First Bloom

Lady Bird Johnson, wife of the 36th President of the United States, Lyndon Baines Johnson, was an early and strong advocate for the environment whose work as First Lady from 1963-1969 included efforts to beautify the Washington, D.C. area and the nation’s highways, and after returning to Texas she continued promoting the sustainable use of native wildflowers and plants. Her belief that beautification reflected concern for the physical and human quality passed on to children and the future is echoed in the First Bloom program, sponsored by the National Park Foundation, through which children learn gardening with plants native to the region, remove invasive weeds, beautify their communities, protect park landscapes, and discover how native plants, habitat restoration, and stewardship support wildlife, local plant species, and national parks that belong to everyone.

Arlington, Virginia · United States