2022 CHASE HOME GARDEN NEWSLETTER

Our St. John's work study student, Apurva, made an afternoon of interviewing our master gardener volunteers to better understand why they do what they do for us in their spare time. Here are some excerpts of the interviews:

Q: Do you like volunteering in the Chase Home Garden?

A: I love it! I learn all kinds of different names of plants that I would not have had a clue as to what they are.

Q: What does being a Master Gardener entail?

A: In general, it is a University of Maryland-supported project where in Anne Arundel County the thrust of the success of the program is what they call 'Bay-wise'.

Q: What's your favorite part of the garden?

A: I think when the roses are in bloom and the lilacs. They smell so good and I think they're just so beautiful!

Q: What would you say to people who haven't visited this garden?

A: It's a hidden gem! It is hidden, I mean, people can walk by here and not give it a second thought.

Q: Why should people visit the garden?

A: It's a lovely representation of a naturalized city garden, and that's what makes it unique.

Chase Home Master Gardner and Horticulturalist Kim Forry works tirelessly, tending to the lovely Chase Home garden daily and is supported by numerous volunteers. She is a member of the Maryland Nursery, Landscape and Greenhouse Association, Cape St. Claire Garden Club and Annapolis Horticulture Society. A typical fall day, according to Kim: "A typical day in the garden involves observing what needs to be done first. Setting to the task at hand requires certain garden tools. I recently identified and removed weeds, unwanted seed heads, and baby trees. Each day is different. It's organic."

On October 6th, the Chase Home Board of Trustees and staff hosted a Volunteer Appreciation Garden Party for all the Master Gardeners and volunteers who assisted in the Chase Home Garden from the spring through the fall. Volunteers were recognized for their hard labor in the garden and work as garden docents, leading garden tours for the public. Each volunteer was given a garden tote bag in appreciation.

Three women led this year's Master Gardener project and Garden Tour docent program through a most successful season. Kim Forry, Chase Home Gardener, served as liaison of both programs. Carla Haim was the lead coordinator of the Master Gardener Project. Catherine Salam was the lead coordinator and trainer for the Garden Tour Docent Program.

Pictured (L to R): Catherine, Kim and Carla.

On the last weekend of March, the Chase Home garden officially opened for tours in honor of the city-wide celebration Maryland Day. Guests were treated to a view of the grand entrance hall and Palladian window and activities in the garden for children and adults alike--Frolic the Fox storytelling, Annapolis Green's compost station, Ask a Master Gardener and free Mexican sunflower plants, throughout the 2-day event .

Pictured at left top: Executive Director Heather East and President Nancy Clagett greet Maryland Day attendees. Pictured left bottom: Frolic the Fox gets ready to read and play with children in the garden. Pictured below: Anne Arundel County Master Gardener mulch display.

Thanks to a new online registration system, updated marketing materials including Garden Tour rack cards distributed at the Visitor's Center and area businesses, we had a most successful garden tour season this year. Overall we had more than 200 people visit the garden in 2022 and several large groups, including a group from the Williamsburg Foundation. We also gave private tours to staff and docent volunteers at Watermark Cruises and staff at the Visitor's Center. All visitors received the new pocket-size, self-guided "Perennial Natives Garden Map" to be kept as a souvenir and educational material which identifies native plants and trees in the garden. Our trained Master Gardener Project volunteers led visitors on the tours and answered questions. Tours officially ended October 14. 

In June, two young native Eastern redbud trees were planted as a requirement of the City of Annapolis for the recent removal of a 50 foot Pagoda Tree due to die back and our commitment to mitigate water issues near our neighbors property. Our St. John's work study students helped with the digging and planting of these trees and we are pleased to announce they are thriving and a perfect edition to the southeast corner of our garden.

Thanks to the generosity of garden volunteer Lily Openshaw, the Chase Home garden's monarch habitat is now certified with a Monarch Waystation designation by Monarch Watch. 

A monarch waystation sign has been installed in our Bay-wise garden. This display helps convey this important monarch conservation message to all those who visit this habitat and may encourage others to create their own Monarch Waystation. The Chase Home Garden monarch habitat is included in the Monarch Waystation Registry, an online listing of Monarch Waystations worldwide. 

Ben Surosky, an Eagle Scout with Troop 339 in Anne Arundel County, constructed a mason bee box for the Chase Home garden and it was installed in the spring to create a mason bee habitat. There are about 20 species of mason bees, native and non-aggressive, in the Chesapeake Bay area. Mason bees are known for nests that they construct out of mud and other materials. Unlike other types of bees, mason bees are solitary, with each female building her own next and potentially producing offspring. Mason bees emerge from their nests in early spring and are active from mid-April to mid-June, coinciding with the blossoming of fruit trees. Mason bees are excellent fruit tree and flower pollinators, particularly those of the rose family. We are grateful to have a home for these bees in our bay-wise garden. 

A 1,000 gallon oil tank ten feet under ground was recently removed from our rose garden by GreenTrax, Inc. As an environmentally conscious and bay-wise garden, this year we committed to removing two oil tanks that had been installed in the early 1980s. The second tank will be removed at the end of November.

The side-porch stabilization project led by structural engineer John Matteo of 1200AE with contractors Annapolis on the Level is finally complete. The project is to provide temporary structural support for the failing 3-story porch on the south side of the Chase-Lloyd House, near the garden berm. The porch with attached fire escape serves as the only fire egress in the Chase-Lloyd House.