What keeps Boxerwood humming year round? It’s the ongoing spirit of giving, planting, tending, teaching, and growing brought to the garden by two wonderful allies, Rockbridge Area Master Gardeners Association (RAMGA), and the Upper James River Virginia Native Plant Society (UJRVNPS). We are so delighted (and relieved) that more than a dozen volunteers from these organizations have chosen Boxerwood as a site for sharing their expertise and hard work. We’re especially grateful that the love is reciprocal. No need to take our word for it: enjoy this “report from the garden” from long-time Boxerwood friend, supporter and RAMGA liaison, the illimitable Phyllis Fevrier:
The Pollinator Garden, a RAMGA project, is buzzing these days with delightful summer insects. Native bees, large and small, sweat bees, syrphid flies, and honeybees flock to the pollen and nectar of a wide variety of blooming plants. Mountain Mint, Joe Pye Weed, Blazing Star, and the giant Cup Plant attract our attention as well as butterflies like the Fritillaries, Monarchs, Red Spotted Purples, Sulphurs, and Cabbage Whites. Tussock moth, Monarch, and Dutchman’s Pipe are just a few of the larva we’ve also seen on their host plants. We’ve even seen a Snowberry Clear Wing--the moth that looks like a hummingbird--sipping nectar from a verbena flower. A plant list and map of the Pollinator Garden are available on the Boxerwood website for your next visit.
Joined by community gardening enthusiasts, Master Gardeners volunteer weekly to keep the garden areas healthy and presentable to the public. And in turn, we learn. We learn so much from the seasonal plant growth patterns and from the wildlife that shares this rich habitat.
Volunteers also help maintain the workhorse plants that live in the well-designed Rain Gardens. We keep an eye on the effectiveness of the Rain Gardens in slowing the flow of stormwater. This year Boxerwood has seen record amounts of rain, falling in short bursts, challenging the Rain Gardens’ capacity to hold back erosion and floodwater. Once run-off enters the Rain Garden, the great Tussock Sedges, Buttonbush, Joe Pye Weed and native Ferns work together to take up the excess. These human/plant efforts keep storm water and its pollutants from entering Woods Creek. Come see for yourself: the Rain Gardens are located just off the lower parking lot.
The Native Plant Sanctuary is also an excellent place to observe nature (and often people) at work.
This diverse section of Boxerwood has been an experiment in progress for some time. With the help and vision of Katherine Smith and the Upper James River Virginia Native Plant chapter, a working relationship with Boxerwood was first forged 20 years ago. Five years ago, the chapter introduced local native plants in an area where exotic and invasive plants dominated the landscape. Boxerwood’s horticulture staff and UJRNP members worked together to identify natives, remove invasives, and add organic material to the hard-packed soil. With grants, generous native plant donations, and tremendous effort by many volunteers, the Native Plant Sanctuary is now thriving. Animal residents like deer, turtle, frogs, and birds like it too. Next time you are at Boxerwood, come take a closer look. You’ll experience the beauty of nature and also feel the loving effort of so many people all working together to keep the Garden thriving.
