Earlier this year, the Colonial SWCD staff was approached by the Williamsburg Baptist Church regarding issues of erosion and poorly vegetated areas on their property. Upon arrival, Robyn Woolsey and I noticed that the greatest area of concern was the island in the parking lot. It was home to several dying willow oak and bradford pear trees and no other groundcover, causing significant erosion and deposition of sediment. We agreed that the best course of action would be to install a VCAP practice called conservation landscaping in which native plants are used to cover bare ground and hold soil in place. The church contacted local landscape designer Jennifer Myers of Giving Gardens Design, who specializes in native plantings, to reimagine the space in a more eco-conscious way. Jennifer teamed up with local arborist Chis Phelps, of Paramount Tree Services, to remove the hazardous dying trees and begin the transformation.
Some of the stand-out native species in this project include:
Black Tupelo (Nyssa sylvatica) provides beautiful autumn interest as its leaves change from green to shades of yellow, orange, scarlet red and finally purple. In spring it offers delicate white flowers that resemble Spirea. At maturity Black Tupelo stands 30-50’ tall with a 20-30’ spread.
False Indigo (Baptisia tinctoria) boasts golden yellow flower spikes with dark blue-purplish seed pods in the fall. Like its yellow counterpart, Blue Wild Indigo (Baptisia australis) also has flower spikes but in a striking violet color. The botanical name Baptisia comes from the Greek word “bapto”, meaning to dip or immerse - very fitting for the Williamsburg Baptist church!
Under normal circumstances, the VCAP program is able to reimburse conservation landscaping at a rate of 80% of the total project cost up to a $7,000 maximum. However, the Virginia Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts (VASWCD) was awarded grant funding from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation that allowed districts to cover the entire cost of projects in public facing spaces such as schools, parks, businesses, and houses of worship. Thanks to this incredible funding opportunity, we were able to provide the Williamsburg Baptist Church with a gorgeous native garden that benefits the church and its congregants as well as William & Mary students who use the parking lot and the community as a whole.
We were very excited to be a part of this project and watch the space evolve over a few short months. Thank you to all who made this transformation possible!
Read more articles in the Winter 2024 CSWCD Newsletter here.
Comentarios