the idea of having a Flower Mart on the Pilgrim Steps. It is believed that the idea for Flower Mart came from an All Hallows Guild member who spent time in Rome – often visiting the flower vendors …
stonework Repairs Needed in the Gardens From the very early years of All Hallows Guild, our visionary leader, Florence Brown Bratenahl, had as her watchwords, “Historic Trees, Boxwood, Yew and Stone.” Indeed Mrs. Bratenahl wrote a booklet with this title in 1932, highlighting examples of all these materials on the Cathedral hillside. She knew they …
The record-breaking rainfall of 2018 may have lowered water bills and minimized use of irrigation, but all that water took its toll on our landscape nonetheless. Increased runoff has affected the Olmsted Woods and at times overwhelmed the water-control measures we installed some years ago. We are addressing this with engineers and architects. The All …
All Hallows Guild was founded in 1916 to provide for the care and beautification of the grounds of Washington National Cathedral. The Guild works closely with the horticultural staff to preserve this historic landscape and raises funds for renovation and renewal of the gardens.
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