Local Gardener Margaret Thomas, 89, Dies

Margaret Thomas, 89, a well-known Herndon area gardener, passed away Wednesday morning, according to NBC Washington.

Mrs. Thomas and her husband George moved to the Herndon area in the early 1960s, and she was widowed in the mid 1970s. After her husband died she began selling produce and flowers from her garden to support her and her son, said a feature at The Cultural Landscape Foundation.

The garden sits on about five acres of land in the Herndon-Reston area. Mrs. Thomas’ perennial garden, located at 12410 Lawyers Rd., was always open to the public, whether for education, painters, photographers or a simple stroll.

In recent years, local residents and volunteers have worked to advocate for Mrs. Thomas' flower garden to be preserved as an open space and flower conservation park. For more information, visit Save Margaret’s Iris Garden on Facebook. Many local residents have some of her irises and peonies in their yards.