Manager's Message
by Judy Zatsick, Site Manager, Green Spring Gardens
Judy Zatsick
Let’s Talk Gardens and Plants!
Each year unfolds differently in the garden, with unique joys and challenges. We had a glorious, long, cool spring that kept the gardens—and gardeners—looking great for weeks. We also learned that our area is now classified as 7b, one step warmer from 7a on the USDA agricultural zone scale.
June ended hot, and July broke several heat records. It was tough to irrigate sufficiently, and many plants showed the stress of the high temperatures. Gardeners and garden designs must remain flexible and adapt to changing conditions.
At Green Spring, you may have noticed some changes taking place in the gardens this year. Some of these changes reflect the interests of our amazing horticulture team, and others reflect the need to garden ‘smarter not harder.’ This year we added three drought-tolerant gardens that allow us to demonstrate plants that will tolerate the hotter temperatures we are experiencing. Check out the new crevice, xeric, and naturalistic gardens. They showcase drought- and heat-tolerant plants that you can try in your sunnier and drier garden areas. And our established rock garden continues to evolve under Sarah Strickler’s careful guidance. These gardens will use irrigation to establish plants and than only minimally as needed.
You may have seen the impressive addition to our garden features near the historic house—the moon gate structure—that was completed in July. Changes to this new garden area—the Serenity and Moon Gate Garden—will include a new walkway and Asian-inspired plantings.
Seasonal gardener and native plant lover Jennifer Dasmalchi reached out to our Natural Resource Branch ecologist Nelson Debarros when she noticed an unusual fern in our recently restored rare Magnolia Bog. Nelson confirmed that Jennifer had located a ‘Critically Imperiled (S1)’ taxon in Virginia that is only known to occur in the three jurisdictions of Alexandria, Fairfax County, and Page County. This notable find will be entered into the rare species database to be shared with the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation. Jennifer also spotted a Bombus fervidus—bumblebee—near the parking lot. This species is listed as Vulnerable (S3) in Virginia. Great detective work Jennifer! Thank you for your diligence!
FROGS has donated funds over the past two years to treat over a dozen Eastern Hemlock trees for wooly adelgid infestations. These historical trees were specified and planted by Beatrix Farrand at our site. Adam Bucher, Horticulture Resource Manager, found over 40 specimens last year on a walk with the County Urban Forestry Division. Because of the significant size of the population, the Forestry Division has taken responsibility for managing the wooly adelgid infestation moving forward.
Although record temperatures have made it daunting to be outside in the middle of the day, come visit us at Green Spring in the early morning or late afternoon. We are open from dawn to dusk. The gardens are brimming with beautiful blooms, and you’ll have the gardens to yourself. Get inspired by the beautiful plant combinations, the unusual plant specimens, the hummingbirds and butterflies nectaring, and the tranquility of our lovely space.
