Fall Progress

On Friday, October 21, a few of St. B's landscapers made progress on 3 fronts:

• Edmondson Avenue steps - Thanks to the work of Jean Black we are weeding and generally spiffing up the 2 exterior stone stairways from Edmondson Ave. onto St. B's campus. The stairways are made of beautiful Butler quartzite stone and are fine examples of the stone mason's craft. At the present time they could use the help of a good stone mason to make them more serviceable, but thanks to Jean's work at least they are now weed free and provide a more inviting, walkable entry to St. B's. 

Before Jean at work

A job well done!

• Church entrance - With the help of Sharon Selleck, Bryan Mackay, and Jack Lattimore, the landscape bed at the right side of the church entrance is being renovated to more closely follow the Oheme Master Plan. Non-native species such as Gooseneck Loosetrife (Lysimachia clethroides) and Russian Comfrey (Symphytum x uplandicum) are being replaced with a cultivar of Alumroot (Heuchera villosa 'Autumn Bride') and a compact Inkberry (Ilex glabra 'Shamrock').
• Trees for Sacred Places - Bryan and Jack were able to lay out a number of locations for the trees that will be planted on Saturday, November 5.

Additional landscape volunteers are always welcome. Your work is always appreciated!

Please join us for the tree planting on Saturday, November 5. We start the day with a hearty breakfast at 8:30 am in the Parish House. At 9:30 we move outside to plant 60 native tree saplings. Our plan is to be done by 11:30 am. Bring a friend! 

Planting native landscapes is one of the best ways we can care for God's creation - earth, our island home.

DIY Autumn Wreath from Houzz

Autum Wreath

Why do we need to plant more trees at St. B's?

Doesn’t St. B’s already have plenty of trees?

People have been asking me, “Jack, why does St. B’s need more trees?”

Fair question since we are blessed to be surrounded by trees on all sides here at St. B’s. But there are a number of reasons to plant trees, even where it seems we have plenty:

• Many of our trees are old and some hang over buildings, making them a potential hazard. At some point these older trees will need to be taken down for safety reasons. 
• A few of our largest trees are ash trees. These tall, sturdy shade trees have unfortunately fallen victim to an ash-killing insect, the emerald ash borer. The emerald ash borer will definitely kill most ash trees in its path and it has arrived in our vicinity sooner than anticipated. Trees can be chemically treated but treatment is expensive and here at St. B’s we would still be left with large, potentially hazardous trees. At some point these large trees will need to be taken down.
• St. B’s is a dynamic place. Change is part of our DNA. Some changes might necessitate removing older trees. By planting these tree seedlings on November 5 we are insuring that we have other trees to replace the ones that may be lost.
• Many of the trees to be planted are small ornamental trees that will be placed around the perimeter of the parking lot. Most of these understory trees will provide 4-season interest in the form of blooms, fall color, and a variety of shapes that will delight in the summer and the winter.
• Adding trees to the perimeter of our parking lot, along the wood’s edge, will not interfere with overflow parking. They will provide additional forest buffer that will filter pollutants as they wash off the parking lot into the woods that lead to the headwaters of Maiden Choice Run.
• Following installation of the trees we will go back to Baltimore City’s Bureau of Water & Wastewater and seek a further reduction in our stormwater fee based on the addition of the trees.

The trees that will be planted on Saturday, November 5 are native tree seedlings. For several years following installation they will be able to be moved to new locations on our campus as conditions require. Think of this tree planting not only as a way to enhance our already beautiful campus, but as our very own tree nursery for the future.

The Landscape Committee hopes you will join us on Sunday, October 30 for a Faith Forum led by Kolya Braun-Greiner of Interfaith Partners for the Chesapeake. Kolya will speak about the spiritual dimensions of planting trees and protecting the Chesapeake Bay. Then, on Saturday, November 5 the Landscape Committee will host a breakfast in the Parish Hall from 8:30-9:30am for those who will be helping us plant this great selection of native trees. The tree planting will be led by Joanna Freeman of the Alliance for theChesapeake Bay and will conclude by 11:30am.

Jack Lattimore, Chair

Landscape Committee