Holly Point Nature Park Walking Tour

Begin at the Museum for an informative look at boatbuilding history in Middlesex County. Exit the rear entrance and tour the Boat Shed for boat exhibits. Make the next stop the Tea House for a look at nature exhibits. The Pier Walk will take you out onto Mill Creek - boats to see are F.D. Crockett & Explorer (later this spring, the walk will connect both piers and you’ll exit at the Holly Point Kayak Landing). The Boat Shop is the next stop.

Garden Highlights on the Walking Tour

#1 - The Living Shoreline Garden

An alternative to rip rap or bulk heads, bio-logs and native grasses and plants are used to provide shore stabilization, native habitat for wildlife and water filtering to improve water quality in the creek and bay. The Buffer Zone has been planted with native plants. Natives offer environmentally sound landscaping. Once established, natives are low maintenance, requiring minimal water, fertilizer and pesticides. The Living Shoreline is a joint project with Middlesex Master Gardeners, VIMS, and Middlesex Wetlands Board, with grants received from the State and the County.

#2 -The Woodland Garden

Quiet, restful, rejuvenating. "Encore" azaleas with spring, summer and fall blooms, and rhododendron and mountain laurel for more color … a walk through the woodland garden is a real treat. "Memory" benches offer a resting place to enjoy the magnificent wildlife sculptures. But the true gift is the quiet of the creek front and the real wildlife who visit often.

#3 - The Lindsey Camellia Garden

In loving memory of their Louisiana mothers, Steve and Mirram Lindsey have given the park a lovely garden with camellias prized for the beautiful flowers blooming from winter to spring. Camellias bring a beauty to the winter garden. Hydrangeas, hostas, ice plants and annuals add seasonal color and texture. A welcoming bath for the birds and benches for the nature lover make the Camellia Garden an enjoyable place to rest and relax.

#4 - The Everlasting Immortals Garden

In spring 2005, retired Master Gardener Beth Thompson began this garden to share her love of the art of drying flowers by planting annuals and perennials known for their ability to retain their color and form when dried. The most important thing to know about everlasting flowers is when to harvest the flowers. Master Gardeners will continue what Beth has begun and will provide programs dedicated to preserving/drying harvested flowers.

#5 - The Children’s Garden

Carter Dean began this garden in the spring of 2003 from a school garden design. Designed to appeal to all five senses, the Children’s Garden will be growing this year with more plants and activities to help children develop their love of nature and gardening. The Peanut Butter Forest is taking shape, the Sunflower House will come to life this summer, the water feature adds a special interest to little hands and little boats, and the bees and butterflies enjoy the plants too!

#6 - The Willis Wilson Garden

Planted in 2007 as part of the America’s Anniversary garden, this garden commemorates a wonderful native soul who loved Deltaville and Boatbuilding. In red, white and blue, the garden salutes love of country and community. One native rose bush was planted to remember the lone flowering plant found at Willis’s marina. Amidst the boat debris, the lone rose was a beacon of color and beauty to remind us all of the beauty of nature.

#7- Bubba, The Wildflower Garden

Bob Kates began this garden in 2002 with a crew volunteer of seed spreaders. The first year’s bloom was spectacular with the summer/fall blooming zinnias. The art of a weed free meadow has been a constant battle, not to mention the drought, but Bubba is still evolving and in 2008 you’ll see more form with trees, bushes, and perennials to add year-round interest. But the original wildflower garden will continue to be the show.