Native Plant Demonstration Garden at Cedell Brooks, Jr. Park King George, VA
2025
Volunteer Opportunity at King George Native Demonstration Garden
Seeking Volunteer Master Gardeners for our Annual Spring Clean-up Day at our Native Demonstration Garden in King George Project Coordinators, Alvin Calhoun and Mary Ellen Green invite all Master Gardeners/Interns to take part in this annual special garden clean-up day at the Native Demonstration Garden which is located at the Cedell Brooks Park.
The Cedell Brooks Park location is 11215 Henry Griffin Rd, King George, VA 22485).
This year Spring clean-up day is Friday, April 18, 2025. The time will be from 8:30 am to 12:00 pm. (Weather permitting).
You can earn MG volunteer hours for this event. We ask volunteers to bring gloves, weeding tools, buckets, and personal water. Note: The staff at Northrop Grumman, 16480 Commerce Dr, King George, VA 22485, have volunteered their skills and time to assist us as a community service. Thanks to them in advance! Weather permitting, our plan is to remove spent foliage, remove unwanted weeds and spread compost and mulch. Again, please bring your gloves, weeding tools, buckets, wheelbarrows, and personal water. Make sure your tools are marked for identification. Please contact Project Coordinators - Alvin Calhoun at [email protected] or Mary Ellen Green at [email protected], if you have any questions.
Rappahannock Master Gardeners have been an active participant in the Plant Central Rappahannock Native Plant Campaign. The George Washington Regional Commission, which is the local sponsor for the organization, obtained a grant to establish a native plant demonstration garden at the Cedell Brooks Park in King George. This is a great park with athletic fields and a perimeter walking path around the complex. The County and Parks department is highly supportive of the project and we have had a great deal of local support. The native plant demonstration garden was planted along a portion of the trail.The grant pays for plants and other materials but the labor must be donated. Master gardeners played a key role both in providing labor and instructing others in planting, mulching etc.
The Address for the Park is 11259 Henry Griffin Road, King George 22485. Henry Griffin Road is off Kings Highway about 1 mile from Highway 301.
Fall, 2024
Narrow Leaf Sunflower
Winter Mulch, 12/2023
Spring has Sprung at Cedell, 2023 photos by Alvin Calhoun
Photos by: Budding Photographer Lucas L. and Susan Kenney
Sealston Sports Complex Tree Planting in King George
‘Tube’ planting tree seedlings with master gardeners MGACRA - Master Gardener Association of Central Rappahannock Area and Friends of the Rappahannock. It’s a forestry technique that protects the seedlings with a low maintenance approach. 11-2020 Photos by T. Blevins
Dedication and Grand Opening!
Grand Opening of the Demonstration Garden at Cedell Brooks, Jr. Park 2018 From Landfill to Native Garden!
The Director of King George Parks and Recreation, Chris Clarke's, opening remarks told of the vision for the native garden. The vision was to find native plants to blend with the features of the environment, returning the land to its original beauty and inspiring citizens to solve environmental challenges through nature!
This garden demonstrates solutions to landscape issues we all encounter, areas with excess sun, shade, moisture, grade, or lacking water and slope. It show cases Pollinator Attraction, Meadows, Rain gardens, Hillsides, and Street sides.
The direct impact of the generosity of state and local resources, hundreds of volunteers, and thousands of hours has already been seen in more butterflies and pollinators... They are just the beginning!!!
Speaker- Peggy Stevens, spoke of the importance of native plants. Other species may support limited wildlife such as one type of caterpillar while native versions feed many varieties. They also live more harmoniously with other native plants, while non-native plants may crowd out native varieties and kill established vegetation.
Native plants thrive with Virginia's conditions, soil, weather, and climate. They fill our habitats with diversity of color and texture. They extend to us, environmental benefits of improved quality of air and water and increased effectiveness of pollination and seed dispersal which feeds wildlife and people. This garden is a prime example of the possibilities we can replicate in our own gardens!