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Beaverdam Learning Garden

The Water-Wise Learning Garden located at Beaverdam Park is sponsored by the Gloucester Master Gardeners in cooperation with the Gloucester Parks and Recreation Department and partially funded by the J. Edwin Treakle Foundation, Inc. The garden is an example of “Xeriscape” gardening with emphasis on:

  •  Water conservation

  •  Soil erosion prevention

  •  Low maintenance

This learning garden provides a dual purpose. It provides the Gloucester Master Gardener Interns the “Hands on” experience needed to help instill concepts and information presented in the classroom. Secondly, it shows the public how plants with similar requirements can be integrated into a beautiful low maintenance landscape.

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The site selection at the park was based on the proximity to the children’s playground, picnic pavilion, and the waterfront. The garden was planted as an integral part of the park setting and shaped to follow the contour of the shoreline. A low retaining wall of 6 inch landscape timbers was installed to inhibit erosion caused by the slope of the waterfront site.

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Daylily

Garden Phlox

Initial planting began between Fall 2000 and Spring 2001. Plants were selected for their minimal water and maintenance requirements plus their year round appeal. Since then, the look of the garden has changed dramatically. This year in 2024, Gloucester Master Gardeners and the current Interns have been renovating the garden. Grasses, plants and bushes classified by the USDA as invasive or too aggressive have been removed. A soil sample was collected from the garden and sent to Virginia Tech for analysis. The tests results showed minor changes needed to accommodate plants left in the garden. Compost was added to compensate for soil lost in plant removal and pine tree straw was added to cover all of the exposed areas to help in weed control. Of the plants left behind, approximately 80% are native to the Gloucester VA region. The remaining 20% are non-native perennials. These perennials provide much needed early Spring sustenance to the local pollinator and bird populations. 

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There are three distinct plant heights noted in the garden. The tall plants, measuring an average of 5 feet include: goldenrod, garden phlox, false sunflower, frost aster, swamp milkweed, wild bergamot/beebalm, cup plant, and mountain mint. Mid height plants, measuring an average of 3 feet include: Black-eyed Susans, avens, and butterfly weed. The lowest growing plant is yarrow. The perennials average 3 feet and they include varieties of bearded iris, daylilies, and daffodils.

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The Beaverdam Learning Garden renovation of 2024 continues this Fall when the garden box will be divided into 10 separate sections. Another soil test will be collected and soil amendments will be added if necessary. Then the plants will be moved so each section contains one type of native plant. The perennials will be placed throughout the garden for visual appeal. Finally, each section will have a sign listing both scientific and common names of the plant in that section.

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Additionally, the Gloucester Master Gardeners partnered with the Gloucester Master Naturalists to install a Blue Bird House in the center of the learning garden. Swallows moved into the birdhouse and tolerated the location well enough to produce 5 eggs which hatched into 5 fledglings adding to the natural beauty of Beaverdam Park.

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