News

News

September Plant of the Month: American Hop Hornbeam – Ostrya virginiana

September 20, 2021

August Plant of the Month: Hibiscus moscheutos – Swamp Rose Mallow

August 16, 2021

Introducing the new Chair of our Board of Trustees – Kevin Finto

August 16, 2021

July 2021 Plant of the Month. Monarda fistulosa – Wild Bergamot

July 16, 2021

Meet Mary Petres!

July 15, 2021

Capital Trees Hires New Executive Director: Shelly Barrick Parsons

June 3, 2021

June Plant of the Month – Baptisia australis – Blue False Indigo

June 1, 2021

Plant Feature: Betula nigra – River Birch

May 5, 2021

Celebrate a Decade of Achievements with Capital Trees

April 26, 2021

Plant Feature: Mertensia virginica – Virginia Bluebells

March 30, 2021

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Have you seen this familiar golden bloom? It's gol

Have you seen this familiar golden bloom? It's goldenrod, of which there are over 100 varieties, and it's known to pop up along roadsides, in fields, and in gardens.⠀
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This goldenrod at the Low Line isn't something we planted. But because we know that it provides nectar for pollinators, and is helpful as a food source as we head into autumn, it gets to stay! We don't always fight against volunteers, especially when they're beautiful and valuable to pollinators. ⠀
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Do you have goldenrod in your yard? In your garden? Do you let it stick around?⠀
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#goldenrod #virginia #volunteers #capitaltrees #capitaltreesrva #rva #richmond #richmondva #richmondvirginia #virginia #garden #urbangarden #lineargarden #pollinators #pollinatorfriendly #ecosystem #raingarden⠀

The Urban and Regional Planning Student Associatio

The Urban and Regional Planning Student Association from @vcu spent Saturday with us at the Low Line Green, weeding and tidying amongst the plants. We appreciate your help, and are excited to see the impact you all make when you graduate!

It takes many hours each week to maintain a garden

It takes many hours each week to maintain a garden as large as the Low Line. Our weekly maintenance volunteers pitch in on Wednesdays to prune plants, weed, and otherwise care for the space. And because there are several folks involved, the hours of work accomplished add up fast! The work they put in will help keep the gardens healthy for all of us to enjoy for years to come. If you’d like to join in - let us know. You’ll get the benefit of routinely spending time outside at least once a week, and you’ll learn a thing or two about gardening while you’re at it!

Healthy gardens that return and flourish year afte

Healthy gardens that return and flourish year after year take ongoing maintenance. Capital Trees is committed to maintaining our projects throughout the year. One of our fall maintenance tasks is spreading mulch throughout the gardens. The mulch helps to suppress weeds, and over time it breaks down to feed and improve the soil.

👉It takes a whopping 100 bales of pine straw to mulch the Low Line Gardens and Great Shiplock Park.
👉At $6 a bale, it’s $600 for seasonal mulching.

Your gift to Capital Trees can support our work, and a gift of any amount makes a difference!

For example:

➡️$25 = can buy 4 bales of pine straw
➡️$50 = can buy 8 bales of pine straw
➡️$100 = can buy 16 bales of pine straw
➡️$300 = can buy 50 bales of pine straw - or enough for half of our large linear garden.
➡️$600 = can buy mulch to cover the gardens in their entirety

You can make a donation easily from our website - capitaltrees.org/get-involved/donate/

These milkweed beetles feed on the seed pods of mi

These milkweed beetles feed on the seed pods of milkweed toward the end of the flowering cycle. You might be alarmed if you see them on your milkweed, but the good news is - they largely don’t pose a threat to you or your plants (they just feed on the seeds which can keep the plant from spreading as readily). They serve as a reminder that not all bugs are “pests” and it’s not necessary to spray or combat every insect you see. Gardens, when created responsibly, are part of the larger ecosystem - and these beetles moving in to the Low Line and moving right back out again are just one example of that.⠀

Have the day off in honor of Labor Day? Our linear

Have the day off in honor of Labor Day? Our linear garden along the Virginia Capital Trail is waiting for you to lace up your tennis shoes and come on down. Walk, bring your dog, ride your bike, run, pack a picnic - the options are endless and there’s plenty of fresh air and room to social distance.⠀
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#VirginiaCapitalTrail #CapitalTrees #LaborDay #RVA #Richmond #RichmondVA #RichmondVirginia #UrbanGarden #LinearGarden #PublicGarden #Greenspace #RainGarden #FreshAir #NonProfit #PublicGreenspace #TreeCanopy⠀

Thank you to the @richmondtreestewards for shaping

Thank you to the @richmondtreestewards for shaping up some of the trees at Great Shiplock Park this week! The tree stewards prune trees throughout the city to help them stay healthy, and to keep the trails safe for foot and bike traffic. They'll be returning to take care of some of the trees at the Low Line soon and we appreciate their help maintaining our beloved trees.

Kevin Finto is the new Chair of our Board of Trust

Kevin Finto is the new Chair of our Board of Trustees. Kevin recently retired after 35 years in the Richmond office of Hunton Andrews Kurth. As a partner on the environmental team, Kevin led the permitting of dozens of projects around the country and advised clients on environmental compliance and sustainability. Kevin plans to use his skills to continue the growth of Capital Trees.

“I am excited to have the opportunity to help build upon Capital Trees’ foundation. A small group of dedicated, talented people supported by generous donors converted an idea into a fantastic organization that has created spectacular urban landscapes serving tens of thousands of people. We have a wonderfully talented and energetic Board and staff. Our mission will remain the same – to build public landscapes and enrich our community. Evolution of Capital Trees will also continue as new opportunities for collaboration unfold daily in our revitalized City. We are particularly interested in projects in underserved areas.”

Kevin earned his law degree and a master of business administration in his native state at the University of Texas at Austin. Prior to that, he earned an engineering degree at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois and worked for Chevron in El Segundo, California. Kevin is a fellow in the American College of Environmental Lawyers. He serves on the Executive Board of VIRGINIAforever as well as the finance council of St. Mary’s Catholic Church. Kevin is married to Diane and has two daughters, Elizabeth and Emily.

Whether it’s a thunderstorm, a tropical storm, o

Whether it’s a thunderstorm, a tropical storm, or hurricane - stormwater runs off of roads and can pollute our waterways. We designed the Low Line Green to filter stormwater runoff from I-95 and the Downtown Expressway that pass overhead. The water is diverted underground through a rain garden so that it is cleaned and filtered before it returns to the Kanawha Canal, and eventually the James River and the Chesapeake Bay. You can read all about it on the signs we have installed at the project.⠀
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#LowLine #LowLineGreen #Richmond #RichmondVA #RichmondVirginia #CapitalTrees #RVA #RainGarden #Runoff #RainwaterRunoff #StormwaterRunoff #JamesRiver #ChesapeakeBay #Virginia #UrbanGarden #NonProfit #Greenspace⠀

Don’t worry, there hasn’t been an alien invasi

Don’t worry, there hasn’t been an alien invasion at the Low Line. Who can identify this native perennial? Comment your guesses below!⠀
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#CapitalTrees #LowLine #LowLineGreen #LowLineGarden #UrbanGarden #PublicGarden #RainGarden #NativePlants #Richmond #RichmondVA #RichmondVirginia #RVA #GuessingGame⠀

Another community workday is in the books! We spen

Another community workday is in the books! We spent Saturday morning at Great Shiplock Park pulling weeds, tidying up spent blooms, and preparing the space for fall.

In addition to several community members, we had two groups who came down to pitch in. We couldn't properly maintain our projects without the help of passionate volunteers - so THANK YOU! In addition, shout out to the Humphrey Fellows from VCU and the folks from ONE for joining us!

@vcu
@one_north_america

A truly fantastic morning working in the gardens a

A truly fantastic morning working in the gardens at Great Shiplock Park! Thank you to everyone who helped make this workday a huge success!

It’s #NationalHoneyBeeDay but we celebrate and l

It’s #NationalHoneyBeeDay but we celebrate and look after pollinators every day. Pictured here is a European Honey Bee (Apis mellifera) enjoying the blooming mountain mint (pycnanthemum muticum) at the Low Line. ⠀
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What are YOU doing to protect the honey bees?⠀
🐝Have you added a native flowering plant to your yard this year?⠀
🐝Have you kicked harmful insecticides to the curb?⠀
🐝Do you make sure there’s a bee waterer in your garden?⠀
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#bees #honeybees #savethebees #pollinators #pollinatorgarden #beefriendly #nobeesnofood #pollinatorfriendly #richmond #richmondva #richmondvirginia #rva#honeybee #capitaltrees #capitaltreesrva #lowline #lowlinegarden #lowlinegreen #mountainmint⠀

There’s still time to sign up for our community

There’s still time to sign up for our community workday this Saturday. Many hands make light work, and the commitment of our volunteers is what helps us maintain our projects season after season and year after year. Saturday August 21 at Great Shiplock Park from 8-10am. Click the link in our bio to sign up!⠀
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#Richmond #RichmondVA #RichmondVirginia #CapitalTrees #RVA #Greenspace #UrbanGarden #Community #PublicGarden #UrbanGreenspace #Volunteer #VolunteeringOpportunity #PitchIn #LowLine #LowLineRVA #LowLineGreen #LowLineGarden #GreatShiplockPark #RainGarden⠀