Kitty Barrett Pozer

Kitty Barrett Pozer. A Joyful Gardener. , Kitty Barrett Pozer (1888-1981) was a respected gardening columnist, horticulturist, flower show judge and community activist. She lived in the adjacent small brick house from 1927-1981. "Mrs. Pozer," as she was respectfully known, designed an extensive landscape stretching across the entire middle section of the block, described modestly as a "few well-chosen shrub, perennials, trees, and annuals.",

"I can always show you a flower in bloom." , Kitty Barrett Pozer, 1973

, As gardening columnist for the Washington Post for over 20 years and frequent contributor to national magazines, Mrs. Pozer penned articles about flower shows, garden club activities and tours, offering advice and philosophy about the value of gardening in people's lives. "The green thumb is the busy thumb," she wrote. For Mrs. Pozer, gardening was therapy," and despite the hard work, she implored her leaders to take time to "simply enjoy" their gardens. She saw the love of flowers and gardens as a "fine basis for friendship" between individuals and nations. She both advocated and practiced conservation. "I have never owned a garden hose" and "use an old-fashioned fertilizer of manure and bone and cotton seed meal.", Mrs. Pozer led an active life of service. As a newlywed in 1916, she accompanied her husband, Canadian Major Charles Pozer, to Europe during World War I and served in the Canadian Ambulance Corps. Following their move to Fairfax in 1927, she was a founding trustee of the Fairfax County Public Library system and the Fairfax Garden Club, chaired Red Cross relief projects during World War II, and championed a myriad of community service and beautification projects., Mrs. Pozer shared a keen interest in historic preservation with her mother, Dr. Kate Waller Barrett, a notable social reformer who saved what became the Pozer home from demolition in 1923. The house was built in 1812 and is the oldest residence in Fairfax. Mrs. Pozer added the rear frame wing in 1927 and operated a small antiques shop in the oldest portion before World War II. The house was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1987 and inspired other local preservation projects. The Pozers had no children, and before her death she deeded her home, now open to the public as the Ratcliffe-Allison House Museum, to the City of Fairfax. The City then purchased her private garden and named it "The Pozer Garden." Today, the design of the new Old Town Square pays homage to Kitty Pozer by including several plantings and species from her original garden, ensuring that her inspiration will continue for many future generations.