Sunrise and Sunset Hot Spots in Beautiful Alexandria and Fall Gardening Reminders

By the Alexandria Beautification Commission

Before winter arrives and the daylight changes, be sure to get out and enjoy a few of Alexandria’s top sunrise and sunset hot spots.

• Jones Point Park in Alexandria offers gorgeous sunrises. The Jones Point Lighthouse sits at the water’s edge and is the only lighthouse still standing in the Chesapeake Bay area.
• Waterfront Park in Old Town offers spectacular views of the Potomac River as the sun rises.
• Ben Brenman Park delivers serene sunsets over the pond.
• Woodrow Wilson Bridge Pedestrian Trail delivers beautiful sunset and sunrise views. In the early morning, the sun accentuates Old Town’s waterfront architecture.
• A statue at the center of the Contrabands and Freedmen Cemetery called The Path of Thorns and Roses shows people fighting to break free from a snarl of vines, representing the fight to escape slavery. The site is especially beautiful at sunset.

Fall Gardening Reminders

Plant Trees: Fall is often considered the best tie to plant new trees—generally, late August, September, and October before the first freeze.

Create Leaf Mulch: As the leaves build up on your lawn, go over them with a mulching mower and let them decompose in your yard. The shredded leaves act as a natural fertilizer.

Clean-Up: Time to remove dead plant matter from gardens and add it to the compost pile. (Be sure to keep diseased plants out of the compost.). Prune trees in the late Winter/Early Spring.

Tune in to Zebra’s Facebook Livestream of the ABC’s Awards Presentation

On Thursday, October 19, nine winners will receive the ABC’s annual award recognizing their residential, commercial, and community properties. Zebra Press will livestream the presentation to begin on its Facebook page. Check for time at facebook.com/TheZebraPress/

What Makes Alexandria Beautiful: The Tree Edition

Drive down Ashby Street near Potomac Yards and the Del Ray area, and you’ll find an awe-inspiring Big Tree Co-Champion as designated by the Virginia Big Tree Program (today known as the Virginia Forestry Association). The Virginia Big Tree Program documents, curates, and publicizes the largest trees known to exist in Virginia, and trees are scored and ranked using measurements of their physical dimensions.

The Big Tree Co-Champion—a columnar oak—is a magnificent and rare hybrid that has grown to 90’ with a crown spread of 88’. At 200 years old and enormously beautiful, this variant of the English Oak has a life span of up to 700 years. The tree sits on private property on a corner lot within the Auburn Village condominium community, and it appears healthy and vigorous. Big trees are natural wonders and play essential roles in forest ecosystems.

Whoops! We Need to Edit Our Column in the September Zebra

We want to correct the photo caption we used for Alexandria Beautification Commission’s Award Winner on 534 North Columbus Street in the September issue. The caption should read:

The front yard garden at 534 North Columbus Street attracts attention because it’s larger than most in Old Town and boasts idyllic hydrangea, evergreens, irises, and more. A wrought-iron gate, curved stone walkway, gorgeous plants, and Adirondack table and chairs complete the charming look.

ICYMI: Protect Your Biggest Investment – Your Home – This Fall!