News & Events
Mid-Atlantic District Gathering 2025
Hunting Herbs in Hunt Country
September 5-7, 2025
Gathering Schedule
Friday Sept. 5
GARDEN TOURS
10:00 a.m.- 11:00 a.m.
Little Oatlands, 40105 Little Oatlands Ln, Leesburg, VA 20175 (just off Rte 15)
1:00 p.m.-2:30 p.m. OR
1:30 p.m.- 3:00 p.m.
Oak Spring Garden, 1776 Loughborough Lane, Upperville, VA 20184
WELCOME RECEPTION
4:00-6:00 p.m.
Blooming Hill Lavender Farm, 19929 Telegraph Springs Rd, Purcellville, VA 20132
Saturday, September 6
SYMPOSIUM
9:00 a.m.- 5:00 p.m. (doors will open at 8:00 a.m.)
Buchanan Hall, 8549 John S Mosby Hwy Upperville Virginia 20184
Sunday, September 7
GARDEN TOUR
10:00 a.m.- Noon
Boulder Crest Foundation, 33735 Snickersville Turnpike. Bluemont, VA 20135
Please remember your HSA neck wallet (name tag holder) and HSA membership card.
REFRESHMENTS
Saturday Buffet Luncheon Menu
Lavender-honey-glazed grilled chicken breast, apple walnut salad, raspberry and thyme vinaigrette
Bay-and-lemon-poached chilled salmon fillet, horseradish-dill sauce, cucumber-mint relish
Curried quinoa salad with toasted spices, coriander, and Thai basil
Rustic bread and rolls, honey butter, water, iced tea, coffee
Lemon capellini with late-summer basil
Raspberry summer pudding
Tiramisu
Afternoon Tea (served at your table)
Hot Lady Grey tea or warm herbal tea
Traditional English scone served with Devon cream and strawberry jam
Petticoat tail of rosemary shortbread & Lavender meringue kiss
Please inform us of any dietary restrictions before August 15.
LOCAL LODGING
You are responsible for your own hotel booking. We have a block of rooms at a special rate of $109 plus tax/night at the SPARK by Hilton, 150 Wingate Drive, Winchester, VA 22601, phone 540-678-4283. Use the discount code HERB. To receive the special rate, you must reserve by August 15. The rate applies only to September 4-7.
Garden Tours
Friday, Sept. 5, 2025
10:00 a.m.- 11:00 a.m.
Little Oatlands, 40105 Little Oatlands Ln, Leesburg, VA 20175 (just off Route 15),
Most of the pathways are sand but there are stone steps between different levels; and visible roots in some areas so please take care. Comfortable shoes recommended. Bathroom facilities available in the cottage. Designated parking area – This is a self guided tour. Potomac members will be present to assist with any questions or concerns.
A sandwich board depicting the HSA logo will denote the turn/entry way off of Route 15.
Little Oatlands has a two-acre formal garden originally designed in the mid-1930's by the owners David* and Margaret Finley, and the garden rooms, all'ees, stone walls, gazebo, statues and sculptures have been maintained with few changes for 90 years. The first garden room inside the main gate was installed in 1935 and has four parterres bordered with boxwood around a central fountain, originally a sundial. The original English boxwood borders have been replaced with Korean and American box cultivars in this and the other three rooms. Three more garden rooms were developed in 1937: two bisecting cedar all'ees that lead to a gazebo set over the stone wall, a flowering cherry all'ee that leads to a wall fountain, and another room with a large planted urn, a statue of St. Francis Assisi and a swath formerly used as a bowling green bordered by statues of the four seasons. A swimming pool was added in 1952. Boxwood hedges define the rooms within the perimeter of stone walls and ornamental iron gates provide entry to the different rooms. Some of the statues and fountains were copied from classical Italian pieces, and the gazebo was copied from one in England. Original sculptures include "The Little Shepherd Boy" by Walter Hancock. In addition to the main house there is a guest cottage on the property. Recent work in the gardens includes replanting long borders of ephemeral spring bulbs under the flowering cherry allée. (1)
David Finley* (1890-1977) was the first director of the National Galley of Art, founding chairman of the board of the National Historic Trust for Historic Preservation and a key player in creating the National Portrait Gallery in Washington D.C. Finley’s distinguished leadership of the Roberts Commission, which protected the art and architectural monuments in Europe during World Ward II, stands as a landmark in America’s cultural maturity. (2)
Friday, Sept. 5, 2025
1:00 p.m.-2:30 p.m. & 1:30 p.m.- 3:00 p.m.
(choose one tour time)
Oak Spring Garden, 1776 Loughborough Lane, Upperville, VA 20184
Topography is very uneven and of varying materials including gravel, slate, grass, etc. Comfortable shoes recommended. Bathroom facilities are available. Gift shop available. This is a self-guided tour but staff members will be available at key locations to answer any questions.
A sandwich board depicting the HSA logo and designating the car park area will be present just off Loughborough Lane.
Oak Spring is a complex of weathered-stone cottages with shingled roofs, connected to one another by a high stone wall. Surrounding a Formal Garden, it resembles an eighteenth-century French hamlet and has the aura of a step back in time. Reached via a drive off Rokeby Road, the stone entryway was referred to by Paul Mellon as “the ruin” because his wife had torn it apart and rebuilt it so many times. The garden can be thought of as three connecting rooms: the Formal Garden, the All'ee and the Formal Greenhouse. The half-acre Formal Garden is divided into three terraces – Upper, Middle and Lower. An old Grindstone embedded in the ground just off the patio at the back of the house marks the beginning of a fifty-two-inch-wide south-north axial path that descends through the terraces, continues through a medieval-style gate, then through a tree-lined canopy of crab apples known as the All'ee and culminates at the Victorian style Formal Greenhouse., (3)
There will also be an all new exhibition in the Gallery – titled "The Final Resting Place of John F. Kennedy: The Untold Story of a Lost Memorial."
Throughout her long and storied life (103 years), Rachel “Bunny” Mellon’s greatest passion was garden design. Although she had no formal training, she amassed a vast horticulture library and read voraciously. She and her husband Paul Mellon, one of the wealthiest men in America, maintained multiple homes including this estate in Virginia.
Mrs. Mellon designed gardens for some of her dearest friends, including President and Mrs. Kennedy. To quote Sir Peter Crane, FRS, President, Oak Spring Foundation, “Mrs. Mellon’s designs reflect not only innate talent and exquisite artistic sensibility but also deep and analytical thought. Mrs. Mellon’s style is sometimes summarized in her oft-repeated phrase ‘nothing should be noticed,’ but equally it was her practice that no detail should be ignored.” ,
Sunday Sept. 7, 2025
10:00 a.m.- Noon
Boulder Crest Foundation 33735 Snickersville Turnpike. Bluemont, VA 20135
Topography is hilly. A golf cart will be made available. Bathroom facilities are available. Light refreshments will be served following the tour. Co-founder Julia Falke will be leading the tour. Members will be available to assist with any questions or concerns.
A sandwich board depicting the HSA logo will denote the turn/entry way off of Snickersville Turnpike.
Boulder Crest Retreat is the first-of-its kind, permanent and private rural retreat that provides free accommodations and recreational and therapeutic activities and programs to help wounded military service members, veterans and their families reconnect and recover.
The Wallis Annenberg Heroes Garden at Boulder Crest Retreat is a $1.1 million fully ADA-accessible therapeutic walled garden that features fruit trees, vegetable and herb plants and resting areas. The 120’ by 90’ walled garden is the cornerstone of the retreat’s horticultural and culinary therapy programs and provides practical experience and guidance on how to grow and prepare nutritious meals and facilitate healthy eating.
Footnotes (1) Smithsonian Institution, Archives of American Garden Club of America collection; Fauquier & Loudoun Garden Club facilitated the submission of this garden's documentation, Identifier AAG.GCA, File-VA445; (2) David Finley, Quiet Force for America’s Arts, by David A Doheny (3) The gardens of Bunny Mellon by Linda Jane Holden
WELCOME RECEPTION
4:00 - 6:00 p.m. Friday, Sept. 5, 2025
Blooming Hill Lavender Farm, 19929 Telegraph Springs Rd, Purcellville, VA
A sandwich board depicting the HSA logo and designating the turn off of Snickersville Turnpike will be present
Uneven ground – including pea gravel, grass, stone and wood. Delux port-a-john facilities will be available. Gift shop available.
The property not only features over 600 lavender plants but is also beautifully landscaped by Cyndie’s husband, Landscape Architect Peter Rinek and includes many features beyond lavender beds, such as an herb garden, labyrinth, cutting garden and more.
We will be featuring light appetizers courtesy of the Potomac Unit members. 8 Chains North, one of our local wineries, will be joining us and sharing some of their wines and for those interested, we will have some herbal beers courtesy of our Potomac Unit member Billie Clifton, of Sunflower Cottage and Back Room Brewery.
On your own for dinner following the welcome reception.
SYMPOSIUM
Saturday, September 6
9:00 a.m.- 5:00 p.m. (doors will open at 8:00 a.m.)
Buchanan Hall, 8549 John S Mosby Hwy Upperville Virginia 20184
A sandwich board depicting the HSA logo will denote the turn/entry way off of Route 50
There is one or two handicapped parking spaces behind the building, parking on the grass around the front may occur and in the field next door – someone will be present to direct the traffic. A welcome table will be situated on the left hand side of the building as facing the hall.
The day will include a presentation from our President, Betsy Smith, a District meeting headed by our Mid-Atlantic District Delegate, Rosemary Lorefice-Dippert,
Morning refreshments will be available; (the hotel does provide breakfast), a buffet luncheon and a served afternoon tea.
Enjoy vendors, a raffle and a single-item silent auction.
SPEAKERS
Dr. Michael Raupp
The Bug Guy is Michael J Raupp, PhD, Professor Emeritus of Entomology and Extension Specialist at The University of Maryland. Dr. Raupp has written Bug of the Week for over 15 years, and is a frequent guest bug expert for Good Morning America; NPR; and other news outlets. He has appeared on BBC, CNN, National Geographic Ultimate Explorer; The Dr. Oz Show; Tyra-Banks; and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno amongst others.
Sir. Peter Crane
Sir Peter Crane, President Oak Spring Garden Foundation is a renowned botanical researcher and evolutionary plant scientist, with experience leading some of the most prestigious and influential scientific organizations in the fields of plant study and natural history. His work focuses on the diversity of plant life including its origin, fossil history, current status, conservation and use. He previously served as Director of the Field Museum in Chicago, Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, in the U.K. and Dean of the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies.
Mr. Mark Ragland
Mr. Mark Ragland is past chairman of the Virginia Commonwealth Unit of the Herb Society of America, an avid photographer, lifelong traveler and self proclaimed foodie. Gardening since age 12, the gardens at his home in southern Virginia have been featured on PBS and in Country Gardens. He presents regularly across Virginia on such topics as herbs, vegetables, garden design, photography and tea. Mark is a life member of The Herb Society of America.
On your own for dinner following the symposium.
