The Public Utilities Maintenance & Operations Building for the City of Chesapeake is not the kind of place where you’d look for an environmentally-friendly garden. For many years the only planting on the compound was a struggling crepe myrtle, but in late 2021 that started to change.
Cathy Filipowski, a member of the askHRgreen.org Fats, Oils, and Grease Education Committee, decided to start digging.
After securing permission and checking utilities, this veteran gardener got busy clearing weeds, removing buried debris, and digging beds. Four truckloads of compost were hauled in to invigorate the depleted soil.
Tree frog hiding in the new habitat.
With no initial budget to work with – a lot of plants were donated from the Chesapeake Master Gardeners nursery—many thanks to Mike Andruczyk and the mighty MGs!. The beds are in a harsh microclimate, so plant choices were a bit limited. Native plants had priority, but some tough shrubs, hostas and bulbs were also blended in. Gardeners always have plants to separate and share so things like native violets, Solomon Seal, lantana, daffodils, and lilies were thrown in the mix. The beds really started taking shape when management purchased shrubs and mulch for the main bed.
Two years have gone by and where there were once weeds and grass there is now a thriving pollinator haven. Late in the morning you will see scores of bumble bees, native bees, butterflies, and tiny unknown pollinators feasting away. Even a tree frog and hummingbird moth have been regular visitors. Hopefully they will avoid the writing spiders that have also taken up residence!
It is not a perfectly landscaped bed. There are a multitude of flaws in the design, and it is way too exuberant for a professional setting (the current planting of coleus are now over 43” high and have been repeatedly trimmed to keep the sidewalk clear). But it is life, and Cathy is happy just listening to the pollinators work and knowing they have full bellies.
No matter how small an area you have to work with – plant something – get digging!
Before
After
Before
After
Butterfly visiting the lantana shrub!
Bees enjoying the coleus.