Marlin Meadows

Humble Beginnings

The Marlin Meadows Community Garden was the result of the Earth and Environmental Science Department Endowed Fund, which granted the Marlins Go Green team $1300 to extend and develop the native plant gardens that surround the Greer Environmental Science Center. A group of 15 students organized a formal proposal for the garden, which claimed to integrate elements of other departments into the design while also showcasing sustainable technology for the University. With design help from Norfolk Botanical Garden's landscape design specialist- Brian O'Neal, the team was able to produce a rough draft of our ideal garden, which was approved just in time to break ground on December 8, 2019. As news spread about the Marlin Meadows project, other generous donors such as the Sierra Club and VWU Trustee Jim Schumadine reached out in support of the garden.

The Plan

Marlin Meadows will feature a meandering path that connects the walkways from Brock Village to the entrance of the Greer Environmental Science Center. Visitors will be educated by signs along the path detailing the various native plants placed in the garden, as well as the sustainable functions of the chosen landscape design. Elements from other departments, such as exterior art exhibits, plant history, ecopoetry, and more will be displayed along the solar-lighted path. Native plants will be chosen to represent local ecosystems, with specific areas dedicated to swamp and marsh bioda, as well as coastal grassland environments.

Breaking Ground

Work on the garden began on the morning of December 8, 2019 with the excavation of the rain garden, along with the start of the organic grass killing using cardboard and mulch. Rocks were removed from the existing drainage and overflow basin connected to the stormwater ponds around Greer and placed as an edging to the prospective rain garden area. Remaining rocks were used to outline the path that would eventually traverse the garden.

Seed planting began on January 30, 2020 with 3 different species being prepared and potted in the greenhouse near Blocker Hall. The next day, 5 trees were planted in the garden, along with some pitcher plants and an endangered species of Venus Flytrap as the first additions to the rain garden.