 Mission, Vision, Values
Downtown Greens began when Laura Shepherd planted a garden on the unused land behind her home at 206 Charles Street (now Downtown Greens offices), inspiring the curiosity of neighborhood children. With the help of Lisa Biever, Eric Olsen and Mark Jacobson, Laura established Downtown Greens as a nonprofit organization in 1995. Its nonprofit status helped Downtown Greens purchase the land behind 206 Charles Street, which became known as the Lower Garden. Four years later, an additional parcel of land across the street at Princess Anne and Dixon Streets was purchased creating what is now referred to as the Upper Garden. Thus a little baby garden began to grow up. Flash forward to 2013. Sarah Perry, dancer, clown, volunteer, and all ‘round swell person, took over the Executive Director position. She continued to run the organization and gardens with the help of staff, volunteers, and community members. The entire 2.8 acres was placed under conservation easement in 2015 to conserve it in perpetuity. The young garden was gaining strength, reach, and knowledge. We were hitting our teen years! Now, 10 years later, we have a larger staff and a LOT more land. The addition of the new 56 acres has made us look around and realize how far this little organization has come! With all the changes and growth happening, Sarah and our amazing Board Members knew it was time to take a moment to look at where we’ve been, where we are, and where we are headed. With that in mind, they have created our newly updated mission statement that really hones in on what Downtown Greens is all about. They have also created a vision statement and defined our values. What does this mean? A Mission Statement is important as it accurately defines our organization's guiding principles. Our Vision Statement is a description of the desired future state of, not only the organization, but also the community and, dare we say, the world. Our Values represent our core beliefs that inspire and guide our choices in the way we operate and interact with our community. We look forward to bringing this organization to the next level and spreading the good word for many years to come. Please allow us to share with you our updated Mission, Vision, and Values… Mission statement: To enhance the well-being of our community, by connecting people with nature through education and the preservation of greenspaces. Vision statement: One day, we will live in a world where the community feels a deep connection with each other,nature, and the food they eat. Values: ● Sustainability- We are intentional in the use of all resources and mindful of how our actions impact the community and the world. ● Inclusion - We honor diversity by respecting the innate worth of all persons, cultures, and abilities. We are stronger because of the varied contributions of all. ● Stewardship – We accept responsibility to care for the land and to educate and encourage the community to become active contributors to a healthy environment. ● Optimism – We believe in our community, and the ability to bring change for the better through our actions, words, and intentions. ● Service – We dedicate ourselves to creating opportunities for the advancement of the community. Janet Douberly is proud to be on the team at Downtown Greens. This article was originally published in the July 2023 edition of Front Porch Magazine. Read the full publication by using the link below.
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 The Worst Berry
Berry Bugs. In the UK they are referred to as Harvest Mites. Here in the states we call the Chiggers. No matter what you call them, we can all agree they are terrible. It’s that time of year again. Time when these horrible little beasts wait patiently for some unsuspecting person or animal to walk by their perch so that they may reach out and ruin someone’s day… and week. From the family trombiculidae, they live in forests and grasslands and most places there is vegetation. They are most numerous in early summer when grass, weeds, and other vegetation are heaviest. In their larval stage, they crawl onto their hosts and inject digestive enzymes into the skin that break down skin cells. They do not actually "bite", but instead form a hole in the skin, called a stylostome, and chew up tiny parts of the inner skin. This causes severe irritation and itching. These relatives of ticks are nearly microscopic, measuring 1/60 of an inch, and have a red to orange color. If they weren’t so horrific they would be pretty. Alas, by the time most humans start to itch, the larvae have already gotten what they needed and have fallen onto the ground to continue their life cycle. Alas, no need to cover yourself in fingernail polish! A hot shower and topical medicines help with the itching and the skin should heal itself within a week or two! Janet Douberly has not encountered any chiggers at Downtown Greens. This article was originally published in the July 2023 edition of Front Porch Magazine. Read the full publication by using the link below.  Mint to Be
A polite mint that spreads slowly and won't take over the whole garden?!? Mountain Mint, or 'Pycnanthemum muticum' is a Virginia native plant and member of the mint family (lamiaceae). It was first discovered by the French botanist Andre Michaux in 1790, when he found masses of the plant growing in Pennsylvania. Although the common name is Mountain Mint, it actually does not grow in mountainous regions, but rather in open, moist fields and forest edges, often located along the lower elevations of a mountain. And while it is a mint and will do a bit of spreading, it is a great ‘weed-suppressing’ plant and does not spread as invasively as other common mint plants. The flowers open over a 3 month period beginning in June and are a great source of nectar for bees, beneficial wasps, moths and butterflies! In fact, it is rare that the plants are not a flurry of activity when in bloom. Much like a typical mint, the foliage is very aromatic when rubbed and is popular in teas and salads. It is also very effective at repelling mosquitoes when rubbed on the skin. This aroma is also a useful tool in eliminating deer browse! This plant is a great addition to any beds that are MINT to feed the pollinators! Want to check it out for yourself? Come to Downtown Greens in the lower garden by the stone circle and grab a whiff! Janet Douberly won’t take over the whole garden at Downtown Greens. This article was originally published in the June 2023 edition of Front Porch Magazine. Read the full publication by using the link below.  Garden Sprouts
At the Walker Grant Building they have a flower and vegetable garden for the children. It's sensory oriented, they get to touch, smell, harvest and taste what they grow. This garden is a bit different from surrounding gardens that are close by. It's tucked away in the back corner of the Walker Grant building on the preschool side and it's a Microclimate. What's a Microclimate? The dictionary defines a micro climate as a small or restricted area, especially when this differs from the climate of the surrounding area. Basically, it's a lot warmer in that corner because of the brick wall and large windows from the classroom and gym. This allows the garden to flourish when others in the neighborhood are dormant or no longer producing. The slightly higher temperature in this area can be good and bad. The good is what the children get to see. They've witnessed strawberries flower and ripen in December. Tomatoes are still being harvested up until mid November after Autumn's first frost has claimed others. Some of the leafy greens will survive the winter, the closer they are to the wall. It's like a cozy blanket keeping them warm in the cold. Many root vegetables stay snug and yummy tucked away in the soil all winter. With all the warmth this area produces for the garden in the cool Autumn and winter months, when spring and summer rolls around it produces a heat that feels like a million suns bearing down on you. The temperature can sometimes feel double of what it actually is, even on a day of 60-70 degrees the garden can feel the heat and it begins to show through the plants. This produces something the children get to see that many people don’t. Most of the vegetables in the garden don’t always get harvested in time and if we have a warm weekend or a holiday some of the vegetables go into survival mode.What do I mean? The children will come back and see the carrots and radishes they planted grow tall and begin to flower, from this they learn where the seeds come from. Who knew Radishes created seed pods for their seed and carrots are in the queens anne's lace family and produces a really pretty flower? They see Brussel sprouts grow tall and the flower buds resemble Broccoli, of course they do because they're in the same plant family and Broccoli is a flower that we eat. How exciting! Once that bud opens up its pretty yellow flowers, the bees buzz all over and enjoy. The small salad green arugula that many of us love for its spicy kick in our salads and on our pizza can grow to a massive bush and produces the prettiest pale yellow flower that turns into long pods filled with seeds. They'll grow, dry out and pop open and fall to become our volunteer plants for the next fall season's arugula, and will survive the winter in the garden. Khalilah Brooker is a Garden Educator at Downtown Greens. She works closely with the children in the Garden Sprouts Program and the Youth Farm Program. This article was originally published in the June 2023 edition of Front Porch Magazine. Read the full publication by using the link below.  New Land, New Trees
In Fall of 2021, Downtown Greens inspired our community by purchasing 56 acres of greenspace alongside Braehead Farm in the City of Fredericksburg. This once-in-a generation conservation purchase will protect clean water resources for the Rappahannock River, enhance habitat and wildlife corridor, and grow Fredericksburg’s capacity to inspire and educate the next generation of conservation stewards. This spring, Friends of the Rappahannock (FOR) had the privilege to assist Downtown Greens and other local partners as they established a new riparian buffer using native fruit, nut and berry trees. Here’s some more about our collaboration with Downtown Greens. How did this project get started? In 2022, Downtown Greens executive director Sarah Perry approached FOR to learn about how her organization could enhance the wildlife and environmental value of their newly obtained property. FOR suggested that reforesting approximately 3 acres of pasture alongside two streams– a technique known as a riparian buffer–could help improve water quality by filtering runoff, absorbing pollutants and reducing erosion and sedimentation. But this was no ordinary riparian buffer. What’s so special about this project? It is an edible riparian buffer. To align with Downtown Greens’ food mission, this project uses only native fruit, nut and berry trees. Our species list included American persimmon, black cherry, hazelnut, wild plum, Eastern serviceberry, paw paw, elderberry and red mulberry. This project is also the largest single tree planting in the City of Fredericksburg that FOR has ever organized, at 810 trees. To achieve such a large-scale forest at minimal cost, the trees were planted as 18” bare-root saplings and each was protected using a plastic tube and wooden stake. Who contributed to this project? This project couldn’t have succeeded without contributions from numerous community members and organizations. The project was funded using a cost-share from the Tri County Soil and Water Conservation District and the designed with help from the Virginia Department of Forestry. The trees were planted entirely with volunteer labor between March 11-23 with help from numerous groups including Tree Fredericksburg, the Central Rappahannock Master Naturalists, the Stafford High School Planting Shade Club, Fredericksburg Tree Stewards and the University of Mary Washington. Between March 20-22, 120 students from James Monroe High School planted the final 310 trees as part of their Meaningful Watershed Education Experience (MWEE) program, funded by NOAA’s Bay Watershed and Education and Training (BWET) program. What’s next? Over the next several years and decades, the trees–which were planted as 18” saplings– will mature and begin to produce nuts, fruit and berries, becoming a showcase for Virginia native plants–a “forage forest.” FOR, students and researchers will monitor the streams to determine how water quality and wildlife are responding to the new forest. Meanwhile, the planting area will be mowed regularly and kept free of invasive plants or browsing animals. Eagle Scout Justin Murray is enhancing the existing fence using deer wire to reduce browsing. As Downtown Greens moves ahead in developing its new land, this edible forest will ultimately be accessible to the public to enjoy. Please visit Downtown Greens’ website at www.downtowngreens.org to learn more about their new land. Adam Lynch serves as a River Steward for Fredericksburg, Spotsylvania and Stafford with Friends of the Rappahannock. This article was originally published in the May 2023 edition of Front Porch Magazine. Read the full publication by using the link below.  Don’t Mock the Strawberries Is there anything more perfect than the flavor of a wild strawberry? It’s that time of year again when lawns and gardens alike get covered in strawberry plants. But beware! Most of the “strawberries” we see growing wildly now are imposters! Enter 'Duchesnea indica', or Mock Strawberry! Native to India, his deceptive little berry grows invasively in our area. While it is mostly harmless (allergic reactions have been documented) and edible, the flavor is almost nonexistent and it will gleefully crowd out other ground covers. But we do have a native wild strawberry, 'Fragaria virginiana' or Virginia Strawberry, that, while tiny, packs a sweet strawberry flavor! How to tell the difference? One way is to pick the strawberry and crush it between your fingers. Wild strawberries will have a strong and distinct strawberry scent whereas the mock strawberry will smell watery. Another way to tell the difference is to check out the bloom! The mock strawberry will have 5 yellow petals per bloom whereas the wild strawberry will have 5 white petals, much like the ones you grow in your garden. The shape of the berry is another way to tell the difference. Mock strawberries are very round like a ball and actually grow upright on top of their stems. Wild strawberries will have the classic strawberry shape, if a bit smaller, and will hang down on the stems, again, like the strawberries you see growing in gardens. Janet Douberly is very round, like a Media Manager, at Downtown Greens. This article was originally published in the May 2023 edition of Front Porch Magazine. Read the full publication by using the link below.  How Native Plants Can Help Your Vegetable Garden Grow
When growing a vegetable garden, there are so many variables that can either mean a successful garden with an abundance of fresh vegetables or a paltry yield. We tend to monitor how much water our garden receives, find the perfect spot so our plants get enough or perhaps not too much sunlight, and perhaps we remember that we need to add amendments to the soil so the plants get enough nutrients. One thing that we can easily overlook is the need for pollinators to help our vegetable plants produce those much wanted vegetables. So how do we help ensure that our yard is full of pollinators, such as butterflies, that can help pollinate our vegetable plants? By growing native plants that serve as hosts on our property, because it is the only way to help create more pollinators. A great example of a shrub that many think are beneficial to ecosystems, but which are actually more harmful, is the butterfly bush. Many people believe that butterfly bushes–which are named as such, because many butterflies can descend on one all at once–is one of the best ways to invite pollinators, specifically butterflies, to their yards. However, a butterfly bush, which is considered invasive in many Mid-Atlantic states because they can spread outside of gardens and replace native plants in the ecosystem, do not serve as host plants as no caterpillars feed on them, thus they do not help create new pollinators. The best way to make sure that you have pollinators in your yard is to plant host plants. Host plants are those that other organisms live on and live off of. To help your vegetable garden, here are some alternative native plants that serve as host plants for caterpillars (and are very beautiful): Perennials: Butterfly weed, swamp milkweed, common milkweed: all serve as host plants for Monarch butterflies. Swamp milkweed is an especially good choice for rain gardens and other heavy moisture areas. Not all milkweed is native to our region, such as the tropical milkweed. A good source to double check any plants before purchasing is the Digital Atlas of Virginia Flora. Shrubs: Spicebush: a larval host for the Spicebush Swallowtail, this shrub is extremely versatile and will tolerate all types of sun exposure and moisture. Common Winterberry: this shrub with beautiful red berries in the winter is a larval host for the Henry’s Elfin. It’s also a great replacement for nandina, because the winterberry’s berries are edible by wildlife; whereas, the nandina’s berries are toxic. Trees: Oak: Oak trees can support over 500 insects and animals, making it a very wildlife friendly addition to any yard. Oaks serve as host plants to the following butterflies: Striped Hairstreak, Banded Hairstreak, Mourning Cloak, Edwards Hairstreak, Red Banded Hairstreak, White M Hairstreak, and Horace's Duskywing. Paw Paw: the paw paw only serves as a larval host to one butterfly, the Zebra Swallowtail. However, if you plant at least two Paw Paw trees (or maybe a neighbor has one), you not only support wildlife, but you can harvest the fruit for yourself. Christie Hoerneman has a passion for native plants, is a librarian at Central Rappahannock Regional Library, and on the Board of Directors at Downtown Greens. This article was published in the April 2023 editon of Front Porch Magazine. Click the button below to read the full publication.  Peonie Peoneeds
It is almost that time of year again! The too short, yet eagerly awaited time for the peonies to bloom! It is a long held belief that peonies can't bloom without ants! It is no surprise people have thought this because this time of year you will see ants crawling all over peony blooms! But this tale is just a myth! The reason ants flock to peony buds are because peonies secrete a substance called extrafloral nectaries. Essentially, this means that the buds are producing nectar, which is basically sugar, and the ants are drawn to it like...well... ants to sugar. While these may seem like a really sweet thing for the peonies to do, they are not doing it just out of the goodness of their heart, they also benefit from the ants being there! While the ants are there feeding, they protect the forming flowers from insects that would feed on the plant itself. This is a perfect example of mutualism. Two organisms of different species benefiting one another. Since peonies have a disappointingly short season, the ants have to constantly let other ants from their colony know to get it while the getting is good. Once an ant finds these beautiful nectar dispensers, they head back to their colony, leaving a trail of pheromones behind them that other ants can then follow to the buffet! Each ant leaves its own trail for its buddies! Janet Douberly is the perfect example of mutualism at Downtown Greens. This article was published in the April 2023 edition of Front Porch Magazine. Use the button below to read the full publication.  Small Actions with Huge Payoffs Having lived and worked in Fredericksburg a majority of my life, I have had the privilege of watching this town for decades. In my years working up and down Caroline Street, I have seen it garlanded in a show of pretty-looking yet disgusting Bradford Pear Trees and have watched in delight as they have almost all been removed and replaced with more appropriate and even more beautiful native trees. I have meandered by the lawns and lots, both lush with life and crowded with “weeds”. I have seen the impact one idea can have on our people and our ecosystem. With that in mind, and in honor of Earth Day and Arbor Day happening this month, I am making a call to small action. As of right now, Fredericksburg still has citizens from a large variety of socio-economic backgrounds. You can find our people dwelling in everything from mansions to efficiency apartments. No matter where each of us fall in that spectrum, I believe there are small actions we can take to support our ecosystem. One of the conditions of living in the city is that very few of us have large yards, if any yard at all. Those of us who do have yards, no matter the size, can make quite the impact by taking a close look at what we have growing in them. Many popular landscaping plants can actually grow invasively and cause a lot of harm. For example, nandina is a very popular plant in this area despite the fact it does not support our native wildlife and can go so far as to actually poison our feathered friends. English ivy is another plant plastered all over our historic city that has been labeled as being highly invasive and, as you can see on any stroll, will eagerly take over large areas, choking out other plants and eradicating biodiversity. Even our non-invasive yet non-native plants such as the boxwood (yeah, I said it) can take up a lot of space without providing habitat and food for our native wildlife. And while in my perfect world, reading these words would make everyone jump up and immediately eradicate all non-native plants in their yard to be replaced by useful and stunning native plants, I understand that is not feasible. My realistic hope is that those of us privileged to have a yard in this city, familiarize ourselves with what we have growing in our yards and start making plans to slowly replace any invasive species with native plants. Adding even one native plant to your yard is a small thing to do but the ripples started by that small action will radiate out to create large impacts on our wildlife. But what about those of us without yards? Trust me, I can talk a big talk about what people should do with their outdoor areas but I have rarely ever had one for myself. So, aside from taking a page from my book and verbally dumping plant info on anybody that stands still long enough in my presence, what can we apartment dwellers do? I’m glad I’ve assumed you’ve asked! The most obvious idea is window planters. These tiny little boxes of soil can host amazing amounts of native annuals that will not only brighten your day but also the days of our native pollinators and birds. No good window for a box planter? No problem! For those of you with black thumbs, the keyboard is mightier than the sword! Contact our planning commission asking for invasive and harmful plants to be removed from the landscaping lists. Write our Virginia politicians to show support for the current bills proposing the banning of invasive plants being sold at plant stores and box stores alike. Have a couple of extra hours? Volunteer for local organizations that promote and protect our ecosystem such as Friends of the Rappahannock, Tree Fredericksburg, and Downtown Greens. Brother, can you spare a dime? Go online and make a donation that will support the work others are doing for the cause. There are hundreds of small actions we, as a community, can take to support the health and beauty of our town and the human and non-human beings within. And much like the plants I won’t shut up about, each small action will grow and continue to support all the levels of our ecosystem. Janet Douberly is a proud Fredericksburg citizen and currently Media Manager at Downtown Greens. This article was published in the April 2023 edition of Front Porch Magazine. Use the button below to view full publication.  8 Plants and How to Kill Them - Part 2
A love of gardening doesn’t necessarily translate into a green thumb. In fact, sometimes the greatest lovers of the flora are actually serial murderers when it comes to the plants in their care. Buckle up for the exciting conclusion and to learn from Meghan and Elyse’s mistakes! Aloe - E My grandmother had so many of these she would repot them and give them away as gifts whenever she had the chance. She taught me to “soak” the plant once a month, i.e., just leaving them in the sink for 20 minutes with water running to get them nice and hydrated without worrying about spillage. When they are finished dripping, you put them back in their plant hangers and voila, a happy aloe plant with heavy leaves that grandma would break off to use on your sunburn after a day in the pool. After killing several of my own aloe plants this way, I attempted to water them in a regular manner. When that didn’t work, I tried full on neglect, which interestingly, has kept them alive the longest! I still have some hanging on for dear life in too-small pots and I can’t remember when they were last watered. I’m scared to even touch them. Fig Tree - M Anyone who has ever walked the grounds at Historic Kenmore has probably noticed the huge fig trees that grow there. Those trees are a favorite of mine, so I decided to try growing one. 7 years later, I had produced exactly one fig. And while the tree was not actually dead, it was tiny and very close to its end. In this case, I know exactly what the problem was: groundhogs. A family of them moved in under my garden shed, and apparently they love figs as much as I do. Not so much the fruit, but the leaves and even the branches. I tried building a fence, then a cage, then covering in netting. Nothing could dissuade these furry invaders. But they sure are cute. So in the end, it was my soft spot for cute animals that killed my fig tree. Philodendrons - E This one is embarrassing, on multiple levels. One big, beautiful philodendron was gifted to me by a friend who had several and wanted to pare down. This plant was in great shape. I thought, “You know, such an established plant might be able to survive my brown thumb, let’s give it a shot”. That was until I left it outside for some rain and sunshine in August like good plant parents do. However, good plant parents usually don’t leave them out there until November. Sorry Judy… In conclusion: If you aren’t killing plants, you aren’t gardening hard enough! If at first you don’t succeed… Meghan Budinger and Elyse Adams are shameless plant murderers and do not work at Downtown Greens for obvious reasons. This article was published in the March 2023 edition of Front Porch Magazine. To view the full publication use the link below. |
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