Nature Center
Boxerwood is a natural community,
home to innumerable living things, from fungi to our Great Oak,
millipede to turtle to human. Our primary function is to
educate the human creatures that enter Boxerwood as to their
place and role within a natural community. Not all may
speak, but all have the right to a voice, whether we are are
microscopic bugs or fully complex mammals. Come
& meet all of us at Boxerwood by
exploring
our many distinct habitats!
We encourage our home to be used as a nature
center focused on experiential
environmental
education. We serve students in the Rockbridge area
through school programs as well as summer & and special
events. Boxerwood
opened to the public in April, 1997.
Educational programs began the following fall.
For those who would like to get more involved,
you can
join the BEA
or learn first-hand what we're all about by
volunteering.
Lots of opportunities are available, including teaching,
assisting, and working in the garden or office -- just let us know what you'd like to do!
Woodland Garden
Dr. Munger probably never intended to create what Boxerwood has become; he simply wanted
to garden. Day by day, year by year, he collected trees and shrubs that interested him. He thought it futile to try to imagine, much less control, the outcome of a garden. It is
a dance. In time he came to the conclusion that gardening was the slowest of all the
performing arts.
Boxerwood has a mature collection of rare
and native trees & shrubs. Among the thousands of plants,
there are significant collections of:
Dwarf Conifers (167 varieties), Magnolias (57 varieties), Dogwoods (81 varieties),
Rhododendrons & Azaleas (290 varieties) & Japanese Maples (154 varieties).
See
What's Blooming Month by Month
Other Information
Boxerwood was originally the private residence of Dr. and Mrs. Robert
Munger. Mohring and Karen "KB" Bailey purchased the property in 1996.
Boxerwood transitioned into a public garden in 1997,
followed by the formation of the nonprofit Boxerwood Education
Association in 1999.
Over the years, Boxerwood has developed a full range of
experience-based, environmental education programs for the teachers and
students of the three local school systems, including age-appropriate
programs for area preschool age children.
As an adjunct to its educational mission, Boxerwood
also presents workshops for educators to enhance their own awareness and
gain skills for accompanying children in nature. As part of its
consultive role in the community, the Boxerwood staff participate in a
variety of environmental task forces and programs throughout Rockbridge
County and Virginia.
In addition to the educational programming that
enriches our community, the garden continues to welcome and inspire
visitors. From June 2007 to June 2008, over 1,200 individuals visited
Boxerwood for self-guided discovery and garden enjoyment, and 2,500
preschool age children and family members visited the PlayTrail for
self-guided, imaginative play.
