Table of Contents
As the city ramps up its yearlong commemoration of the nation's 250th birthday, the Alexandria Beautification Commission is inviting residents and businesses to mark the milestone one garden at a time.
The commission, in partnership with the city, has launched Plant for America250, a community gardening initiative challenging at least 250 property owners — residents, businesses and institutions — to plant red, white and blue native gardens during the spring and summer of 2026. The effort echoes a similar push in 1976, when Alexandrians planted patriotic gardens to mark the nation's bicentennial.
The initiative encourages participants to swap out a patch of lawn for native plants in the colors of the American flag. Suggested red plants include cardinal flower, scarlet beebalm and wild eastern red columbine. White options include Virginia sweetspire, white coneflower and white wood aster. Blue plantings range from Virginia bluebells and blue false indigo to wild blue phlox and giant hyssop.
Beyond their patriotic palette, the gardens are designed to support pollinators and strengthen Alexandria's local ecosystem.
The commission is also adding a special America250 category to the 2026–2027 Alexandria Beautification Awards, recognizing gardens that feature native red, white and blue plantings in honor of the anniversary.
The plant challenge is one of several community-centered programs the city has added to its America250 calendar, which Mayor Alyia Gaskins launched in February at the Alexandria History Museum at The Lyceum. Other upcoming events include the poster art contest, with submissions due April 17, and Sails on the Potomac, a three-day tall ships festival set for June 12–14 on the waterfront.
More information about Alexandria's America 250 programming is available at alexandriava.gov/america250.
