Oak Spring Garden Foundation

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Upperville, VA
Oak Spring Garden Foundation

Our mission is to inspire fresh thinking and bold action on the history and future of plants.

OSGF is an operating foundation dedicated to sharing the gifts and ideas of Rachel "Bunny" Mellon. Our mission is to support and inspire fresh thinking and bold action on the history and future of plants, including the art and culture of plants, gardens and landscapes.

06/01/2026

The Oak Spring Wildlife Garden is a bit less colorful in May than during the peak abundance of summer, but it’s currently buzzing with pollinators. June through October brings the highest diversity of blooms, but early-season flowering species are essential resources for emerging pollinators, especially the queen bees.

Penstemon and baptisia in particular have been laden with bumble bees, offering vital forage during this important window of the season. Designed first and foremost as a space for wildlife, we’re grateful to this garden for not only providing beauty, but food and habitat. Check out the full May plant list below:

Blue flag iris- Iris versicolor (image 1)
Foxglove beardtongue- Penstemon digitalis (image 2 & 3)
Wild columbine - Aquilegia canadensis (image 4)
Wild blue indigo - Baptisia australis (image 5)
Golden ragwort - Packera aurea (image 6)
American elderberry- Sambucus canadensis (image 7)
Coral honeysuckle - Lonicera spervirens (image 8)
Black chokeberry - Aronia melanocarpa (image 9)
Bradbury's Bee Balm- Monarda bradburiana (image 10)
Appalachian beardtongue- Penstemon canescens (image 11)

05/28/2026

May in the Formal Garden brings layers of soft color and movement, featuring bearded iris, peonies, foxgloves, scented geraniums, and this month’s featured plant from Mrs. Mellon’s archives, Linum peerenne, or blue flax. 💙

Mrs. Mellon was drawn to plants that had subtle texture and quiet seasonal elegance, believing that in good garden design, “nothing should be noticed.” Blue flax reflects that philosophy, never overpowering, but blending into the garden with grace. Its delicate powder-blue blooms sway atop slender stems, adding an airy, meadow-like softness to the garden in early summer.

The iconic powdery blue that she loved feels both whimsical and understated, echoing her love of French and English country garden design. Head to the link below for the full plant list:
https://www.osgf.org/gardens

05/27/2026

In this month’s episode of the Oak Spring Podcast, we sit down with Anne “Dede” Neal Petri, the Regent of the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association, whose lifelong passion for history has led her to the helm of one of America’s most storied landscapes. As Mount Vernon looks toward the monumental 300th anniversary of George Washington’s birth in 2032, Dede shares how the organization is balancing a deep reverence for the past with a forward-thinking commitment to community engagement and land stewardship. We explore the intensive research currently being conducted on the grounds—a process that is unearthing new insights into how the estate functioned not just as a home, but as a living laboratory for conservation and preservation.

We dive deep into the fascinating, “hands-on” legacy of George Washington the farmer. Long before the term was coined, Washington was practicing what we now call regenerative agriculture—experimenting with composting, soil health, and the strategic use of manure to sustain the land. Dede introduces us to the “George Washington and the Nation of Farmers” exhibit, a versatile resource designed in collaboration with Oak Spring to bring this unique history into libraries and community centers. Join us as we discuss how Washington’s impact on farming continues to inform our relationship with the earth today, and how Mount Vernon is ensuring his 300-year legacy remains rooted in the very soil he worked to protect.

To listen to the full episode, visit the link in our bio and you can subscribe to download our monthly episodes on your favorite podcast app, including Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

05/22/2026

There’s something especially storybook-like about Oak Spring in the rain. Bunny Mellon’s garden aesthetic was deeply influenced by illustrators like Beatrix Potter, whose worlds of quiet whimsy inspired the the feeling she hoped to create in her own gardens, as though visitors had stepped into a tranquil fairytale. ☔️🐇🌹

05/19/2026

Spend the morning in the quiet stillness of the formal garden on May 30 for a special Paint Out. 🎨🌹🤫

Practicing artists are invited to paint, draw, and create while being inspired by the beauty of Oak Spring. Capped at 25 participants, this is an intimate setting for artists to really sit with nature.

Bring your own supplies, settle in, and start your day immersed in observation, nature, and art.

Link below to register:
https://www.osgf.org/programs-and-events-calendar/2026/5/30/paint-out-in-the-formal-garden

05/18/2026

If you missed seeing us at Historic Garden Week in Virginia this spring, or simply want to experience Oak Spring in a different season, join us for June Tours at Oak Spring Garden on Friday & Saturday, June 26-27, 2026!

Late June is one of our favorite times in the garden, with lush lavender, vibrant poppies, towering Turkish mullein, coneflowers, Russian sage, and more bursting with color and life throughout the estate.

Come wander the gardens and experience the beauty of Oak Spring in early summer. Tickets available at the link below: https://www.osgf.org/junetours

05/15/2026

We’re so excited to announce the two selected artists for Threads of Oak Spring, a quilting competition inviting quilters to create original textile works inspired by the natural world, Mrs. Mellon’s historic textiles, and botanical collections from Oak Spring. 🪡🧵🧺

This past March we welcomed twelve quilters for an immersive site visit where they explored the estate’s gardens, landscapes, rare book library, and Mrs. Mellon’s extraordinary collection of vintage remnant fabrics– from couture textiles by Givenchy, to her favorite interior fabrics by and more.

Following the visit, each quilter submitted proposals for a final commissioned quilt inspired by Mrs. Mellon and their visit to Oak Spring.

We’re thrilled to introduce the two quilters that were selected to return this fall for two weeks to create their commissioned works are Aynex Mercado and Sheri Cifaldi-Morrill!

Aynex is a modern quilt artist whose work explores memory, preservation, and human connection. She proposed, ‘Where Threads are Collected, Memories Live’, an architectural and deeply personal quilt inspired by Oak Spring’s main house, library, and Trinity Episcopal Church, as well as symbolic garden motifs.

Sheri blends graphic design with quilting, creating bold contemporary textile works rooted in geometry, craftsmanship, and the natural world. Her proposed quilt, ‘Held in View: Oak Spring Observations’, draws inspiration from the way Mrs. Mellon framed moments of beauty throughout Oak Spring. Through windows, shelves, gardens, and collected objects, the quilt is structured like a patchwork of visual discoveries.

We look forward to welcoming both artists back to work on their quilts!

05/14/2026

It’s nesting season for Virginia’s grassland birds, and they’re back in the fields at Oak Spring. 🌾🪹

We heard the unmistakable call of the bobolink (as you can hear in the 3rd video), letting us know that spring breeding is underway.

Many grassland birds build their nests in the tall grass of the fields and meadows, making them vulnerable to early mowing and haying during peak nesting months in May and June.

To help protect their habitat, we leave select fields unmowed throughout the breeding season and recommend mowing after July 1 if possible. If you have a farm, rotating livestock out of active nesting areas can also help avoid destroying nests hidden in the grass.

Even the smallest of habitat changes can make a big difference for grassland birds like: Bobolinks (image 1-2), Red-winged Blackbirds (image 4 & 5), Eastern Meadowlarks (image 6), Northern Bobwhites (image 7), and Grasshopper Sparrows (image 8).

📷 by .wildlife

05/13/2026

Last week we were thrilled to join in their Pimlico Road showroom for a special event celebrating our release of The Enchanting Interiors of Bunny Mellon – our first event in the U.K. for the book!

When creating her interiors, Mrs. Mellon collaborated with many gifted designers whose influence is still keenly felt today. For the Mellons’ New York house, she worked over correspondence with John Fowler of the British decorating firm, Sibyl Colefax & John Fowler. This first image is a painting by Snowy Campbell of her bedroom, depicting a number of items from Sibyl Colefax & John Fowler, including their Bees Aqua fabric on the bed, canopy, and curtains, as well as the blue-and-white shadow medallion carpet.

It was wonderful to join our friends in London to celebrate the release of the book and a shared legacy of design that spans oceans and time.

Cocktails were provided by

05/12/2026

Join us tonight at the John Marshall Public Library and Gum Spring Library for a fun hands-on nature activity. Loudoun County Public Library, Fauquier County Public Library 🎨🧦🌼

Kids ages 6-11 and teens ages 12-18 will create eco print wacky socks and dye botanical friendship bracelets using natural materials.

Each month, our Local Education & Outreach team partners with local libraries to offer free, nature-inspired activities designed to spark creativity and connection with the natural world. Visit our Facebook events, or your local libraries event calendar for more information. Walk-in welcome!

Address

Upperville, VA
20184

Website

http://osgf.org/

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