Council of Garden Clubs of Virginia Beach
Community Projects
Community Projects
Bee City USA
Bee City USA
Virginia Beach officially became a certified Bee City USA affiliate on November 20, 2020, as one of only six Virginia cities to achieve this distinction. This certification was granted by the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation. Bee City USA's mission is to "galvanize communities to sustain pollinators by providing them with healthy habitat, rich in a variety of native plants and free of insecticides".
The Virginia Beach Bee City USA committee is a partnership between the Council of Garden Clubs of Virginia Beach and the City of Virginia Beach Department of Landscape Services.
The Bee City USA application was presented by the committee to City Council where it was formally approved and adopted. Virginia Beach committed to improving bee and pollinator habitats through landscaping efforts and through the reduction or elimination of pesticide use.
What YOU Can Do
What YOU Can Do
- Include native plants in your home landscape.
- Choose plants that are rich in pollen and nectar to support all kinds of pollinators.
- Use fallen leaves as winter mulch in your garden beds.
- Wait until spring to cut down hollow stems in your gardens.
- Reduce the use of pesticides (synthetic and organic) in your landscape.
Learn More
Learn More
The Pollinator Garden at Red Wing Park
The Pollinator Garden at Red Wing Park
The Pollinator Garden was developed by the Council of Garden Clubs of Virginia Beach (Council) and the Virginia Beach Department of Parks and Recreation (VBDPR). It is designed to attract bees, hummingbirds and other pollinators highlighting Virginia Beach as a Bee City USA affiliate.
The garden is just the beginning of the city’s efforts, having committed to pollinator-friendly landscaping. Other goals include outreach programs to the community such as encouraging residents to avoid pesticides.
The garden was dedicated on June 23, 2021, during National Pollinators Month. Mayor Bobby Dyer officiated, remarking that “Virginia Beach wants to create a healthy habitat for the native plants.”
On June 24, 2023, students from the Performing and Visual Arts Academy at Salem High School, in partnership with the VBDPR and the Council, designed and installed a decorative panel at Red Wing Park.
The garden includes a variety of perennials such as monarda, echinacea, phlox and coreopsis. Some non-native plants, such as zinnias, were also planted to attract hummingbirds and butterflies.
Reba S. McClanan Fragrance Garden
Reba S. McClanan Fragrance Garden
“Virginia Beach was green before green was cool.”
Reba S. McClanan
Dedicated in her name to honor her work to beautify Virginia Beach, the Reba S. McClanan Fragrance Garden is located off General Booth Boulevard in Red Wing Park. The garden was dedicated on November 7, 2009.
The flowers and plants you will find in this garden are full of wonderful scents that complement one another. There are many different types of plants here, and they come in many different sizes. It is certainly worth taking some time to explore.
Mary's Garden
Mary's Garden
The Virginia Beach Garden Club, a Council member club, financed and built Mary's Garden, a tranquil area on the grounds of the Sentara Virginia Beach General Hospital for patients, guests, volunteers, physicians and staff to visit, providing a much-needed respite from the confines of hospital walls, offering some fresh air and renewal of mind, body and spirit.
Master gardeners, landscape designers and garden club members designed the garden with plantings chosen in cool, calming colors displaying year-round blooms, color and interest. Mary’s Garden officially opened on June 5, 2006.
Celebrate Children Garden
Celebrate Children Garden
The Council of Garden Clubs of Virginia Beach commissioned sculptor Robert Cunningham to complete these bronze statues of children playing. The statues were erected in the Celebrate Children Garden outside of the Virginia Beach Court Complex and were dedicated in April, 2004 during Child Abuse Prevention Month.
“Children Playing” by sculptor Robert Cunningham
Virginia Beach Building 2 Support
Council members delivered potted plants to cheer up employees, created planters at the site and design displays for families to take home after the anniversary remembrances.