Great Falls residents and many of the 18,000 commuters who use Georgetown Pike daily may notice the beautiful small trees covered with white flowers blooming in parts of the village area now. Originating in East Asia, they are kousa dogwoods, and differ from native flowering dogwoods in their flower, time and length of bloom.
Motorists may wonder how so many kousa dogwoods came to be planted along our town’s busiest thoroughfare. Behind the planting of these kousas was resident George Summers, a charter member of the Great Falls Citizens Association fifty years ago. Mr. Summers saw the beauty in these small ornamental trees and worked with landowners to get them planted. His legacy to us includes not only these hardy, colorful trees, but also his involvement in developing GFCA guidelines for commercial development in Great Falls.
Volunteers like Mr. Summers helped shape our town, often in ways unknown to later residents. The Great Falls Garden Club showed the spirit of George Summers a few years ago when they raised contributions to landscape Walker Road in the village area with redbuds and other ornamental trees.
We write to celebrate the many ways in which volunteers make this a more beautiful and welcoming community. What are your ideas to beautify Great Falls?
Glen Sjoblom and Bill Canis
Great Falls residents