Just three years ago, Stuart Armstrong Park was a neglected urban space crowded with invasive shrubs and vines and strewn with garbage.  Now, however, this sloping site next to Takoma Park Elementary School is a vibrant and blooming native arboretum.

Its dramatic transformation, which FONTT first reported on last spring, continues.

Guided by Anna Mische John, Vegetation Manager for the City of Takoma Park, the transformation began when city contractors removed invasive shrubs and vines in 2023 and 2024. These initial passes through the park allowed the various mature native trees on the site—including southern red oaks, American hollies, hickories, and redbuds—to take center stage.

In the fall of 2024, city contractors and volunteers planted two dozen saplings to complement the trees that remained. Today, some of these young trees—among them a red maple, a shingle oak (featured in the photo at top), and an American persimmon—are twice as high as the deer cages that protect them. Other diminutive saplings sport lush green leaves. These include black cherry, fringe tree, and pignut and shagbark hickory.

Last fall, the city planted a variety of sedges and perennials in the park. On a visit earlier this month I found moss phlox, beardtongue, and golden Alexander just beginning to bloom, and golden ragwort holding aloft its tufted seedheads from early spring blooms.

False sunflower and various goldenrods have emerged, promising bright yellow accents later this year. White snakeroot, which began colonizing the park after the invasive vines were removed, has strengthened its presence. This plant will provide bright white flowers in the late summer and fall.

For Takoma Park residents considering potential trees to plant on their property, Stuart Armstrong Park offers an arboreal “showroom” of sorts. Walkers can identify natives since many of the mature trees as well as the saplings sport identification labels. The more casual flaneur, however, can simply window shop and appreciate the park as a pleasant detour.

—Meg Voorhes

Photos by Meg Voorhes