News

Shelly Barrick Parsons

June 3, 2021

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When done correctly, gardens are part of the great

When done correctly, gardens are part of the greater ecosystem. Access to greenspace is essential for humans - but wildlife and pollinators require plenty of access to nature too! We know we’re making a positive impact on Richond’s pollinators because our plants are constantly a-buzz with activity. Pictured here is a bee enjoying the Agastache 'Blue Fortune’ it's planted at the start of the Low Line in one the first trestles after Great Shiplock Park.⠀
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#Richmond #RichmondVA #RVA #CapitalTrees #LowLine #LowLineRVA #Greenspace #UrbanGarden #UrbanGreenspace #Pollinators #PollinatorGarden #Ecosystem #Sustainability #GreatShiplockPark #RainGarden #PerennialGarden #PublicGarden #PublicGreenspace #FeedTheBees #SaveTheBees⠀

Summers in Virginia... Sometimes we get plenty of

Summers in Virginia... Sometimes we get plenty of rain. Other times we get stretches of heat and drought. And if you don’t have the time or resources to water your garden endlessly, finding plants that can roll with the punches goes a long way. These Echinacea purpurea ‘White Swan’ are planted at the Low Line Green - they’re tolerant of drought, can handle hot summer temperatures, and are even deer resistant. They come back each year (perennial), provide seed heads for birds in the fall, and are all around an easy and beautiful addition to gardens!⠀
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#Perennial #PerennialGarden #DroughtTolerance #Garden #UrbanGarden #Virginia #RichmondVA #RichmondVirginia #LowLine #LowLineGreen #LowLineGarden #Coneflower #Echinacea #CapitalTrees #CapitalTreesRVA #Ecosystem #PollinatorGarden⠀

Summer is flying by and if you need some help slow

Summer is flying by and if you need some help slowing it down - stop and smell the Monarda fistulosa - Wild Bergamot, our July plant of the month!⠀
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This plant is a member of the mint family, and is part of the genus “Monarda” - which includes the ever popular bee balms. The unique looking blooms are typically light violet in color and not only are they eye-catching but they're fragrant too! ⠀
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Wild Bergamot is native to Virginia, does well in light shade or full sun, and grows to be between 3 and 4 feet tall. The blooming season is from July to September - perfect for pollinators and wildlife who rely on blooms during the hot months - it's loved by bees, butterflies, moths, and hummingbirds. ⠀
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In bloom now, and for the next several weeks, see if you can spot Wild Bergamot along the Low Line next time you visit!⠀
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#CapitalTrees #CapitalTreesRVA #RVA #Richmond #RichmondVA #LowLine #LowLineGarden #LowLineRVA #LowLineGreen #RainGarden #PollinatorGarden #NativePlants #UrbanGarden #UrbanGreening #Greenspace #PublicGarden #Natives #PlantNatives #ForTheBees #Ecosystem #Sustainability⠀

July marks the transition for our Board of Trustee

July marks the transition for our Board of Trustees, with new members coming on, and a new chair of the board. We’ll be introducing the new leadership soon but first we want to give thanks to our outgoing Chair of the Board, Meg Turner. Meg has been involved with Capital Trees since our beginning (11 years ago!), and she led the board through the completion of the Low Line Green during the pandemic. We are grateful for the tenacity, leadership, and wisdom Meg brought to the board!⠀
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#CapitalTrees #NonProfit #RichmondVA #RichmondVirginia #RVA #Virginia #CapitalTreesRVA #UrbanGarden #UrbanGreening #Greenspace #UrbanGardening #PublicGarden #PublicGreenspace⠀

Joe Pye Weed is a natural fit for our rain gardens

Joe Pye Weed is a natural fit for our rain gardens because it prefers to grow in moist to wet soil. Remember, the key to a beautiful, healthy garden is finding plants that are well suited to grow in the space! It’s why we so often lean on native plants that are naturally well adapted to growing in our area! In an urban green space, we can’t choose plants that are too finicky or fussy. ⠀
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Pictured here: Dwarf Joe Pye Weed (Eupatorium dubium ‘Little Joe’)⠀
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#JoePyeWeed #CapitalTrees #RainGarden #UrbanGarden #PublicGarden #Greenspace #UrbanPlanning #TreeCanopy #CapitalTreesRVA #RichmondVA #RichmondVirginia #RVA #PollinatorGarden #UrbanGreenspace #Ecosystem #NativePlants #NativeGarden⠀

We’re so excited to introduce Mary Petres, who h

We’re so excited to introduce Mary Petres, who has been helping us with our gardens behind the scenes. Mary has had her hands in gardens since she was 11 when she started weeding for a neighbor. Fast forward to 2004, she opened a garden and gift shop in Old Manchester before transitioning her business into a boutique residential landscaping firm where she’s honed her landscaping skills for the past 15 years. ⠀
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Mary is a VLNA Certified Horticulturalist, completed the Master Gardener Program and completed the first level of Chesapeake Bay Landscape Professional program.⠀
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She brings her vast knowledge and expertise about gardening, landscaping, and perennial plants to Capital Trees to help us maintain and care for our gardens year-round.⠀
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And from Mary herself? She said: “Obtaining this job brings me full circle from when I worked on The Annabel Lee and Dock Street and ShipLock Park were desolate wastelands to the beautiful green spaces they are today. I am delighted to be a part of the organization responsible for this transformation and look forward to playing a small role in Capital Trees' mission to create environmentally responsible and pleasing places for others to engage with our natural environment.”

The monarch caterpillar only feeds on one plant: m

The monarch caterpillar only feeds on one plant: milkweed. But there are several varieties to choose from to ensure it grows successfully where it’s planted! For example, in areas along our rain garden where we know it stays more moist, we opt for Asclepias incarnata, Swamp Milkweed (pictured here.) It’s well suited for wetlands or areas that flood periodically.⠀
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#CapitalTrees #CapitalTreesRVA #Richmond #RichmondVA #RichmondVirginia #Milkweed #Monarchs #RainGarden #PollinatorGarden #Pollinators #Ecosystem #NativePlants #UrbanGarden #PublicGarden #Greenspace #UrbanGreenspace⠀

Our friends at the @virginiacapitaltrail encourage

Our friends at the @virginiacapitaltrail encourage people to run, walk, jog and bike the Virginia Capital Trail but the foundation and its supporters also provided benches which are nestled amongst the Low Line Gardens. Perfect for for sitting, eating lunch, or reading a book. Take a seat, watch the pollinators buzz around the black-eyed susans, and enjoy a pocket of nature in the city.

Did you know that 90% of the plants, trees, and sh

Did you know that 90% of the plants, trees, and shrubs at the Low Line Green are native to Virginia? That makes the plants better able to adapt and thrive in our weather conditions, and means that they fit easily into our ecosystem to the benefit of pollinators and wildlife. When you’re adding plants to your own yard and garden this year - we encourage you to look for native plants - many local nurseries have native varieties marked or in a separate section for convenience.⠀
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#NativePlants #LowLineGreen #LowLine #CapitalTrees #CapitalTreesRVA #RVA #RichmondVA #RichmondVirginia #UrbanGarden #Greenspace #RainGarden #StormwaterManagement #StormwaterRunoff #PollinatorGarden #Ecosystem #UrbanGreening #Pollinators #Wildlife⠀

Happy 4th of July from Capital Trees! (And from so

Happy 4th of July from Capital Trees! (And from some of our patriotic plants!)⠀
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#FourthofJuly #JulyFourth #CapitalTrees #CapitalTreesRVA #Richmond #RichmondVA #RVA #LowLine #UrbanGarden #LowLineRVA #RainGarden #Greenspace⠀

Capital Trees had a great morning yesterday with t

Capital Trees had a great morning yesterday with the Students of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation! 👏👏
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We talked about #publicgreenspace #heatislandeffect #plantidentification
AND they helped us out with some needed garden pruning!
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This group of young environmentalists rocked it!
@chesapeakebayfoundation

As a non-profit organization with a very streamlin

As a non-profit organization with a very streamlined staff, we can't thank our faithful volunteers enough. Some of our volunteers have been with us since the beginning, and we regularly welcome new folks to the fold - and the time they invest in public greenspace really makes a difference. Our annual meeting took place on June 16th, and we took the opportunity to recognize two women who have gone above and beyond to pitch in behind the scenes. ⠀
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1. For the first time since our start, we recognized a "Volunteer of the Year." The first recipient of this award is Anne Cook. We started a new volunteering program at the start of 2021, and Ann has contributed the most volunteer hours so far this year. Ann spends Wednesday mornings on the Low Line as part of our maintenance program - and the gardens have benefited from her commitment. ⠀
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2. Since 2019, Kelly Mansfield has been volunteering her time to take photos of our projects for use on our website and social media pages. Kelly has graciously donated her keen eye to our organization and her photos have elevated our website, social media, and have even been paired with press coverage. Kelly is heading off to college in the fall - and we're looking forward to seeing where she takes her photography in the future! ⠀
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If you'd like to join in, and be part of our volunteering efforts, we'd love to have you. Shoot Lisa an email at Lisa@CapitalTrees.org to get your name on the list so that you're aware of upcoming volunteering opportunities.⠀
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#CapitalTrees #CapitalTreesRVA #RichmondVA #Richmond #RVA #RichmondVirginia #NonProfit #Volunteer #Volunteers #VolunteerAppreciation #Greenspace #UrbanGarden #Greening #PublicGarden #RainGarden #NativePlants #Nature #FreshAir #TreeCanopy #EcoFriendly #GoGreen #PollinatorGarden #Sustainability⠀

Starting to meet up in person again and want to ge

Starting to meet up in person again and want to get some sunshine and fresh air? Take a group fieldtrip by scheduling a tour of the Low Line - we welcome school groups, clubs, organizations, and more to learn what Capital Trees is all about.

#CapitalTrees #CapitalTreesRVA #Richmond #RichmondVA #RichmondVirginia #RVA #Virginia #Nature #UrbanGarden #RainGarden #PublicGarden #Greenspace #UrbanGreening #GoGreen #Ecosystem #NativePlants #Drone

June 21 - 27 is Pollinator Week! It’s a week to

June 21 - 27 is Pollinator Week! It’s a week to celebrate pollinators and the important work they do - bees, butterflies, hummingbirds - pollinators of all shapes and sizes play their part.

Our gardens include a variety of flowering plants, trees, and shrubs that provide pollen and nectar to our pollinators. In fact, the green spaces are strategically designed to provide a long blooming season to support pollinators throughout the year.

In addition, we incorporate native plants whenever possible (nearly 90% at our most recently completed project project, the Low Line Green) because local pollinators are already adapted to using native plants.

In addition, we’re careful with our garden cleanups, especially in the fall to ensure we leave nesting places for pollinators and good bugs to overwinter.

There’s room for us to all do our part. Planting native plants and avoiding the use of harmful pesticides can go a long way for our friendly neighborhood pollinators!

#PollinatorWeek #Pollinators #PollinatorGarden #Bees #Butterflies #Birds #Bats #ButterflyGarden #NativePlants #PlantNatives #SaveTheBees #RainGarden #BeeFriendly #BeeTheChange #UrbanGarden #Greenspace #Nature #CapitalTrees #CapitalTreesRVA #Richmond #RichmondVA #RichmondVirginia #TreeCanopy