James City County/Williamsburg
Master Gardeners
Waterwise Low Maintenance Garden
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More Information |
The Waterwise Low Maintenance Demonstration Garden, established several years ago by Extensions JCC/Williamsburg Master Gardener volunteers, has been relocated from its Toano site on Forge Road next to the JCC Satellite Offices and Emergency Operations Center Building to the front entrance of the JCC Human Services Center on Olde Town Road. Over 30 varieties of plants were moved from the Toano site to the new location in 4 days by a team of Master Gardener volunteers led by Susan Voigt and Judy Hansen.
The garden relocation was necessary to preserve the plantings during the construction of additions to the Emergency Operations Center and Toano Firehouse. A remnant of the original Water Wise Garden remains in a small section of the original garden. The Toano garden was first established when a Xeriscape garden planted by Master Gardeners was moved from the site of expansion at the JCC Recreation Center in the 1990s.
The garden features a wide variety of perennial plants and shrubs to demonstrate use of native and drought tolerant plants in the home landscape. The plants range from daffodils and columbine to sedum and viburnum. The garden is designed to provide color and interest throughout multiple seasons. Once established, the plants require little care, and seldom need extra water, an added bonus for water conservation. The James City Service Authority has sponsored the signs for the garden through the "Let's be Water Smart" program. Several of the plants have identification labels and additional labels and plants will be added in future.
The move was a welcome surprise to those who work at the Human Services Center. "We have been getting fan mail and rave reviews from those who pass the garden everyday on their way in to work" said Leanne DuBois, Extension Agent with Virginia Cooperative Extension.
A color brochure on featured plantings in the Water Wise Garden will be updated to reflect the new location soon. For more information call the JCC Virginia Cooperative Extension at 564-2170.
Many of the plants were identified with small plant markers in the summer of 2001 and many of these survive today. A large sign, identifying the garden as a Water Wise Low Maintenance Garden by the JCC/W Master Gardeners, was installed in August 2003, courtesy of the James City Service Authority Let's Be Water Smart Program.
The garden is tended by a small team of MGs a few times a year: in early spring, to clean the garden and prune the shrubs; in later spring to transplant if necessary, weed and deadhead the spring blooming plants; in mid-summer to weed and deadhead; and, in Fall to clean up and remulch with pine straw, primarily gathered from the nearby pine trees.