First Bloom
Lady Bird Johnson Park
”To me beautification means our total concern for the physical and human quality we pass on to our children and the future.”
- Lady Bird Johnson
When kids connect with national parks, the result is conservation. Through the First Bloom program, sponsored by the National Park Foundation, children learn to garden with plants native to our region, to remove invasive weeds, to beautify their own communities, and to protect park landscapes for other people to discover and enjoy.
Lady Bird Johnson, wife of the 36th President of the United States, Lyndon Baines Johnson, was a strong and early advocate for the environment. As First Lady from 1963-1969, she spearheaded efforts to beautify the Washington, D.C. area and the nation’s highways. After returning to Texas, Mrs. Johnson continued her legacy to increase the sustainable use of native wildflowers and plants.
First Bloom teaches children the wonders of the outdoor world and, how gardening can build confidence and social skills while enhancing communities. They learn about the importance of plants native to our region and how invasive non-native species threaten the environment. Children grow to care about protecting and restoring habitats for wildlife and local plant species. And, most importantly, children are made aware that national parks belong to all of us and they are encouraged to become future stewards.
Marker can be reached from George Washington Memorial Parkway north of Boundary Channel Drive, on the right when traveling east.
Courtesy hmdb.org
