Bloom & Grow Festival and Plant Sale
For more than 30 years, the Northern Neck Master Gardeners’ chapter has held an annual spring symposium with educational presentations and a handful of vendors.
This year, plans are bigger—much bigger.
The Bloom & Grow Festival and Plant Sale, set for April 25 at Ingleside Vineyards in Oak Grove, will combine short horticultural seminars with food and wine, live music, children’s activities and a sale with 75-plus varieties of plants grown by Master Gardeners themselves.
The Virginia native Eastern redbud (Cercis Canadensis).
“We decided that change would be good for everyone,” said Diane Smith, a Master Gardener and marketing chair for the inaugural event. “We’re excited to connect with the community in a fun and different way, to pass on knowledge about gardening, sustainability and environmental health.”
Running from 12pm to 4pm, the family- friendly festival will have free admission and a tent dedicated to entertaining kids. Organizers are planning a butterfly-themed craft with age-appropriate lessons on the importance of pollinators to the entire natural world, including human beings. They also will give children native wildflower seeds to plant.
For adults, volunteer Master Gardeners will be on hand to answer questions about cultivating specific types of plants for sale. Group talks will include techniques to improve the flavor and nutritional content of home-grown vegetables and discuss the benefits of native flora.
“Our goal is for people of any age to have a good time as they enjoy plants, learn more about them and gain confidence about caring for them,” Smith said. “Ingleside also is just a beautiful and peaceful place to spend an afternoon.”
Ingleside Vineyards, one of the oldest and largest wineries in Virginia, was established in 1980 on part of a more than 3,000-acre estate. The business produces more than 18 handcrafted wines and has won top honors in state, national and international competitions.
The Virginia native coral honeysuckle (Lonicera Sempervirens).
Dating to 1834, the property near George Washington’s birthplace has served as a boys’ school, Union garrison during the Civil War, courthouse and dairy farm during its rich history. Today, it offers a European-style courtyard with a fountain, gift shop and museum with antique wine bottles, Native American artifacts and Chesapeake waterfowl decoys.
As a nod to Washington, the Bloom & Grow Festival will feature live English country dance music that the first president likely knew well.
Master Gardeners are eager to share with area homeowners their favorite perennials, among them colorful native plants, herbs, shrubs and trees that flower in spring, summer or fall. Just a few examples are American beautyberry, blue mistflower, redbud, Sheffield Pink chrysanthemum, coral honeysuckle, buttonbush, hibiscus, columbine and Virginia sweetspire.
Money raised will support Master Gardener projects such as beautification of public spaces and educational demonstration gardens, shoreline evaluation and protection programs, farmers’ market booths, assisted living center visits and gardening discussions and events throughout the Northern Neck.
“Rain or shine, we’ll be ready to welcome gardeners of all levels,” Smith said. “It’s never too early or too late for anyone to start learning about gardening.”
Northern Neck Master Gardeners | nnmg.org
Colonial Williamsburg’s 100th Anniversary & America250 Celebrations
On December 7, 1926, a short Western Union telegram arrived in Williamsburg and forever changed its history.
The missive signed by the mysterious “David’s Father”—later revealed to be philanthropist John D. Rockefeller, Jr.—authorized and financed the first purchase of a property to begin a full-scale historical restoration that became Colonial Williamsburg.
Throughout 2026, CW will celebrate its 100th birthday and the coinciding 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence in all kinds of ways: a new book on its history, an art museum exhibit, performances of an original symphony, lectures, reenactments and public programming, including surprise celebrity appearances.
“We’ll have something special almost every weekend,” said Ron Hurst, senior vice president and chief mission officer at the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. “We’re keeping some of the details under wraps for now, but it’s going to be a really remarkable and exciting year.”
The living history museum, dedicated to education about the nation’s history and founding principles, traces its roots back to W.A.R. Goodwin’s efforts to restore the then-crumbling colonial capital. Multiple buildings had been neglected to the point of facing demolition.
Goodwin, rector of Bruton Parish Church, had approached several wealthy families with his idea, including the Ford family of automotive fame. Rockefeller, heir to an oil empire, jumped on board but wished to remain anonymous during the early days of the project.
“He and Goodwin knew that prices for local real estate would artificially explode if people were aware that someone so well-known was involved,” Hurst explained. “David was his youngest son, so ‘David’s Father’ it was.”
Rockefeller also referred to the house for purchase—the Ludwell-Paradise House on Duke of Gloucester Street, built in the mid-1700s—as an “antique” to further disguise plans. He and Goodwin then continued to work together to buy properties as they came onto the market.
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An early photo of the Ludwell-Paradise House on Duke of Gloucester Street.
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The telegram sent by philanthropist John D. Rockefeller, Jr. to his son in 1926.
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A more recent photo of the Ludwell-Paradise House on Duke of Gloucester Street.
But it wasn’t until a town meeting on June 12, 1928, that city residents, by then aware of the project, voted overwhelmingly to approve the restoration. Over time, the work transformed a quiet city into an international tourist destination and major center for historic preservation and archaeological research.
CW is happy to share a milestone anniversary with the nation, which set its own bold course with the July 4, 1776, signing of the Declaration of Independence. The museum’s annual July 4th festivities, which culminate in a fireworks display over the Governor’s Palace, will be one highlight of a year of remembering America’s revolutionary spirit.
CW also is one of the signature sites on the Virginia 250 Passport, a free 64-page commemorative booklet that offers discounts on admission and encourages people to collect a unique stamp at each site and enter a prize contest.
To help build anticipation, CW is gradually adding calendar content to its website, which will inform people about special events for both anniversaries.
“There will be something for everyone,” Hurst promised. “Kids, teenagers, adults, locals and visitors. We truly believe it’s important for everyone to know our country’s past to shape a better future.”
The Gloucester Daffodil Festival
For four decades, the Gloucester Daffodil Festival has celebrated the county’s flower-filled history, which began when 17th-century English settlers carried bulbs across the ocean as a colorful reminder of home.
This year’s 40th anniversary event, set for March 28 and 29, will add several special features, including a petting zoo with farm animals and reptiles, an expanded parade to honor past Daffodil Festival Queens and a Sunday concert by 1980s tribute band The Deloreans.
The 40th anniversary festival is set for March 28 and 29, and includes a petting zoo with farm animals and reptiles, an expanded parade to honor past Daffodil Festival Queens and a Sunday concert by 1980s tribute band The Deloreans.
Bobby BlackHat, a popular Newport News musician who plays traditional and contemporary blues, will be Saturday’s headline act, while the Daffodil Dash 5K race will return Sunday morning based on popular demand.
An anticipated 25,000 festival-goers also will find 250-plus vendor booths, a large food court and adjacent beer garden, face-painting and carnival rides for kids, and parade performances by local bands, dance groups and color guard troupes. In addition, people can attend a tour of Brent and Becky’s Bulbs all weekend or sign up for a sail excursion to take place in April.
And the Gloucester Daffodil Show—already the largest American Daffodil Society-sanctioned show in the nation—is hoping to set new records. Last year’s competition showcased 2,775 flowers; this year, organizers expect to top 3,000.
“It’s going to be bigger and better than ever,” said Hunter LeClair, Gloucester’s tourism, marketing and events manager. “There’s so much tradition, joy and beauty all mixed together in one weekend.”
Festival admission is free, with public parking available along Main Street or at Gloucester High School with shuttle service. Buses also will travel the approximately quarter-mile distance between the festival site and floral show.
The daffodil has long flourished in Gloucester, where ideal soil and climate conditions led to its rapid spread in gardens and undeveloped lands. The hardy flowers also are largely inedible to common animals such as deer and voles.
By the early 20th century, several entrepreneurs had founded large cut-flower businesses that shipped out blooms by steamboat—leading to the 2026 festival theme, “Anchored in Tradition.” During the peak of that commercial industry, from the 1920s to the 1940s, Gloucester earned the title of “Daffodil Capital of America.”
The Garden Club of Gloucester held its first Daffodil Show in 1938 and added a fuller- scale festival the following year. In 1941, both events were suspended due to World War II; the Lions Club later resurrected the tradition from 1958 to 1965.
In 1987, a volunteer committee partnered with Gloucester Parks & Recreation to bring back the festival and floral show for good. Judges score blooms on criteria such as shape, condition, color, size and stem form; the contest has photography and art design categories as well.
Another panel of judges selects a Daffodil Queen from interested high school students based on interviews, photo shoots, academic performance, speaking skills, service background and character.
Winners serve as county ambassadors at events throughout the year.
For now, people can download a free “Gloucester Daffodil Festival” app to be ready to receive real-time updates, safety alerts and links to vendors’ social media sites if they see items they like while shopping.
“We love the idea of people continuing to buy local throughout the year,” LeClair noted. “This festival is just a fun, unique way for everyone to celebrate and support our community.”
