Rady Park Arboretum was established in 1999 by Fauquier County Master Gardeners under the guidance of Virginia Cooperative Extension.  The Arboretum is located on the Northwest edge of Warrenton, and is planned, planted and maintained by volunteers.  The mission statement of the Arboretum project is to showcase underutilized trees and shrubs as alternative to commonly used landscape plants that are either showing cultivation problems or are becoming invasive. The Arboretum focuses on showing trees and shrubs in garden settings with several demonstration gardens with many Virginia native plants.  The focus in not so much on collecting as it is on teaching.

The planting bed with pawpaws is always of interest to visitors and so is the magnificent yellow wood, especially when it is in full bloom.  A newly planted Native Garden, complete with bench and flagstone pathway, demonstrates that with only native plants a beautiful habitat with year round interest can be created in a backyard setting.