Waterman's Garden

A unique highlight of the riparian forest buffer is a Waterman's Garden, that pays tribute to the contributions of men and women whose lives have been shaped by the Bay.  People rarely see fish moving up the Bay or crabs shedding, but they do see trees and plants blooming. The Waterman's Garden is beautiful as well as functional.  This grove consists of a grouping of native trees which have traditionally been used by watermen to help them in their trade:

Shadbush (or serviceberry), which has a white star-like flower, is among the first to bloom in the spring, announcing the arrival of shad in the Chesapeake region.   Shad swim upstream from salt to fresh water to spawn.

Watermen were known to say that the flowering dogwood bloom coincides with the spawning of striped bass or rockfish.

The flower of the black locust tree is a traditional indicator for the Chesapeake watermen of the first blue crab molt of the year.   (Black locust is native, but it spreads quickly.  If you decide to plant one, be prepared for many small seedlings to pop up nearby.)

Pictures:

Click on the thumbnail image below for a larger picture and description

  

Size: 600 square feet

Plant List

• Shadbush or Serviceberry (Amelanchier canadensis)
• Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida)
• Black Locust (Robinia pseudoacacia)