The Sunny Garden is located at Bon Air Park, Wilson Blvd. at North Lexington Street between Ballston and Seven Corners. The Garden is at the north end of the parking lot.
Created in 1990, the original Sunny Garden displays a great number of perennials, most for sunny locations and, under the canopy of the white oak, shade-tolerant plants and late winter to early spring bloomers.
The Garden offers four seasons of interest with its variety of flowering plants, shrubs, vines and grasses. Over the years, it has developed and expanded to meet changing conditions, and its beds now incorporate more native plants.
In recent years, the garden has rapidly expanded to incorporate new areas devoted to native, sustainable and resilient plants that meet the needs of local gardeners.
The first area developed showcases native shrubs. We are fortunate to live where there are so many beautiful shrubs that attract pollinators, support moths and butterflies, feed the birds and other wildlife, and provide stunning flowers, berries and foliage.
Many of our native shrubs are quite large and may not be appropriate for smaller landscapes—but there are several cultivars that keep the characteristics of the straight species, just in a smaller size.
Included are several native hydrangeas, Ninebark, Yaupon Holly, Fothergilla, Possum–haw, Virginia Sweetspire and many others. Most of the shrubs will thrive with some shade and offer year-round interest.
Further down the path, the Pollinator Garden flanks the bike trail. This garden features native perennials that could be found in sunny meadows and wood edges. Many of the plants are tall—the perennial Sunflowers, New York Ironweed, Joe Pye Weed and Boltonia can reach six or more feet high. A bit shorter are several Bee Balms, Asters, Goldenrods, Milkweeds, Purple coneflowers, Black-Eyed Susans and native Iris. Once the plants break ground in spring, it is not long before the entire area is teeming with flowers, bees, butterflies and other pollinators. In the fall and winter, birds feast on the seedheads, and beneficial insects overwinter in the leaves and stems.
Behind the Pollinator Garden, using the back of a garage used by the County for storage, is the Lawn Alternative Garden.
The typical lawn is expensive, requiring watering, fertilizers and pesticides. Rains wash lawn chemicals into our streams and waterways, killing insects, fish, amphibians and the wildlife that feed on them. Gas-powered lawn mowers pollute the air. And all this expense and work results in a monoculture that supports barely any life. The question then becomes “What do I plant instead?”
This small demo garden provides one answer. Somewhat shady, it includes some small native trees and shrubs, as well as spring ephemerals and some summer/fall flowering perennials. It also features a number of native sedges—low-growing grasslike plants that support many beneficial insects and caterpillars, bloom with tiny flowers and produce seedheads, and require no special care or mowing.
Moving past the Pollinator and Lawn Alternative gardens is the beginning of what we hope will be a wildlife buffet. This area features native trees and shrubs that provide fruits, berries, drupes and nuts for birds and small mammals. Included are American Plum, PawPaw, Persimmon, Dogwood, Chokeberry, Viburnum, Blueberry, Crabapple, American Hazelnut, and more. While these trees and shrubs establish and grow, the space in between is filled with native wildflowers, especially milkweeds to create a Monarch Waystation.
Beyond this area you may notice a snaking mound meandering through the trees. This is a composting project that piles woody debris as well as leaves and other organic matter, then covers it first with wood chips and then with soil. In very little time, a huge pile of debris decomposes into a much shorter mound, that can then be planted. This is another great way to compost! For more traditional methods, we have a multi-bin composting system at the back of the perennial garden, as well as several smaller composters and tumblers that could be useful in smaller spaces.
Photos & video courtesy of the Sunny Garden Coordinators