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A Bird’s Eye View of the Low Line

August 11, 2020

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It’s the first day of spring, the sun is shining

It’s the first day of spring, the sun is shining, and the Low Line is already showing signs of warmer days ahead! 😍

Frazier Armstrong was Capital Trees' first Executi

Frazier Armstrong was Capital Trees' first Executive Director and now she serves on our Board of Trustees. Give this interview a read to learn more about some of the projects we have in the works behind the scenes, how the organization has grown, and more! 👉 https://bit.ly/frazier-armstrong

Our first community workday of 2023 is in the book

Our first community workday of 2023 is in the books! Thanks to everyone who came out and volunteered in the gardens this weekend. Donating your time to keep the plants, trees, and shrubs healthy will help ensure this public landscape remains a welcoming space for the community for generations to come.

This weekend’s community work day was a great wa

This weekend’s community work day was a great way to kick off garden maintenance for 2023. Sending our appreciation to new and returning volunteers who got their hands dirty to maintain this public landscape — it’s important for the continued health of the space!

A note on our sustainable management practices. We leave leaves and overwintered plant matter in garden beds until temperatures are consistently over 55 degrees. This is to provide shelter for overwintering insects until the weather is warm enough for them to emerge. In this video, you’ll see us rake back leaves so that we can pull invasive weeds before they get established. When we were finished, we returned the leaves to the garden beds to both act as natural mulch, and to protect slumbering creatures until the weather warms. We cut plant stalks back to 2 feet tall, and returned those stalks to the garden beds as well, where they can break down and return nutrients to the soil. The stalks left standing will provide shelter opportunities for next season’s insects.

If you visit the Low Line Gardens, Low Line Green, or Great Shiplock Park you might notice that the beds have quite a bit of plant matter on top of the soil, this is an intentional practice that we implement to protect insects, feed the soil, and sustainably manage the space.

We may lose an hour this weekend, but remember, yo

We may lose an hour this weekend, but remember, you’re also “springing forward” to spring! There are already signs of spring at the Low Line. 😍

Each spring’s arrival is unique and though we ne

Each spring’s arrival is unique and though we never know precisely when our favorite blooms will arrive, we always anticipate the coming of spring with the same enthusiasm.

If you’re counting down to warmer days along with us, mark your calendar for the first day of spring — Tuesday, March 21st at noon! We’ll be hosting a tour of the Low Line to welcome spring and admire any early signs of the new season. We’ll share the latest updates about our ongoing initiatives, and set the scene for the rest of the year.

If you'd like to join us for a tour, please e-mail Lisa@Capitaltrees.org with any questions and to RSVP no later than Friday March 17.

Lisa Trapp (Program and Outreach Manager) and Shel

Lisa Trapp (Program and Outreach Manager) and Shelly Barrick Parsons (Executive Director) are working towards certification as Level 1 Chesapeake Bay Landscape Professionals through the @ChesapeakeCLC, to help learn about and implement additional sustainable practices to manage the public landscapes under our care. Learn more about the certification and what it means for Capital Trees on our latest blog post. Linked from our bio. ☝️

While we wait for spring to be in full bloom, we’re reminiscing on the fall color along the Low Line. Our gardens are strategically planned to offer interest and color all four seasons so that they’re welcoming spaces year round. #TBT

Did you know that Capital Trees has been advising

Did you know that Capital Trees has been advising on the pocket park installation at the @bgcmetrorva ‘s new Teen & Community Center? With all the incredible and engaging spaces inside the new facility, it just made sense to have an outdoor space to match. Congratulations on your new trees! We are counting down the days until phase 2! Swipe to see what the outdoor space used to look like!

There might still be a month before spring is “o

There might still be a month before spring is “officially” here, but when you look for signs of spring along the Low Line, you’ll find them. Trees are budding, spring bulbs will be blooming soon… it won’t be long now!

Work alert! 📣 As part of our ongoing management

Work alert! 📣 As part of our ongoing management of Great Shiplock Park, we will be removing and replacing the trees in the median on Monday, February 27. The existing trees are not native, and are dying after not thriving there. In addition, the current trees (Koelreuteria paniculata) are on the National Park Service, Mid-Atlantic Exotic Plant Management Team Invasive Plant List. Thanks to recommendations from the Department of Forestry, we’re replacing the removed trees with native trees — Nyssa Sylvatica (black gum). The new trees are recommended for street tree plantings and are more adaptable to the harsh conditions of the parking lot. If you happen to be in the area on Monday, you might see the work in progress! Stay tuned!

@virginiacapitaltrail @jamesriverpark @rvaparksandrec

‼️ IMPORTANT UPDATE‼️ The forecast for tom

‼️ IMPORTANT UPDATE‼️ The forecast for tomorrow has resulted in us postponing the community workday. Anyone who had signed up to volunteer should have received an email, but please share this information. We have rescheduled the workday, and it will now be held on March 11, from 10am-12pm. If the new date works better for you, you can go ahead and sign up from the link here. https://bit.ly/WeedingandWinterCutback

Learn what an invasive species is, why they’re p

Learn what an invasive species is, why they’re problematic, and what you can do to help locally on our latest sustainability blog post. Linked from our bio ☝️

Our Board of Trustees is packed with passionate po

Our Board of Trustees is packed with passionate powerhouses that are helping Capital Trees continue to make a lasting impact on the Richmond area, and we're excited to feature Jack Cooper for this month's "Meet a Board Member" series. Get to know Jack, and see our Q & A with him on our recent blog 👉 https://bit.ly/3YKqcR8

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