Street Trees Save Lives The life of a street tree isn’t an easy one. Urban trees face stress resulting from the heat island effect, concentrated air & water pollution, compacted soils, and vandalism resulting from vehicle and pedestrian traffic – to name just a few. Yet street trees are a crucial part of city life….
Thank you for volunteering to plant trees with us! We are so excited to create a cleaner, greener Baltimore together. In an effort to reduce in-person gatherings and limit demonstrations, please carefully read these how-to-plant tips before attending our events. The most important steps are highlighted in bold. We ask that you read the whole…
If you follow our work at Blue Water Baltimore, you know that we are all about trees. Why? Trees clean our air and water, reduce flooding, lower temperatures and energy bills, improve public health and social cohesion, and beautify our neighborhoods. Planting trees is a critical part of our work to restore the health of…
You have a new tree! This is the beginning of a very long and beautiful friendship. Congratulations! Photo: Mature northern red oak in the woods of Druid Hill Park Care for your tree and it will care for you (and future generations!): Depending on its species, a tree will live for a few decades or…
Medstar Harbor Hospital (MHH), one of two waterfront hospitals in Maryland, sits on a 30-acre campus directly on the Patapsco River. An extensive lawn and numerous parking lots had for years caused rainwater and pollution to flow off the property directly into the river, and subsequently into the Chesapeake Bay. As part of a 15-year…
What are native, non-native, and invasive plant species? Native species have co-evolved in specific ecosystems for thousands of years. Native plants are anchors of healthy, biodiverse communities. They have adapted to local soils and climate conditions. Each species plays a necessary role in the delicate web of life and preserves the balance and beauty of…
What is mulch? The most common type of mulch is recycled wood waste in the form of wood chips. However, there are many varieties of mulch, both organic and inorganic. Blue Water Baltimore recommends sticking with natural, organic mulch derived from plants such as hardwood and softwood bark, leaves, and cocoa hulls. Mulch decomposes at…
Planting trees is a terrific activity for helping the environment and beautifying our neighborhoods. Fall can be a great time for planting trees, as Dumbarton Middle School (DMS) recently learned. In October 2019, Dumbarton partnered with Blue Water Baltimore to plant 21 trees on the school grounds. To do the job, DMS Green Club faculty advisers Janice…
This autumn, Blue Water Baltimore wrapped up large-scale project and planted 215 trees on 1.2 miles of streets in southeast Baltimore’s Greektown neighborhood. Greektown is one of the most diverse neighborhoods in Baltimore, but it’s also one of the least leafy with only an 8 percent tree canopy. This led the Greater Greektown Neighborhood Alliance…
When it comes to choosing plants for your yard, the choices can seem overwhelming. Every gardener, when they first began gardening in earnest, struggled to figure out what plants were the best plants for their gardens. The variables can appear to be endless: sun or shade; wet or dry; acidic or alkaline; short or tall;…