Native Woodland Garden Guided Walk
(We strongly recommend you download a copy of this guide and also a trail map before your visit to the Arboretum, as the supply at our onsite information booth is replenished only occasionally!)
GUIDED NATIVE WOODLAND GARDEN WALK
DISTANCE: APPROXIMATELY 950 FEET (290 METERS) TRAIL MARKERS = PURPLE BLAZES
Building upon the existing mature hardwood forest in the central section of the Chesapeake Arboretum’s natural area, and with easy access from the main parking lot, this short walk features an array of trees and shrubs with showy flowers or fruit. Native to the Virginia/North Carolina Coastal Plain, all of these plants merit consideration for wider use in Hampton Roads landscapes. Look for white plant I.D. tags with purple lettering and illustrations of the plant flower or fruit.
Native plants offer multiple advantages: adaptation to local environmental conditions; low maintenance; reduced requirements for water, fertilizers, and pesticides; high value to native wildlife; balancing habitat loss; preserving natural ecosystems; avoiding invasive or potentially invasive plants; and offering a sense of place and connection to the natural history of an area. Remember to consider soil, moisture, light, and size requirements when choosing plants for your landscape. Be sure to check appropriate resources such as the Virginia Natural Heritage Program at www.dcr.virginia.gov .
Kindly respect all visitors, property, plants, and wildlife during your visit to our volunteer-maintained woodland garden. An opportunity to learn how to identify trees is available on the “Native Tree” trail. Pick up a trail guide at the parking lot kiosk or download a copy at www.ChesArbor.org for this ½ mile walk through the heart of the Arboretum.
Notes and tree I.D. labels researched, compiled & installed by Chesapeake Master Gardeners Ed & Linda Bradley, 2011.
I.D. tag illustrations courtesy Kristi Deeley, deeleywoman designs.
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0.0 ft. / 0.0 meters Kiosk. Begin Native Woodland Garden tour. Walk to northeast (left) side of parking lot and then to Entrance #7 pedestrian crossing on Oak Grove Road
150 / 46 Use CAUTION and cross Oak Grove Road. Bear right
at fence. Follow purple blazes and enter forest
255 / 78 Pink Dogwood.
270 / 82 Sassafras. Tulip Poplar.
300 / 91 Pawpaw.
325 / 99 Red Maple.
380 / 116 Winterberry.
410 / 125 Cross Bridge “F”.
450 / 137 Enter SYCAMORE OVERLOOK area. Plant identification tags listed here are located within 50 feet of this location: Red Buckeye, Fringetree, Witchhazel, Strawberry Bush, Redbud, Blackhaw Viburnum, Serviceberry, American Plum, Virginia Stewartia, Swamp Azalea. (NOTE: A white plant tag with green lettering for the Sycamore is straight ahead and is part of the “Native Tree” trail.)
550 / 168 Cross Bridge “F” to continue guided walk.
590 / 180 Turn left and continue to follow purple blazes.
670 / 204 Turn right at trail intersection and continue to follow purple blazes. (NOTE: Green blazes to left lead to nearby Camellia Cove with observation deck. This collection of camellias is the second-largest in Virginia!)
715 / 218 Southern Magnolia.
740 / 226 Flowering Dogwood. Southern Crabapple.
790 / 241 Sweetbay Magnolia.
840 / 256 Use CAUTION crossing Oak Grove Road.
950 / 290 Return trail maps and brochures to Kiosk.
End of guided walk. We hope your visit has been both informative and enjoyable, and we invite you to become a dues-paid Friend of the Chesapeake Arboretum, a non-profit, volunteer-operated “Nature’s Classroom.”
Native Woodland Garden dedicated April 2, 2011 in memory of Jean-Marie Eagler (1951-2011).
Award-winning Hampton Roads environmental activist and President of the Board of Directors of the Chesapeake Arboretum, Jean-Marie believed in sharing the story of native plants at the Arboretum. We hope you will be inspired to consider planting some of these beautiful specimens in your landscape
