W&OD Trail Garden

This garden affectionately know as the "Bike Trail" garden includes a native plant garden and is an Audubon Society Northern Virginia Wildlife Sanctuary.

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Late Summer Interest

Though many flowers and flowering shrubs have long since given up their blooms, the Bike Trail Garden continues to have lots to enjoy! The star of the show could be the bottlebrush buckeye, (Aesculus parviflora) which flowers with copious, conspicuous erect panicles (resembling a traditional bottle brush—hence its name). The bottlebush buckeye at the Bike Trail Garden flowers are brilliant white, and are enjoyed by many pollinators, particularly bumble bees. The species is native to the southeastern United States, and isn’t normally browsed by deer

Joining the buckeye is a sweet pepperbush or summersweet, (Clethra alnifolia “Ruby Spice”), which is covered with many smaller, wonderfully fragrant pinkish flowers. Sweet pepperbush is native to North America, and gets its common name from the sweet fragrance of its flowers, and its fruit capsules, which have some resemblance to peppercorns- though they are not spicey at all.

As if not to be outdone by the buckeye and sweet pepperbush, two hardy hibiscuses (Hibiscus coccineous) flower in the late summer. The hibiscus makes up for its lack of abundant flowers by the size of its dramatic its ruby red flowers

The garden this time of year is often stage to the pink blossoms of the resurrection or surprise lily (aka naked lady), white garden phlox (often nibbled on by deer), and lots of flowering annuals in the front for walkers and bikers to enjoy

Wish List

Water source for dry spells

Professional plant id tags

Plant List

Since 1981, Ayr Hill Garden Club has landscaped and maintained the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority W&OD Trail garden where the trail crosses Route 123 in Vienna, adjacent to the Whole Foods store. The area, formerly part of the roadbed of the Washington & Old Dominion Railroad, has been transformed to provide a beautiful garden area complete with benches, which walkers, runners and cyclists on the trail can enjoy. The garden areas include a native plant section, and a wide diversity of specimen trees, shrubs, perennials, annuals and bulbs that have been planted and maintained by the Club for the enjoyment of the Town of Vienna and its visitors. Through the hard work of Ayr Hill Garden Club, the garden, affectionately known as the “Bike Trail Garden” has achieved Audubon Society of Northern Virginia Wildlife Sanctuary status. This garden contains a variety of lovely perennials, annuals and shrubs with a mix native and decorative plants. Full list coming soon.

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