n NATIVE MEADOWS — Just past the Arrival Hall at Glenstone , visitors approach a bridge over a creek that is fed by a stormwater culvert that runs under Glen Road . This is the site of the beginning of a seven-year stream restoraand drains , we let it flow over meadows . The site is not being restored so much as becoming a new place that highlights the beauty of the systems of the natural world .”
Another goal since Glenstone opened its Environmental Center in 2019 is to offer educational opportunities , where visitors who come for art can learn more about the native grasses and other plants they see along the way . We hope people will be inspired with ideas to take home to their own landscapes . The scale of our grounds may be large , but there ’ s nothing we do that can ’ t be replicated at any scale elsewhere in Montgomery County .
Here are just a few of the highlights of our landscape that may serve as examples for other property owners in the area :
n REFORESTATION — Among the most frequent comments we hear from Glenstone visitors are remarks about the number of trees on our campus ; we have planted more than 11,000 of them since 2014 , many of which are growing closely together . That ’ s by design . In naturally forested lands , in which seeds are dispersed by wind , squirrels , birds , and other creatures , trees compete for sunlight and other resources . In a few more years , when many of our trees have grown tall and together , some of the pathways and buildings will be shaded during the hottest times of the year . That will keep our visitors cooler and reduce our energy costs .
“ A true natural landscape is never static ,” says Matt Partain . “ In nature , it ’ s survival of the fittest . Some trees grow tall and some die back in time , and that ’ s OK . In a home setting , that may be a difficult concept to accept . But in a natural setting that we ’ re working to create , an ebb and flow is to be expected .”
Glenstone ’ s environmental policy is to avoid the use of synthetic chemical fertilizers , fungicides , and insecticides . To pick the trees with the best chance of success with these organic protocols , Adam Greenspan and his team thoroughly surveyed the Glenstone grounds and the regional landscape to determine what Mother Nature had planted on her own and what was thriving . A formal allée of trees at the Glenstone arrival road is planted with native tulip poplars , which are naturally abundant nearby . Our parking groves are planted with native red and white oak trees ; the largest parking grove features sycamore trees , which are among the most prolific species on the Glenstone campus .
One not-to-be-missed tree is a magnificent sycamore located just beyond the Arrival Bridge at the entrance to a 45-acre native meadow ( photo bottom left ). In 2009 , with the expansion of Glenstone still a faint dream , this tree was moved away from the site of what would become the Pavilions and placed at the bottom of the meadow toward the stream .
“ Measuring 82 feet tall , the 60- to 70-year-old beauty is believed to be among the largest trees ever transplanted in the state of Maryland ,” according to our staff arborist Mike Burke , who offers a list of five favored trees on Page 16 . “ With gorgeous mottled white bark , the sycamore is an ideal tree for a moist soil location . In fact , we have several growing in the marsh at the base of the Boardwalk that are worth a visit .”
Sycamore trees at Glenstone
12 plenty I spring sowing 2022