June — The Fundamentals of Urban Greenspaces

How do visitors (human or otherwise) engage with the garden? With their senses! Sight, smell, touch,  sound,  and taste. Depending on what type of animal is engaging, it may be only one of the senses or it may be all five. As humans, we are fortunate to have the ability to utilize all of our senses when enjoying the garden. 

Whether you garden in a pot on a balcony, or create designs for hundreds of acres, the goal is the same – plant something (or many somethings!) that appeal to one or more of the senses. When the senses are engaged, people connect with nature. That might be through the sweet taste of a tomato when you bite into it or the pungent scent of rosemary or lavender when you brush against it. It could be hearing the pleasant buzz of pollinators collecting pollen from the Monarda (bee balm) or the cries of the mockingbird protecting its blueberry stash. Maybe a pleasant childhood memory pops up when the fragrance of a certain flower is caught in the wind and drifts your way or when you pick up a rock that’s been warmed by the sun. No matter how small or large the garden, it has the power to connect the visitor to nature in a positive and holistic way.   

Often when we think of a garden, we visualize how it looks in spring or summer, but a well- designed garden has something to offer visitors year around. As stewards of public gardens we want the visitor to find something to enjoy in every season — the goal is for them to use and enjoy the space month after month and year after year. Different design elements and principles take the lead during different seasons. As gardeners in the Mid-Atlantic we are fortunate to enjoy four distinct seasons of the year — winter, spring, summer, and fall.  

Let’s take a walk.

Winter: There’s plenty to see in the gardens even when you can see your breath and need to bundle up for a walk. You’ll be able to admire the texture of the peeling bark on the Hydrangea quercifolia (oakleaf hydrangea) and the Betula nigra (River Birch). Look for pops of color on the Ilex verticillata (winterberry) — the bright red berries shine brightly in the winter sun, feeding the birds through the season. The straw colored stalks of the amsonia rustle in the breeze. Winter days may be short, but even short periods of time in nature can help you pause and reflect. 

Spring: A time of rebirth and awakening. As the days lengthen, glimmers of life emerge, slowly at first and then gaining momentum with each passing day. The tans, browns, and greys of winter give way to flecks of green and the pastel colors of the early blooming plants. As spring comes to the Low Line Gardens the visitor is treated to the pale yellow blossoms of spicebush (Lindera Benzoin) and the white fluffy bottlebrush blooms on the Fothergilla. The powder blue flowers of Phlox divaricata (Woodland phlox) and Arkansas blue star (Amsonia hubrichtii) guide you along the length of the garden. The catkins dangle jauntily from the branches of the hop-hornbeams (Ostyra virginiana); dancing in the slightest breeze. The lemony scent of the swamp magnolia (Magnolia virginiana) follows you down the trail. The show stopping blooms of the wild azaleas (Rhododendron periclymenoides and arborescens) and their mesmerizing fragrance will stop you in your tracks. The birds carry on an almost incessant chatter as they vie for mates and begin raising their young.  

Low Line Gardens in summer.

Summer: As the summer solstice becomes a fleeting memory, the gardens flourish. The trees are fully decked out with new growth. The pale greens of spring give way to the darker green hues of mature foliage. The whites, pale pinks, blues, and purples take a back seat to the pops of yellow, red, and orange. The strong fragrance of spring flowers is replaced by the more subtle scents of the foliage of mountain mint (Pycnanthemum) and bee balm (Monarda fistulosa). A stroll through Great Shiplock and Low Line Gardens provides a feast for the eyes. The hot pink of garden phlox dances around the black gum trees (Nyssa sylvatica). The yellow blossoms of the black eyed susans (Rudbeckia fulgida var. fulgida) cheerily bob in the breeze. Benches nestled under the tree canopy offer a welcome respite from the summer heat. Baby geese (goslings), now teenagers, eagerly explore the world under the watchful eyes of their parents. At the Hotchkiss Green, humans and animals alike eagerly await the time when elderberries, blueberries, figs, and more can be plucked from the garden and enjoyed.

Fall: As the days shorten and air temperatures begin to cool the activity in the gardens slows. Fruit is harvested. Flowering plants start setting seed. Migratory birds start their journeys. The leaves on many deciduous trees and shrubs don their party colors — brilliant reds, oranges and yellows. The wind can be heard whispering through the drying stems of the grasses and flowers. Insects prepare to enter their winter homes. Once again the garden has an air of quiet, contemplation, and calm.  

Visitors to the gardens experience the peace and harmony that comes with being a part of the natural rhythms of nature. Frequent time outside allows us to experience first hand the cyclical patterns of the seasons and the daily sequence of light and darkness.

Regardless of the season, the gardens offer something for everyone. Join us as we continue our journey to expand public greenspaces to provide access to all.

June — Urban Greenspace Maintenance

Maintenance has begun to settle into the summer rhythm. Weed, weed, and weed again. The rain coupled with the warm temperatures accelerates all growth. The summer weeds most prevalent in the gardens now are listed below. The (A) indicates that the plant is an annual. The (P) indicates that it is a perennial. As you can see, most of the summer nuisance plants are perennials. Mainly annual weeds are seen in the late fall, winter, and early spring, and perennials are most prevalent in the summer.

In all cases we attempt to remove the plant (or at least the flower) before it goes to seed and increases the weed seed bank. We do not currently use any herbicides to control weeds in the garden. Our control method is mechanical removal (hand pulling) and staying ahead of the plant going to seed. Weeds that are spread by stolons and rhizomes are particularly onerous to keep under control. The ones with stars in the list below fall into this category. The goal with mechanical removal is to weaken the plant to the point it eventually dies out.  

The secondary control strategy is maximum coverage with desirable plants. Most unwanted plants in the garden are sun lovers. The more densely we plant the chosen plants, the less uninvited guests are able to grow. In addition, with competition, unwanted plants are weakened, making them easier to remove. 

(Digitaria) crabgrass(A)

*(Cynodon dactylon) wire grass(P)

(Rumex) dock

(Ipomoea spp) Morning glory (A)

(Taraxacum) dandelions(P)

*(Glechoma hederacea) ground ivy(P)

(Cyporus esculentas) yellow nutsedge(P)

*(Apocynum cannabinum) indian hemp (at first glance can be mistaken for milkweed)(P)

*(Artemisia vulgaris) mugwort (at first glance can be mistaken for a chrysanthemum)(P)

(Ampelamus albidus) honeyvine (P)

 

In addition to the gardens along the Capital Trail in Downtown Richmond, Capital Trees partners with the City of Richmond Department of Parks and Recreation to improve and maintain gardens in Canoe Run Park (600 W 22nd Street).

A big thank you to members of the Davenport team for pushing through the heat and volunteering to give the pollinator garden at Canoe Run its first real weeding. Considering that it is a brand new garden space in the middle of a grassy area, the weed pressure is not bad as bad as it could be. The normal bad players were present: crab grass, wiregrass and a bit of goosegrass and spurge.   

Very exciting to see were the first blooms in the pollinator garden at Canoe Run. The yellow flowers are Helenium flexuosum which is a Capital Region native. The plant with white flowers is Pycnanthemum tenuifolium, also a Capital Region native.

A big shout out to all the volunteers, both groups and individuals, that give of their time in the gardens. Without this volunteer work these gardens would not exist. A big shout out to Mark Kuhn, Jerry Gilbert, Mary Bennett, Marc Rondeau, Anita Hall, Wilson Whitehurst and Barbara Crowder-Moore for passing the 200 hour mark this year. 

Our Volunteer of the Y ear is Ellen Jenkins with over 147 hours of volunteer time this year and more than 400 hours since she started volunteering with Capital Trees!

For more information on how to volunteer for maintenance in the gardens, check out our website, CFengage listings, and if you have a group of 5 or more contact our Community Engagement Manager Jesse Palma.

June — Featured Trees Seasonal Update

The black gum tree on the left is planted at Dorey Park, and the one on the right is at Armour House & Gardens at Meadowview Park.

Throughout 2025, we’ll be documenting the black gum tree, Nyssa sylvatica, which is planted at many of our urban greenspaces. This native tree is one of our favorites, hence its wide use. It offers interest every season of the year — shiny green leaves in the summer, brilliant reds, yellows, oranges and purples in the fall, and architectural structure in the winter.

Important for our purposes, black gum trees thrive in a variety of growing conditions making it suitable for planting in urban soils. They are tolerant of drought, heat, and both dry and wet soils. Typically, in cultivated conditions, the tree matures at 20-30 feet in height with a 1-2 inch diameter trunk. Because it’s native, it supports a variety of wildlife including mammals, birds, and insects.

You can learn more about black gum trees here.

June — “Spotted At”

As we enter summer, we’re spotting a variety of pollinators in the gardens! We fill our urban landscapes with a variety of flowering plants to support pollinators and wildlife, large and small. We aim to have blooms in the gardens as early in the spring as possible, and as late into the fall as possible to provide pollen and nectar when it might otherwise be hard for these insects to find.  We love seeing diverse pollinator engagement including butterflies, wasps, and native bees. Recently, we hosted a Bio Blitz at the Low Line Gardens in partnership with Bee City Richmond. Volunteers came out to conduct a biological inventory to find and identify present insects to document the diverse populations we’re supporting in our urban greenspaces.