Keister House

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KEISTER HOUSE | 2012 RUDY J. FAVRETTI FELLOWSHIPThe Garden Club of Virginia


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Copyright (c) 2013 by the Garden Club of VirginiaAll Rights Reserved.

Reproductions:

All material contained herein is the intellectual property of the Garden Club of Virginia exceptwhere noted. Permission for reproduction, except for personal use, must be obtained from:

The Fellowship Committee, Chair

The Garden Club of VirginiaThe Kent-Valentine House12 East Franklin StreetRichmond, VA 23219www.gcvirginia.org


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Keister House

Prepared forThe Garden Club of Virginia

Prepared byJ. Gardner Burg

2012 Rudy J. Favretti Fellow


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Special thanks to Will Rieley and Karen Kennedy for their guidance through each phase of this project,and especially to David and Lindsay West for their enthusiasm and endless patience with my constantquestioning and wandering about on their property. It is their passion that made this project soworthwhile and rewarding.


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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Methods 1

History of the Keister House 2-11Keister House Time Line 4Keister Family History 5Kessinger/Shriver History 5West Family History 5Evolution of the Keister House 61963 Condition of the Property 8Elements Remaining from 1963 Condition 10

Keister House Existing Conditions 12-61Orientation Guide of Existing Conditions 12-13Layers of Plant Material 14-23

Upper Canopy Trees 16Secondary Canopy Trees 18Understory Trees 20Shrubs and Ground Cover Spaces 22Zones of Existing Conditions 24-61

Upper Yard and Vegetable Garden 26North Fence Line 32Meadow 38Marsh 44Sugar Maple Woods 48

Walnut Grove/Oak Field 54Additional Plant Introductions 60Keister House Climate and Landform 62-65

Keister House Climate 64Keister House Geology and Soils 65Keister House Landform 66Keister House Hydrology 67

Future Study/Conclusion 68-71

Future Study Areas 69Conclusion 69Bibliography 71


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Methods

The methods used for gathering and synthesizing information for this document included the gathering of site data, personal interviews withthe current property owners, and outside research regarding specic questions of horticulture and the Keister Houses history. I began by spending

time at the Keister House with David and Lindsay West, getting to know them and their property. This included identifying, locating and sizing plantmaterials, as well as understanding how the property came to be in its present state and why certain actions were or were not taken in cultivating its

development. Efforts were made to understand the condition of the property at various times in the past thanks to personal interviews with David andLindsay West, and the use of archival resources including those from the Virginia Historical Society and the National Register of Historic Places.

This document catalogues existing conditions and their ties to the previous states of the property. A series of plans, sections and photographsare used to portray this information by highlighting different zones of the property as they currently exist. The unique qualities of each of these zonesand how they came to their present state is also described. Analysis is based on conversations with David and Lindsay West, and outside research ontypical forest processes and plant relationships. Observing seasonal change is an added dimension of this study, and efforts were made to illustratehow plant relationships and processes are affected by the changing of the seasons.

Finally discussed is a vision for future study. The Keister House is a unique property due to the diverse collection of plant material, theunusually evident inuence of geologic formations, and the informal nature of the landscapes persistence. Thus, the Keister House is an important

study that diversies the Garden Club of Virginias Fellowship archives and will hopefully inspire the study of an even more dynamic range of

historic landscapes in the future.

1.


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History of the Keister House

1. Keister House Time Line

2. Keister Family HistoryKessinger/Shriver HistoryWest Family History

3. Evolution of the Keister House

4. 1963 Condition of the Property

5. Elements Remaining from 1963 Condition

2.


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Initial understanding of the development of the Keister House landscape is rooted in the history of the property. The following sectiondescribes the evolution of ownership since the construction of the house and denition of the property in the early nineteenth century. A bulk of this

section focuses on the Wests acquisition of the property in the 1960s, due to their inuence on the current state of the property and the longevity of

their ownership.In addition, plant material established in 1963, some of which dominates the landscape today, has had a signicant impact on how the

woodlands have developed over the last fty years. This topic is introduced briey here and expanded upon in more detail later.

3.


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1800: 500 acres are granted to JohnPreston and Philip Barrager (Barger)by the Commonwealth of Virginia.

1814: John Keister marries Sarah(Sally) Martin and acquires a piece of the500 acres granted in 1800.

1838-39: Two-story brick house is

built by John Keister.

1857: Property is left to Sallyafter the death of John.

1873: Property is passed on to tensurviving children after Sallys death. One

of the sons, Christian Keister, buys out therest of his siblings.

1903: Property leaves the Keister family.

1905: Rose Keister (Christians daughter)and her husband, W. Massie Efnger, buyback the property.

1935: Efngers lose the property toforeclosure. It is bought at auction by Idaand Wm. Kessinger.

1935-45: Original log cabinaddition on the rear of the house isreplaced by a single-storyaddition twelve feet deep across theback of the house.

1945: Property, which now consitutes only 14 of theoriginal 100 acres, is sold to Alfred and Louisa Shriver.

1963: Property is boughtby David and Lindsay West(3.25 acres).

1971: Additionalexpansion and a porch isadded to the house.


4.

Keister House Time Line


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Keister Family History

John Keister, the original owner of theproperty, was the son of Philip and Marie CatherineKeister and the grandson of Frederick Keister III.Frederick, a German immigrant who settled inLancaster County, Pennsylvania, around 1738, is

the subject of considerable lore. Frederick is citeda number of times as a famous hunter who was

badly scarred after an encounter with a wild panther,only surviving thanks to the hunting dogs thataccompanied him1.

John Keister was born in 1789 inRockingham County, Virginia. Johns father Phillip

(the son of Frederick) then moved the family tolower Toms Creek, near Blacksburg, in 1799.

John Keister married Sarah (Sally) Martin in 1814and acquired the piece of land on which the housecurrently sits. The property was part of a 500 acre

plot granted to John Preston and Philip Barrager in1800. The exact date of John Keisters acquisition

is not known but the original two-story brick housewas built in 1838-391.

John and Sally Keister had ten children whosurvived to adulthood. After Johns death in 1857,

the property was passed on to his widow, Sally, thenon to the ten children after her death in 1873. One ofJohn and Sallys sons, Christian Keister, bought out

the rights of his siblings some time later to becomethe sole owner of the property.

The property remained in the Keister familyfor all but two years between 1873 and 1935. Foran unspecied reason, the property left the Keister

family from 1903 to 1905 before it was boughtback by Christian Keisters daughter, Rose, and her

husband W. Massie Efnger. The property left the

Keister family for good in 1935 when the Efngers

lost it to foreclosure. The Keister family cemeteryis still on the property along the south property linenearest Lucas Drive2.

Kessinger/Shriver History

West Family History

David and Lindsay West moved toBlacksburg in 1962 when David accepted anAssistant Professor position in the Department ofBiology at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and StateUniversity (commonly known as Virginia Tech).After a year in Blacksburg they decided the location

was a good t and became interested in buying ahouse.

The Wests always liked older houses butimmediately discovered that the market for such a

property in Blacksburg was limited. The KeisterHouse was introduced to them by a friend in theArchitecture Department. He was aware of the

property because it was being lived in by a numberof architecture and engineering students, and thehouse was often used for receptions held by theArchitecture Department2.

Even though the property was not forsale, the Wests contacted the owner, who wasliving in Florida, and bought the house in June of1963 after immediately falling in love with it. Theoriginal acquisition only included 3/4 of an acre

with the house on it. When the northern portion ofthe property was sold to Northview Apartments in1964, the Wests decided to buy the remaining threeavailable acres2.

The West family includes three children:Peter, Roger, and Susan. Peter was very youngwhen the family moved into the Keister House andall three children spent their childhood there. In fact,the presence of children has a lot to do with how theWests managed the plant material on the property.They envisioned the woods as the perfect place forchildren to grow up playing outdoors. Fallen treesand leftover stumps that would have been removed

by other owners were the perfect playground for theyoung West family2.

David and Lindsay will leave the KeisterHouse to their three children in their will. Thechildren are given rst refusal beginning with the

eldest, Peter, and descending in order of birth. Ifone child should want the property, he or she wouldhave the option of buying out the other two. Roger

and Susan currently live in the Blacksburg areabut it is unclear who will assume responsibility forthe property once David and Lindsay pass. If the

property leaves the family, David and Lindsay hopethat it will go to an owner who will care for it asrespectfully as they have2.

Ida and Wm. Kessinger bought the KeisterHouse property at auction in 1935. The Kessingersowned the property for ten years and made minorchanges to the house before selling it to Alfred andLouise Shriver in 19452.

The Shrivers continued to remodel theexterior of the house without making major changesto the interior. When the Shrivers purchased the

property it included fourteen acres of land whichthey divided into three pieces. The central threeand a half acres, including the house, were leftintact. This piece of land also held three of the foursprings on the property. The southern portion wassubdivided along what was Maple Lane (now LucasStreet) and the northern strip was subdivided alongOak Lane (now Northview Drive) (Map on pg. 8)3.

5.

1. Keister, John T. The Keister Family. 1946. MSMss6:1 K2688:1. Virginia Historical Society, n.p.2. West, David, and Lindsay West. Personalinterview. 20 June 2012.

3. Clauson-Wicker, Su. This Old House.BlueRidge Country Jan.-Feb. 2011: 60-62. VirginiaHistorical Society. Print.


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Evolution of the Keister HouseThe Keister House was built in 1838

as a two-story brick structure featuring a hall-parlor design. Each oor had two rooms but no

central hallway. One or two narrow staircasesconnected the main oor to the second story1.

The house was built with local materials.Limestone and grey sandstone make up thebedrock on the property and both are found inthe houses foundation. The bricks for the house

were probably made on the property as well.The oor joists in the house are white oak with

the bark still on them; they would also havelikely been harvested locally3.

The bricks on the front of the house arelaid in a Flemish bond with some variant of thatused on the sides and back3. The bricks were

probably originally painted with a mixture ofbrick dust and linseed oil with the joints markedin white paint1. The paint is still visible on someparts of the house, especially under the frontporch. A photo taken between 1915 and 1920,currently on display in the house, shows that thebricks were freshly repainted in the early 20thcentury.

The roof of the house was originallywood shingle. During the 19th century adecorative gable with a louvered window wasadded to the front. Sometime later the woodshingles were replaced with a standing-seamwidow roof1.

When the Kessingers acquired theproperty in 1935, a log cabin dating back to

the early 19th century stood directly behind thehouse, and the two were connected by a timber-

frame construction. The Kessingers demolishedthe log cabin and enclosed the timber-framing ina one-story addition that ran 12 feet deep acrossthe back of the house1.

When the property was sold to theShrivers in 1945, very little had been done tothe interior of the house. The Shrivers reworkedthe staircase and created a central hallway onthe rst oor including additional closets. They

also updated the wiring and plumbing, andadded hot-air ducts. Updated plumbing wasneeded because until 1968, the water for thehouse was pumped from a spring in the meadowon the northwest corner of the property. Even

with all of the interior remodeling, much of theoriginal woodwork was preserved2.

The Shrivers remodeled and expandedthe addition on the back of the house createdby the Kessingers. They also excavated underthe current dining room to install a furnace inconjunction with the added hot-air ducts.

This was the state of the house whenit was bought by the Wests in 1963. In 1965,the Wests replaced the roof and removed

the front gable and window. In the processthey discovered that the window was purelydecorative, having been simply stuck on theoriginal roof with original wooden shingles stillunderneath it! In 1971, the Wests extended theaddition on the back of the house and added aporch. They also made repairs to brickworkon the exterior of the house and restored thewindows to resemble what they believed to be

their original condition

1

.In its current state, the Keister Houseretains much of its original craftsmanship.

The woodwork includes original paneling,some painted grain and a number of sashwindows3. Those existing details attest tothe houses quality and longevity, having

been lived in for over a century and a half.In 1985 and 1986, Gibson

Worsham, an architect in Blacksburg, led

a survey of historic properties in the area,funded by Montgomery County and theCommonwealth of Virginia. Worshamincluded the Keister House in his surveybecause of the historic qualities listed above.While the Wests were aware of the surveyand supported the nomination of the KeisterHouse, they did not take an active role in theprocess1.

A second grant in 1989 funded thenomination of the property for the NationalRegister of Historic Places. The KeisterHouse was placed on the National Registerbecause it remains one of only four suchtwo-room-plan houses from 1825-1900 inMontgomery County. Also, while a numberof additions and updates have been added tothe rear of the house, they have not damagedits visual integrity3. Additionally, the

house and property are protected fromdevelopment by an Historic and OpenSpace Easement granted to the VirginiaDepartment of Historic Resources in 20021.


6.

1. West, David, and Lindsay West. Personalinterview. 20 June 2012.2. Clauson-Wicker, Su. This Old House. BlueRidge Country Jan.-Feb. 2011: 60-62. VirginiaHistorical Society. Print.

3. Mitchell, Bryan.National Register of HistoricPlaces Registration Form. Rep. N.p.: United StatesDepartment of the Interior, 1989. Print. 60-280.


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View of the yard beyond the back porch in 1973 (farabove) and in 2012 (above). View from the front door looking east across Giles Roadin 1973 (far above) and 2012 (above).

While the Keister House and thesurrounding landscape have certainly evolvedover the last century, the surrounding contexthas changed even more. As a comparisonbetween the two far right images illustrates,the change in surroundings even from 1973 tothe present is signicant. The Keister House

used to exist on the edge of Blacksburg, alonga dirt road. Presently the Keister House sits inthe middle of a neighborhood facing a churchparking lot.

The evolution of Blacksburg has hadthree major impacts on the property. First,the current shape and size of the property is adirect response to adjacent development to thenorth and south. The Wests originally boughtthe 3/4 acre that the house sits on, but decidedto purchase another three acres to buffer thesurrounding development1. Thus, the currentcondition of the landscape may not have everoccurred had the Wests not responded tosurrounding neighborhood growth.

The second impact relates to the citys

development of storm water infrastructure. Apermanent pond was created around 1945 inther former marsh along the south property line

when the drainage from a spring was redirectedby the construction of Maple Lane. It wasopen water for many years but is now partiallyobscured by the growth of a tall grass1.

Finally, the development of thecontext surrounding the Keister House haschanged the persistence of wild animals on theproperty. Due to the removal of green space,the Keister House landscape is now one of theonly remaining wooded areas in Blacksburg of

any substantial size. In response, deer often

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(West, David. 1973) (West, David. 1973)

inhabit the property, especially the meadow,during the summer time. The presence ofdeer has had a signicant impact on the

development of the landscape becausethey browse saplings that the Wests havetried to establish. As a result, some plants,like Solomons seal, that are well suited to

their immediate environment still cannotgain a foothold. Thus, the Keister House

and its landscape have evolved considerablyover the last century, partly in response tointernal, intentional efforts; and partly due to theevolution of the surrounding context.


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photoview

SpringHouse

Chicken House

KeisterHouse

Garage

Barn

StroublesCreek

Marsh

8.

Apple

Orchard

White Poplars

1945 Map of the Keister House Property Keister familycemetery

Hand-drawn survey of KeisterHouse property circa 1945. Noticethe amount of open space thatwas used for livestock grazing.Tree cover was limited to the

apple orchard and stand of whitepoplars along the west propertyline. Sometime after the Shriversleft the property, while it wasbeing used as a rental property forVirginia Tech students, the appleorchard and chicken house fell intodisrepair. By the time the Westsacquired the property in 1963, onlythe foundation of the chicken houseand one or two of the apple trees onthe southwest portion of the fencedenclosure remained.

N

Sub-division of northern part of the property alongOak Lane (now Northview Drive).

Subdivision of southern part of the propertyalong Maple Lane (now Lucas Street).


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Plant List

1. Black Walnut (Juglans nigra)* 4. White Poplar (Populus alba)+

2. Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum

)* 5. Eastern Hemlock (Tsuga canadensis

)*3. Norway Maple (Acer pseudoplatanus)+ 6. Silver Maple (Acer saccharinum)*(* Natives present in 1963, # Natives introduced/volunteered, + Aliens)

The condition of the property is much differenttoday than it was in 1963. When the Wests moved in,the only signicant canopy trees behind the house were

three black walnuts, a sugar maple and a Norway maple.The bulk of the back yard was open because much of ithad been used by the Shrivers for animal grazing. Theexception was an area of white poplars on the southwestportion of the property near the marsh. Also, the front

of the house was framed by two large hemlocks that nolonger exist. The hemlocks were removed because theywere dying from woolly adelgids.

9.

The map on the facing page is a hand drawn survey of the Keister Houseproperty commissioned by the Shrivers in 1945. The condition of the propertywas very similar when the Wests arrived in 1963. Remnants of the apple orchardand the foundation for the chicken house remained. Remnants of the barnlabeled on the map also existed.

Black Walnut

Norway Maple

Sugar Maple

1963 Condition of the Property

Photograph of the front of the house in 1963. Note the decorative gablecentered on the roof. (West, David. 1963)

View of the front of the house in 1973 with the gable removed.(West, David. 1973)

Section/elevation illustrating the open character of the Keister House property in 1963 in thelocation that currently surrounds the fallow vegetable garden.


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The remaining canopy trees fromthe early 1960s are importantbecause they vaguely mark acouple of the boundaries fromthe earlier orientation of theproperty. The black walnutsseem to indicate the easternextent of the old apple orchard,and the sugar maple is quite closeto the southwest corner of thefence that separated the orchardand chicken house from the

pasture land.

photoview

10.

Map of Remaining Canopy Trees from 1963

0 20 40 80

SectionCut

Line

BW

BW

BW

BW

SM

N

Location of formerNorway Maple

+


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Elements Remaining from 1963 Condition

Except for the Norway maple that stood just west of the vegetablegarden, the signicant canopy trees that dominated the landscape behind the

Keister House when the Wests acquired the property in 1963 still exist.

Plant List

1. BW-Black Walnut (Juglans nigra)*2. SM-Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum)*

(* Natives present in 1963, # Natives introduced/volunteered, + Aliens)

11.

Sugar MapleBlack Walnut


Section/elevation showing remaining vegetation from 1963 in relation to the current landscape.

View of the current state of the sugar maple that stood in 1963. Notethe number of missing limbs all the way up the trunk.

The sugar maple has lost most of its limbs but thetrunk is evidence of what was once an impressive canopy.The black walnuts are still distinguishable, but are nowmuch more enclosed in heavy woods and dense understorygrowth.

Sugar Maple


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Location Plan of Existing Conditions

0 20 40 80

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12.

N

This existing conditions plandelineates the various zones of theproperty that will be referred to inthe remainder of this document.


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Orientation Guide of Existing Conditions

The remainder of this report focuses on the existing conditions of the Keister House property. The plan on the facing page locates a numberof landscape elements and zones referenced repeatedly. Each labeled element on the plan is identied below.

1. Keister House and Garage2. Upper Yard and Vegetable Garden3. North Fence Line4. Meadow5. Stroubles Creek6. Marsh7. Sugar Maple Woods8. Milk Shed9. Walnut Grove10. Oak Field11. Wild Garden

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Keister House Existing Conditions


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Layers of Plant Material

1. Upper Canopy Trees

2. Secondary Canopy Trees

3. Understory Trees

4. Shrubs and Ground Cover Spaces

14.



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The landscape that surrounds the Keister House has developed into a number of different layers:

1. Upper Canopy Trees2. Secondary Canopy Trees3. Understory Trees4. Shrubs and Ground Cover Spaces

The layers do not exist in consistent relationships across the entire property, but instead represent different zones that have developed underthe stewardship of the Wests. Studying these layers in more detail, and how they relate to each other, is a good introduction to the unique qualitiesthat exist on the Keister House property. Together, the layers are worth investigating for how they exemplify the traditional ways that successionalforests develop. At the same time, the layers are also important to study for how they contradict such succession in some instances.

15.


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16.

Plan of Upper Canopy Tree Cover

0 20 40 80

SectionCut

Line BW

BW

BW

BW

BW BW

BW

BW

BW

BW

SMSM

SM

SM

BW

BW

BW

PO

P

P

WA

BL

N

Similar to the plan of thecanopy trees that remainfrom 1963, the orientation ofthe upper canopy appears toreference the older uses ofthe property. The collectionof largely black walnuts inthe center of the propertyclosely mirrors the boundaryof the old orchard and chickenhouse. Part of the reason forthis is the maintenance of the

vegetable garden that sits westof the house.

Vegetable Garden


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Plant List

1. BW-Black Walnut (Juglans nigra)* 5. WA-White Ash (Fraxinus americana)*2. SM-Sugar Maple (Acersaccharum)* 6. BL-Black Locust (Robinia pseudoacacia)*3. PO-Pin Oak (Quercus palustris)*4. P-Pecan (Carya illinoinensis)*


The upper canopy is dominated by black walnut andsugar maple trees. This is attributed to the fact that whenthe property was rst allowed to return to its wooded state,

the only large trees that existed on the property were fourblack walnuts, a sugar maple and a Norway maple.

The Wests intentionally removed the Norwaymaple that stood just west of the vegetable garden becauseof its invasive nature and because they disliked its habit1.As a result, seeding over the past fty years has been

predominantly from the remaining maple and walnuts.In many parts of the property the upper canopy has

become very dense. The density causes other quite maturetrees to have a disproportionately small crown relative totheir age and trunk size. For example, there are a numberof sugar maples that stand well over forty feet tall and havea trunk circumference greater than fty inches, but have a

crown that is only twenty to twenty-ve feet in diameter.

These columnar habits are likely a result of very narrowavenues through which new growth can gain access toconsistent sunlight.

17.

Black WalnutBlack Locust

Upper Canopy Trees

Section/elevation highlighting the older-growth walnuts, locusts and maples in relationship to theyounger hardwoods that make up the understory.

1. West, David, and Lindsay West. Personal interview. 20 June 2012.


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WO

TP

18.

Plan of Secondary Canopy Tree Cover

0 20 40 80

SectionCut

LineBW

BW

SM

SM

SM

SV

SM

SM

SM

SM

SM

SM

BW

SM

POC

P

BL

BL

N

Each collection of secondary

canopy trees surround thelocation of similar speciesin the upper canopy. Forexample, the stand of largelyblack walnuts and sugarmaples in the center of theproperty surround more maturetrees of the same type thatare some of the oldest at theKeister House.

Oak Field

Meadow


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Plant List

1. BW-Black Walnut (Juglans nigra)* 6. WO-White Oak (Quercus alba)#2. SM-Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum)* 7. PO-Pin Oak (Quercus palustris)*3. C-Catalpa (Catalpa bignoniodes)* 8. BL-Black Locust (Robinia pseudoacacia)*4. P-Pecan (Carya illinoinensis)* 9. TP-Tulip Poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera)#5. SV-Silver Maple (Acer saccharinum)*


The secondary canopy contains a much morediverse list of plant species. It is still predominantly sugarmaple and black walnut, but intentional introductions by

the Wests have added some plant diversity that would nothave occurred naturally.

For example, the oak eld, which is located within

the walnut grove in the southeast corner of the property,contains a pin oak (PO) that has reached respectable sizeafter being planted by the Wests in the 1980s.

Generally speaking, the density of the upper canopycreated a distinct secondary canopy layer. The larger treesin the upper canopy developed in full sun, before denseshade stunted their growth. In contrast, the secondarycanopy cannot reach similar size as the trees are competingfor a small amount of sunlight beneath the upper canopy.Even so, many mature trees have managed to squeezethemselves into very narrow light shafts. This condition isespecially common in the sugar maple woods.

19.

Sugar MapleBlack Locust

Secondary Canopy Trees

Section/elevation highlighting secondary canopy trees that have not reached the scale of theolder maples and walnuts.


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WO

PS

H

BD

20.

Plan of Understory Tree Cover

0 20 40 80

SectionCut

Line

BW

BWBW

BW

SM

SM

SM

SM

SMSMSM

SM

BOP

P

P

SW

RB

RB

SW

C

CT

BL

SB

SB

SM

SMSM

SM SM

PO

WA

N

Similar to the secondary

canopy, the understory treesare clustered around moremature specimens of the sametype. However, introductionsby the Wests have createdmore diversity than existsamong the secondaryand upper canopy trees.Unfortunately, the alreadydensely established nature ofthe two layers of canopy is

making it difcult for many ofthese introductions to gain afoothold.

BL

WC

IW

PP


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Plant List1. BW-Black Walnut (Juglans nigra)* 9. BL-Black Locust (Robinia pseudoacacia)* 17. HK-Hickory (Carya ovata)#2. SM-Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum)* 10. SW-Sweet Bay Magnolia (Magnolia virginiana)# 18. IW-Ironwood (Carpinus caroliniana)#3. BO-Black Oak (Quercus velutina)# 11. H-Hazel (Corylus americana)* 19. WC-Wild Cherry (Prunus serotina)*4. P-Pecan (Carya illinoinensis)* 12. BD-Basswood (Tilia americana)# 20. PP-Pawpaw (Asimina triloba)#5. WA-White Ash (Fraxinus americana)* 13. RB-Redbud (Cercis canadensis)*6. PS-Persimmon (Diospyros virginiana)* 14. C-Catalpa (Catalpa bignonioides)*7. WO-White Oak (Quercus alba)# 15. CT-Cucumber Tree (Magnolia acuminata)#8. PO-Pin Oak (Quercus palustris)* 16. SB-Spice Bush (Lindera benzoin)#

(* Natives present in 1963, # Natives introduced/volunteered, + Aliens) A substantial number of understory species exist atKeister House primarily due to the Wests introductions.

They have a keen interest in creating a diverse woodlandenvironment full of native and quasi-native (native to this areaof Virginia but not to this specic biome) species 1. As a resultthey have introduced many plants that otherwise would notexist on the property2. For example, a single pawpaw (PP)that was introduced as buttery larval food to the northern

edge of the meadow has now grown to substantial size and hasproduced a large number of clones.

White oak, persimmon, hazel and basswood are alsospecic introductions. Unfortunately, the canopy layer was

already well established when these introductions began, somany of the plants could not reach the kind of maturity thattheir age would otherwise warrant.

The understory layer is also unique for the amount ofcanopy trees that exist. The combined density of the upper andsecondary canopies means that many trees do not have enoughlight or space to reach full maturity. Because of this, dozens ofmature canopy trees and a range of adolescent trees of the samespecies grow in close proximity to one another.

21.

Sugar Maple

Black Oak

Pecan

Understory Trees

Section/elevation highlighting understory trees in relationship to the larger canopy.1. Kirkman, L. Katherine., Claud L. Brown, and Donald Joseph Leopold.Native Trees of the Southeast. Portland, Or.: Timber, 2007. Print.2. West, David, and Lindsay West. Personal interview. 20 June 2012.



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1

2

3

4

5

22.

Plan of Shrub and Ground Cover

0 20 40 80

SectionCut

Line

SB

SB

L

BX

SS

PV

BX

PV

N

The different areas of shrub

and ground cover layersat the Keister House areimportant indicators of other,larger scale conditions. Forexample, the dominanceof privet and spice bush invarious parts of the propertyare signs that those areasare also dominated by adense canopy that restrictsthe amount of sunlight thatreaches the ground, and thus

limits the plants that cangrow there.

SB

SB

SB

PV

PV


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Plant ListShrub: Ground Cover:

1. SB-Spice Bush (Lindera benzoin)# 1. Golden Rod (Solidago canadensis)*2. PV-Privet (Ligustrum)+ 2. Black Raspberry (Rubus occidentalis)*3. L-Lilac (Syringa vulgaris)# 3. Wineberry (Rubus phoenicolasius)+4. BX-Boxwood (Buxus spp.)+ 4. Virginia Creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia)*5. SS-Strawberry Shrub (Calycanthus oridus)# 5. Skunk Cabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus)*

6. Sweetag (Acorus calamus)*7. Golden Globe (Rudbeckia)+


The shrubs and ground cover spaces at the KeisterHouse have developed into distinct zones because ofspecic relationships with larger tree species1.

Behind the garage, the upper canopy consists of avariety of trees. The combination of catalpa, black locust,and black walnut trees throw consistent but speckledshade, allowing pioneer species like wineberry to survive(1). Pioneer species refer to wild plants that are the rst

to grow on land that was previously cultivated or strictlymaintained. They tend to require full sun to grow and dieback as larger species develop above them1.

Farther west along the northern property line, theupper canopy is more consistently black locust with amixture of sugar maple and black walnut trees. The groundplane here is more densely shaded so the wineberry and

black raspberry vines that thrive elsewhere are forced out byprivet, spice bush and Virginia creeper (2). The conditionis similar to what exists in the black walnut grove on thesoutheast quarter of the property. Here, privet and Virginiacreeper have almost a sole presence in the understory, withsmall amounts of golden rod and spice bush (3).

In contrast to those environs is the presence ofvery little growth on the ground in the sugar maple woods.The density of the shade is such that only spice bush andVirginia creeper can thrive. Other introductions of false

Solomons seal, native hydrangea, and Jeffersonia aresurviving but are not widely prevalent. Their limitedgrowth is likely because of the limited amount of light thatthe maples allow into the understory (4). It appears thatthe ability of spice bush to force out privet in this part ofthe property relies on the dense shade of the sugar maples.In the sun on the edge of the woods, however, the pioneerspecies golden rod, wineberry, and black raspberry aredoing very well (5).

23.

Spice Bush Privet

Virginia Creeper Black Raspberry

Shrubs and Ground Cover Spaces

Section/elevation highlighting shrubs and groundcover that increase the density of theunderstory in many parts of the propery.

1. Martin, Jeff, and Tom Gower. Forest Succession. Forestry Facts.University of Wisconsin-Madison, Nov. 1996. Web. 24 Dec. 2012.



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Focus Areas Plan

0 20 40 80

1

2

3

4

5

6

24.

N

Due to the diversity and densitywith which plant material growsin the Keister House landscape,the most efcient approach is to

divide the property into zones. Thisallows each area to be investigatedin more detail without becomingoverwhelming. Also, there aresome surprising commonalities anddifferences between the differentzones that might not have otherwise

been discovered.


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In addition to the layers of plant material that have developed throughout the Keister House woods, a series of distinct zones exist. Thesezones are differentiated from each other based on the plant material prevalent in each of the before-mentioned layers, and the relationships that each

layer has with the others. The discussion of these zones includes specic examination of the following:

1. Upper Yard and Vegetable Garden (0.44 Acres)2. North Fence Line (0.41 Acres)3. Meadow (0.17 Acres)4. Marsh (0.16 Acres)5. Sugar Maple Woods (0.52 Acres)6. Walnut Grove and Oak Field (0.71 Acres)

The zones draw their names from how they were described by the Wests, or by the dominant plant species that reside there.

This section discusses specic species development and why some of them are unique to natural landscapes of this type in the region. This

section also illustrates the dynamic and diverse nature of the Keister House property as a whole, and how the various zones contribute to thiseffect. Another key observation presented here is how the zones change with the passing of the seasons and how these changes are reected in the

experience of the landscape.

Zones of Existing Conditions

25.



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photoview

26.

Plan Highlighting Upper Yard/Vegetable Garden

0 20 40 80

SectionCut

Line

BW

BW

SM

POC

P

P

P

SW

WP

L

BL

WC

C

N

The upper yard is notable for itsdiversity of mature trees.. Unlikeother zones that are dominated bysugar maple or black walnut, theregular mowing of the grass in theupper yard has kept either of thosetwo species from taking over.

WP


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The upper yard, surrounding what was oncea functioning vegetable garden, serves as a spatialtransition from the more formal front yard to thedense woods farther down the slope in the back of theproperty.

Plant ListCanopy: Understory:

1. BW-Black Walnut (Juglans nigra)* 1. SW-Sweet Bay Magnolia (Magnolia virginiana)#

2. SM-Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum)* 2. WP-White Pine (Pinus strobus)#3. PO-Pin Oak (Quercus palustris)* 3. L-Lilac (Syringa vulgaris)#4. C-Catalpa (Catalpa bignonioides)* 4. SB-Spice Bush (Lindera benzoin)#5. P-Pecan (Carya illinoinensis)* 5. BL-Black Locust (Robinia pseudoacacia)*

6. WC-Wild Cherry (Prunus serotina)*

Ground Cover:1. Black Raspberry (Rubus occidentalis)* 3. Virginia Creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia)*2. Wineberry (Rubus phoenicolasius)+(* Natives present in 1963, # Natives introduced/volunteered, + Aliens)

27.

Pecan

Pecan

Wild Cherry Black Locust

Maintained Lawn

Upper Yard and Vegetable Garden

Section/elevation illustrating the open understory, including manicured lawn, of the upper yard.

View of a mature pecan tree that looks over the fallow vegetablegarden.



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Black Walnut (1)

Black Walnut (2)

28.

Plan Enlargement of the Upper Yard

0 10 20 40

N

Pin Oak Pecan

Catalpa Catalpa

Pecan

Pecan

Lilac

Sweet Bay MagnoliaVegetable Garden

Wild Cherry

Black Locust

White Pine

White Pine

Maintained Lawn


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Upper Yard and Vegetable Garden

The upper yard allows for theobservation of typical forest succession. Forestsuccession is the process where pioneer speciesexist in the same environment as developingunderstory and canopy trees1. As the canopy

thickens, the pioneer species die back and thediversity of the woods decreases. The plantspecies become dominated by the trees that ll

the canopy, their shade preventing much growthbelow them1.

In this corner of the property there existsa diversity of plant material both in the canopyand in the understory. As a result of this, no onespecies dominates.

The canopy in this section of theproperty consists of black walnut, sugar maple,black locust and catalpa. These trees arespread out enough that light lters through to

the understory, allowing a number of pioneerspecies to survive, and because of this thesuccessional process remains in its adolescence.The state of the canopy creates a dynamicwhere pioneer species are able to remain inlarge numbers below mature trees. For example,

black raspberry and wineberry, which coveredmuch of the property when it was more openin the 1960s, still grow heavily here. Alsoprevalent in the understory are smaller offspringof many of the trees lling the canopy. Black

locust and pecan trees have taken a particularfancy to the speckled shade beneath their largerrelatives. As a result, a small stand of woodlandexists containing healthy numbers in thecanopy, understory and on the ground. This is a

condition that is not present in many parts of the

property due to the density of the upper canopy,and dominance of one particular species.

An exception to the relationshipbetween the canopy trees and younger offspringin the understory is the condition of the black

walnuts. Two of the black walnuts that dateback to 1963 stand in this part of the property,right behind the house (1) and just south ofthe garage (2). Unlike in other parts of theproperty, however, these two walnuts have notcreated a dense stand of their offspring. Thespecimen near the garage, in particular, seemsnot to have seeded any surviving offspring.The reason for this can mostly be attributed

to the fact that David and Lindsay Westchose, from the beginning of their ownershipof the property, to maintain a mowed lawnsurrounding the house and the space betweenthe house and the vegetable garden. This meantthat any saplings that began to grow weredestroyed by the lawns regular maintenance2.

Indirectly, the lawn maintenance isresponsible for creating a space with muchmore plant diversity than in other areas where

the forest was allowed to grow unattended.What is left is a wonderful dichotomy: arelatively well-maintained lawn that runsdirectly adjacent to a natural woodland in themiddle of its secondary successional process.

Aside from its value in displayingthe natural process of forest succession anddiversity, this section of property exists as aspatial transition from the grounds aroundthe house to the naturalized woodlands that

dominate the property farther beyond thevegetable garden.

Creating a transitional space does notseem to have been the intent of the Wests inmaintaining a lawn surrounding the houseand vegetable garden. Their intent was morefocused on establishing some breathing

space around the house that would otherwisebe choked out by the expanding woods2.Regardless of the intent, the result is one ofthe few places allowing the opportunity toget an outside-looking-in view of the woods.This is a rare chance to see the differentzones of the property together, and how theyblend into one another. For example, fromthe vegetable garden it is possible to see

how the canopy of pecan and black locusttrees along the north fence line blend intothe maple woods, and how the maple woodseventually mesh with the black walnutgrove.

29.

1. Martin, Jeff, and Tom Gower. Forest Succession.Forestry Facts. University of Wisconsin-Madison,Nov. 1996. Web. 24 Dec. 2012.2. West, David, and Lindsay West. Personal

interview. 20 June 2012.


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[FALL] [WINTER][SUMMER]

30.

[SPRING]

Seasonal change in the upper yardfocuses on viewsheds. During thesummer and fall the combinationof privet and the many ground

covers block views from the backof the house down into the sugarmaple woods and meadow. Inthe winter when that foliage hasdied back, views open up thatconnect the property from east towest. The whole property can beseen from the vegetable gardenand the perceived scale of the

place diminishes dramatically.Finally, in the spring timethe view shed remains muchmore open because the spice

bush and privet still have notleafed out. However, thereis substantially more color asthe green of the spice bushbuds and the pink of thenearby rosebuds, growingin the adjacent black walnutgrove, are much more visiblethanks to the lack of understorydensity.

UPPER YARD SEASONAL CHANGE


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January-February March-April May-June July-August September-October November-December

Sweet BayMagnolia

Lilac

Spice Bush

Black Raspberry

Wineberry

Black Walnut

Sugar Maple

Catalpa

Pecan

Pin Oak

Black Locust

The upper yard maintains the most color interest year-round because it contains the most diverse set of owering plants. During the early

spring, sweet bay magnolia and spice bush provide the rst color of the year, which transitions into the pink and red of the lilac and raspberries in

the early summer. Late summer does not involve much blooming aside from the lone mature catalpa, but the berries of the black raspberry andwineberry provide a consistent red. In the fall, the diversity of this part of the property is brought back to the fore as all of the trees change into

shades of yellow and red. If the vegetable garden was still active, its color would only further enrich the area.

Upper Yard Chart of Color Change

31.


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photoview

32.

Plan Highlighting the North Fence Line

0 20 40 80

Sectio

nCu

tLine

BW

SM

SM

SM

SM

P

SB

HK

BD

PS

PP

TP

PV

N

Similar to the upper yard, thecanopy of the north fence lineis more diverse than other partsof the property. However, thisis really only the case in thesecondary canopy and understorybecause the largest trees alongthe north fence line are all sugarmaple and a couple black walnuttrees. In this way, the north fenceline serves as somewhat of amicrocosm of the condition of the

property as a whole.

BL

H

MB


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1. BW-Black Walnut (Juglans nigra)* 1. SB-Spice Bush (Lindera benzoin)#

2. SM-Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum)* 2. H-Hazel (Corylus americana)*3. P-Pecan (Carya illinoinensis)* 3. PS-Persimmon (Diospyros virginiana)*4. TP-Tulip Poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera)# 4. BD-Basswood (Tilia americana)#5. BL-Black Locust (Robinia pseudoacacia)* 5. PV-Privet (Ligustrum)+

6. PP-Pawpaw (Asimina triloba)#7. HK-Hickory (Carya ovata)#8. MB-Mulberry (Morus spp.)+

The stretch of property along the north fence lineis one of the densest. In this area, spice bush cannotforce out privet, but is thriving alongside it, and togetherthe two create a well developed understory. This amountof understory growth is only possible because the mixedcanopy of predominantly sugar maple and black locusttrees allows enough light for the privet to survive. Inother areas with dense shade, like the sugar maplewoods, privet is not as persistent and only a scattering of

spice bush can grow.

33.

Sugar Maple

Hickory

PrivetPrivet

Virginia Creeper

Black Walnut

North Fence Line

Section/elevation showing the dense canopy-understory relationship along the north fence line.

View of the north path, lost in the dense undergrowth along the northfence line


Spice Bush

Ground Cover:1. Virginia Creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia)*2. Wineberry (Rubus phoenicolasius)+(* Natives present in 1963, # Natives introduced/volunteered, + Aliens)


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34.

Plan Enlargement of the North Fence Line

0 10 20 40

photoview

N

Sugar Maple

Sugar Maple

Sugar Maple

Sugar Maple

Pawpaw

Basswood

Tulip Poplar

Black Walnut

Hazel

Pecan

Spice Bush

Black Walnut

Persimmon

Pecan

Black Locust

Hickory

Mulberry


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North Fence Line

Similar to the upper yard that surroundsthe vegetable garden, the stretch of land thatextends along the northern property linemaintains a large diversity of plant material.

Even though some stands of sugar

maples have begun to establish themselves, theyare not nearly as dominant as in other parts ofthe property. Alongside the sugar maples, blacklocust trees have found a solid niche in this area.Together the sugar maples and black locustscreate a more dense canopy than what exists inthe upper yard, yet not one that disallows a fullunderstory.

The understory in this area, however,is quite different than the type dominated bypioneer species that was previously discussed.Along the north fence line, the understory isalmost totally made up of privet and Virginiacreeper. Spice bush was planted near thissection of the property partially in the interestof forcing out much of the privet that is soprominent1. While that has been successful inother parts of the grounds where the density ofshade weakens the growth ability of the privet

without affecting the spice bush, in this areathat is not the case. Spice bush is growingsuccessfully in small amounts here, but the largequantity of privet has prevented it from takingany sort of foothold.

Besides the signicant presence of

privet, the understory is also made up of a largenumber of introductions planted by the Westsin an attempt to improve the diversity of plantspecies on the property as a whole1. Hazel,

persimmon, basswood, hickory and pawpaw are

all plants that would not exist on the propertyif not for the efforts of David and LindsayWest. The pawpaw, which was planted as abuttery food source1, has become a particularlyimpressive specimen with at least a dozen stems

and a crown of twenty to twenty-ve feet.It is tting that this section of property

is directly adjacent to the upper yard because itshows two different ways of establishing nativeplant diversity. In the upper yard, diversity wascultivated by preventing a dominant species likeblack walnut from taking over, leaving otherspecies to grow freely. Along the northern fenceline, however, the diversity is a direct result ofthe active inuence of the Wests. Native species

were planted to avoid a climax forest conditionwhere one species dominates the canopy. Evenso, their efforts have only created some small,rather isolated specimens, that in most casesare struggling to break through the understoryinto full maturity. The plants are surviving,however, and in time could create a very diversestand of mature trees that includes the typicallarge walnuts and maples but also includes

mature hazel and hickory trees.

35.

1. West, David, and Lindsay West. Personal interview. 20June 2012.

View of the mixed canopy along the north fence line.


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36.

[SPRING]

NORTH FENCE LINE SEASONAL CHANGE

Along the north fence line,seasonal change is most noticeableduring the transition from fall towinter. The density of this part of

the property is maintained fromspring and summer into the fall,but once winter sets in, it opensup and affords the rst views of

the context that surrounds theproperty on the north and west.The sound of cars heard all yearis explained as North Main St.becomes visible through the gapsin adjacent properties. Likewise,

at the beginning of spring thispart of the property remainsmuch more open than in themiddle of summer when the

privet has fully grown in.However, the rate at which thispart of the property leafs out isstaggering. Mostly because ofthe dominant presence of privetand spice bush, the understoryalong the north fence linebursts into green by mid-Apriland almost immediately beginsto ll in the understory.


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37.


Basswood

Persimmon

Spice Bush

PawPaw

Wineberry

Black Walnut

Sugar Maple

Silver Maple

Black Locust

Tulip Poplar

Hazel

Like the upper yard, the plant diversity present along the north fence line creates considerable color interest all year. During the early spring,persimmon and pawpaw provide whites and pinks, and a mature tulip poplar tree creates interesting color later in the summer. The existence of largeamounts of wineberry on the ground provide a color dynamic that stretches from spring to fall thanks to the combination of colorful foliage andlarge bundles of red berries. In the fall, the north fence line comes alive with yellows, oranges and pinks as just about every plant in this part of the

property bursts into color.

North Fence Line Chart of Color Change


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photoview

38.

Plan Highlighting the Meadow

0 20 40 80

SectionCutLine

SM

SB

SB

BC

N

The plan view of the meadow is

the most illustrative of the spatialcontrast that this part of theproperty creates. Aside from thevegetable garden farther east, andthe marsh, on the south propertyline, the meadow is the onlysignicant area of open ground

behind the house.

SVIW


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Standing on the far northwest part of theproperty, the brightness of the meadow provides astark contrast to the dense woods that surround it. Themeadow is also one of the few places on the propertywhere Stroubles Creek comes into full view, evenduring the summer when all the plants are lush with

foliage.


1. SM-Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum)* 1. SB-Spice Bush (Lindera benzoin)#

2. SV-Silver Maple (Acer saccharinum)* 2. BC-Bald Cypress (Taxodium distichum)#3. IW-Ironwood (Carpinus caroliniana)#

39.

Spice Bush

Sweet FlagSkunk Cabbage

Sugar Maple

Meadow

Section/elevation showing the smaller-scale plant material and lack of large canopy in the meadow.

(Far above) View of the dominant presence of sweetag in the

meadow and (above) one of the largest spice bush plants alongStroubles Creek.


Ground Cover:1. Sweetag (Acorus calamus)*2. Skunk Cabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus)*3. Virginia Creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia)*4. Goldenrod (Solidago canadensis)*(* Natives present in 1963, # Natives introduced/volunteered, + Aliens)

Bald Cypress


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40.

Plan Enlargement of the Meadow

0 10 20 40

Spice Bush

Spice Bush(1)

Spice Bush

photoview

Stro

ublesC

reek

Spring Run

N

Sugar Maple

Sugar Maple

Silver Maple

Spice Bush

Ironwood

Mix of predominantlySkunk Cabbage and

Sweetag


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Meadow

The meadow is a spatially unique areaof the Keister House grounds for a number ofreasons. It is one of a very few places that isin a similar condition now as it was when theWests bought the property in 1963. There are

not many photographs of it from the 1960s, butbased on descriptions by David and LindsayWest, it seems that the condition of the meadowis much the same as it was, except that ithas shrunk some due to the invasion of thesurrounding woods.

Even though it has lost some size in thepast fty years, the fact that the meadow has

resisted the inll of woodlands at all is of note.

The reasons for this are thought to be two-fold.The meadow is a small part of land that oncebelonged to a much larger pasture under theownership of the Shrivers in the middle of thetwentieth century. This means that constantgrazing of livestock made it impossible forslow growing plant species like sugar mapleand black walnut to develop, even though therewould have been plenty of seeds spread. Thelivestock would have eaten or trampled any

saplings along with the rest of the plant materialin the pasture1.

Another probable reason for why themeadow has avoided becoming woodland is themoisture of the soil. The meadow is borderedon one side by Stroubles Creek and on anotherby a small spring run that ows from the milk

shed into the creek. The soil is, therefore,almost always damp and often saturated. That,coupled with plenty of open space for sunlight,

provides the perfect conditions for skunk

cabbage and sweetag, which ll the meadow

completely, but does not create very goodconditions for the development of hardwoodslike maples and walnuts2.

Another part of the development of the

meadow that is worthy of note is the amountof spice bush that has grown to unusualsize here. One specimen (1) was recentlytagged as one of the largest on record in theCommonwealth of Virginia3. Spice bush wasintentionally introduced by David West as afood source for the Swallow Tail Buttery.

Never directly planted in or near the meadow,spice bush was probably seeded from bird andsmall mammalian consumption and excretion3.Regardless of how it came to be in the meadow,it managed to grow very well and completelyforce privet out from the understory, another ofits desirable traits in the eyes of the Wests.

Aside from its development, themeadow, as it exists today, is worthy of studybecause it provides a contrast to the densityof the surrounding woods. This area is oneof the few places at the back of the property

with any view of the sky during the summer.The amount of summer sunlight also makes itpossible for pioneer species like golden rod togrow, which produce nice seasonal color thatis absent in the deep woods where very littleunderstory is present.

41.

1. Carmel, Yohay, and Ronen Kadmon. Effects of

Grazing and Topography on Long-term VegetationChanges in a Mediterranean Ecosystem in Israel.Plant Ecology 145 (1999): 243-54. Web. 19 Dec.2012.2. Kirkman, L. Katherine., Claud L. Brown,and Donald Joseph Leopold.Native Trees of theSoutheast. Portland, Or.: Timber, 2007. Print.3. West, David, and Lindsay West. Personalinterview. 20 June 2012.

Stroubles Creek looking north as it runs along thewestern edge of the meadow.


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42.

[FALL] [WINTER][SUMMER] [SPRING]

MEADOW SEASONAL CHANGE

Seasonal change in the meadowis not as colorful as in other partsof the property. Instead of drasticchanges in color, the difference in

the meadow between summer, falland winter is due to the amount ofvegetation on the ground. Duringthe summer and fall, sweetag and

skunk cabbage ll the meadow to

the point that it is only navigablearound the edges. In the winter,both species die back and re-createan open eld like the pasture that

was once here. However, at the

beginning of the spring time, the

sudden presence of bright greenthat the skunk cabbage andsweetag create is staggering.

Especially in comparison to the

surrounding maple woods thatstill have not leafed out yet, thecontrast between the meadowand its context is even moreexaggerated.


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43.


Sugar Maple

Spice Bush

Goldenrod

The meadow does not provide the kind of color interest that is seen on other parts of the property. During the summer the area is dominatedby the green of sweetag and skunk cabbage. Late in summer, that green is accented by goldenrod that emerges in clumps of yellow all around the

edges of the meadow. Spice bush and sugar maple, framing the meadow, offer nice shades of yellow during the fall. The green of the meadow andthe yellow of the surrounding woods increases the sense of contrast that being in this part of the property creates.

Meadow Chart of Color Change


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44.

photoview

Plan Highlighting the Marsh

0 20 40 80

S

ectionCutLine

SM

WP

SW

N

Like the meadow, the marsh

represents one of the few openareas within the landscape behindKeister House. However, thereis much more understory growthalong Stroubles Creek in the marshthan in the meadow, and the onlyreally open area is the former pondalong the south property line.

Z f E i i C di i


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45.

MarshPlant List

Canopy: Understory:1. SM-Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum)* 1. SB-Spice Bush (Lindera benzoin)#

2. SW-Sweet Bay Magnolia (Magnolia virginiana

)# 2. WP-White Pine (Pinus strobus)#

3. PW-Pussy Willow (Salix discolor)#

Ground Cover:1. Virginia Creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia)*2. Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata)*3. Virginia Bluebell (Mertensia virginica)#4. Yellowag (Iris pseudacorus)#(* Natives present in 1963, # Natives introduced/volunteered, + Aliens)

Sugar Maple

Sugar Maple

Spice BushSwamp Milkweed

The marsh became a permanent pond when one ofthe springs on the property was redirected by developmentnext door, but a tall grass now obscures the open water1.

Section/elevation showing the relationship between the milkweed in the marsh and thesurrounding woods.

View looking across the marsh towards the neighboring property tothe south of the Keister House.

1. West, David, and Lindsay West. Personal interview. 20 June 2012.



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46.

[FALL] [WINTER][SUMMER] [SPRING]

MARSH SEASONAL CHANGE

Seasonal change in the marsh islargely impacted by the changesoccurring adjacent to it in the sugarmaple woods. Because the marsh

remains a very wet area the plantmaterial that can grow there staysgreen well into the winter, even asthe shoots die back considerably.Besides a couple of white pinesthat stand on the border with thesugar maple woods, the marshprovides the only winter color inthis part of the property. Similarto the nearby meadow, the marsh

creates surprisingly stark contrast

at the beginning of the spring.The continual green of theputtyroot and the early leang-

out of the milkweed create an

island of color in the corner ofthe maple woods that remainslargely bare that early in theyear.


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47.


Sugar Maple

Spice Bush

Pussy Willow

Yellowag

Puttyroot

Swamp Milkweed

The marsh is not a large piece of the property, but thanks to a variety of plant species it provides some color interest for much of the year. Inthe early spring, color is created by the white and green of pussy willow and spice bush before many other plant species have even leafed out. Later,in the early summer, the owering of milkweed, yellowag and puttyroot creates an array of yellows and pinks. The fall color in this part of the

property relies mostly on the sugar maple and spice bush species that border the marsh because none of the marsh plants have any fall color to speak

of. In the wintertime, however, the persistent green of the puttyroot remains some of the only color on the entire property.

Marsh Chart of Color Change


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photoview

48.

Plan Highlighting Sugar Maple Woods

0 20 40 80

SectionCut

LineBW

SM-1

SM

SM

SM

SMSM

SM

BW

WA

BO

CT

CT

BN

BLP

WP

N

As the plan indicates, the sugarmaple woods are impressivelydominated by the zones namesake.

However, the decline of the oldestsugar maple that dates back tothe early 1960s, is opening upthe canopy to some other species.The effect of this progressioncan be seen in the presence ofmature black locust, white ash andbutternut trees only around theolder maple.

BW

BW

Z f E i ti C diti


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All of the sugar maple trees in these woods are aresult of seeding from the lone specimen that existedin 1963 (SM-1).


1. BW-Black Walnut (Juglans nigra)* 1. WP-White Pine (Pinus strobus)#

2. SM-Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum)* 2. BO-Black Oak (Quercus velutina)#3. WA-White Ash (Fraxinus americana)* 3. CT-Cucumber Tree (Magnolia acuminata)#4. BN-Butternut (Juglans cinerea)#

5. SB-Spice Bush (Lindera benzoin)#6. BL-Black Locust (Robinia pseudoacacia)*7. P-Pecan (Carya illinoinensis)*

49.

Sugar MapleCucumber Tree

Virginia CreeperGolden Rod & Golden Glow

Sugar Maple Woods

Section/elevation illustrating the relatively open understory of the Sugar Maple Woods.

View looking east along the south path within the maple woods.


Ground Cover:1. Virginia Creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia)*2. Golden Glow (Rudbeckia)+3. Goldenrod (Solidago spp.)*4. Black Raspberry (Rubus occidentalis)*5. Puttyroot (Aplectrum hyemale)#(* Natives present in 1963, # Natives introduced/volunteered, + Aliens)


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A

White Ash

50.

Plan Enlargement of Sugar Maple Woods

0 10 20 40

photoview

N

Sugar Maple (1)

Sugar Maple

Sugar Maple

Sugar Maple

Sugar Maple

Sugar Maple

Sugar Maple

Sugar Maple

Sugar Maple

Sugar Maple

White Pine

Black Oak

Butternut

Pecan

Black Walnut

Black Walnut

Black Walnut

Cucumber Tree

White Pine

Sugar Maple

Black Walnut

Black Locust

Pecan

White Pine

Milk Shed

White Pine

Sugar Maple Woods


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Sugar Maple Woods

All of the zones discussed so far havebenetted from a great deal of plant diversity,

both natural and as a result of the introductoryefforts of the Wests. The sugar maple woodstell a different story. With the exception of a

sunny spot at the conuence of two paths wheremany of the pioneer species discussed earliermaintain some growth (A), the bulk of thissection of woodland is so dense below maplecanopy during the summer that very little elsegrows.

All of the sugar maples that exist in thisarea, and on the property as a whole, are thoughtto have come from the specimen on the propertyin 19631. It still exists today, although in arather dilapidated state (1). As a result of thesubstantial maple seeding that has been allowedto grow unchecked in this area, something akinto a climax forest has developed. A climaxforest usually refers to a state where one speciesdominates and the forest stays in that state untilan outside force disrupts it2. In this case, thesugar maples create such a dense canopy thatthe understory is unsuitable for many pioneering

species. The only plants that can grow in suchdeep shade are sugar maples, so the area shouldremain in the same condition for many yearsunless impacted by some outside force.

The only other species able to growin the dense shade cast by the sugar maples isVirginia creeper and spice bush. Also presentare a handful of introductions, includingJeffersonia, native hydrangea and falseSolomons seal meant to add some diversity

to the understory1. These plants are growing,

but unfortunately they exist in very isolatednumbers and none of the specimens arevery well established because of the lack ofconsistent sunlight and the impacts of deergrazing on the property. This creates a sparse

understory, contrasting with the other woodedareas on the property where the understory isdense.

Aside from the large quantity of sugarmaple (fty-plus specimens), there are other

plants that have found their way into the canopy.These include a black oak at the far end of thecentral path, a handful of black locust trees,and a number of white ash specimens. Onespecimen of note is a large white ash thatcontributes signicantly to the canopy. This ash

produced a number of saplings that are able togrow thanks to the decline of the original sugarmaple. As the maple loses limbs, it creates anopening in the canopy where sunlight reachesthe ground. The decline of the original sugarmaple acts as the outside inuence that can

disrupt the climax forest state mentioned before.Since a tree that contributes to a large part of

the canopy is dying, the unanticipated openingin the canopy has altered the succession of thesugar maple woods as a whole.

The ash saplings seem to be mostadept at taking advantage of the clearings inthe canopy, and are beating out any saplingmaples that might inhabit the same space. Inthis way, the forest succession in this area ofthe property is developing opposite of whatwould be expected. Instead of an adolescent

woodland with a large diversity of plant material

51.

1. West, David, and Lindsay West. Personalinterview. 20 June 2012.2. Forest Succession and Tolerance. ForestSuccession and Tolerance. Northwest IllinoisForestry Association, n.d. Web. 24 Dec. 2012.

View of the milk shed with the maple woods openinginto meadow in the background.

developing into a climax forest dominatedby one species, this area is developingfrom a climax forest dominated by sugarmaple trees towards a woodland that mighteventually contain a large diversity of plantmaterial.


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52.

[SPRING]

SUGAR MAPLE WOODS SEASONAL CHANGE

The change that occurs in the sugarmaple woods in response to theshifting of the seasons has a largerspatial dimension than anywhere

else on the property. During thesummer and fall, this area is almostclaustrophobic. The density ofthe vegetation blocks any viewacross the property or outside ofit to any neighbors. In the winter,the feeling is reversed. Viewsare possible all the way acrossthe property and the whole placeseems to shrink. The spring time

in the sugar maple woods does

not create as much activity asin other parts of the property.Aside from the early greenof spice bush buds and some

isolated shoots of Solomonsseal, the maple woods remainrelatively bare. At the sametime, the lack of understorydensity on this part of theproperty in the spring time isnice because it continues tofacilitate views to other areaslike the meadow and marshthat are not possible later in the

summer.


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53.


Spice Bush

Goldenrod

Golden Glow

Black Raspberry

Black Walnut

Sugar Maple

White Ash

Black Oak

Cucumber Tree

Butternut

Fall color in the sugar maple woods is dominated by shades of yellow and orange. The maples contribute largely to this, as would beexpected, but they are supplemented by walnuts, spice bush, and butternut. The varying shades of yellow help to illustrate the layers of plant materialdiscussed earlier, and late summer color provided by goldenrod and golden glow add to the effect. Fall is when this part of the property createsthe most color interest, but there is some early spring and summer color thanks to a couple of cucumber trees. The solitary white blooms of the

cucumber tree are bolstered by the early season white created by black raspberry that is common throughout the property and especially in this area.

Sugar Maple Woods Chart of Color Change


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photoview

54.

Plan Highlighting Walnut Grove/Oak Field

0 20 40 80

SectionCut

Line

BW-1

BW-1

BW-1

BW

BW

BW

BW

WO

PO

RB

RB

RB

RB

BW

BW

BW

SSBX

PV

PV

SB

SB

PV

N

Even more so than the sugar

maple woods, the walnut groveis dominated by two species:black walnut and redbud. Partof this can be attributed to theJuglone toxicity that comes fromthe walnut roots and is poisonousto many other plants. Also, thedensity of the combined uppercanopy of walnut and lowercanopy of redbud leave very littlesunlight for other plants to grow.



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Similar to the development of the sugar maplewoods, all of the black walnuts on this part of the propertyare thought to be related to three on the property in 1963(BW-1).


1. BW-Black Walnut (Juglans nigra)* 1. RB-Redbud (Cercis canadensis)*2. WO-White Oak (Quercus alba)# 2. SS-Strawberry Shrub (Calycanthus oridus)#

3. PO-Pin Oak (Quercus palustris)* 3. BX-American Boxwood (Buxus spp.)+4. PV-Privet (Ligustrum)+5. SB-Spice Bush (Lindera benzoin)#

55.

Redbud

Black WalnutBlack Walnut

Virginia CreeperBlack Raspberry

Walnut Grove and Oak Field

Section/elevation showing the dense plant relationships in the Walnut Grove.

View of the density of the walnut grove along the south path. Inaddition to walnuts, redbud and privet are found in large numbers here.


Ground Cover:1. Virginia Creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia)*2. Black Raspberry (Rubus occidentalis)*3. Goldenrod (Solidago canadensis)*(* Natives present in 1963, # Natives introduced/volunteered, + Aliens)


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Oak Field

56.

Plan Enlargement of Walnut Grove/Oak Field

0 10 20 40

N

Black Walnut

Black Walnut

Black Walnut

Black Walnut

Black Walnut

Black Walnut

Black Walnut

Black Walnut

Black Walnut

Black WalnutBlack Walnut

Redbud

Redbud

Redbud

Redbud

Black Walnut

Pin Oak

White Oak

White Oak

Walnut Grove


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Walnut Grove

There are a number of curious andunique aspects of this stand of trees. It is quiterare to nd such a dense collection of black

walnuts at this level of maturity. Black walnutsare not pioneer species and often have scattered

growth patterns due to sporadic seedingand small mammalian impacts. Squirrels,for example, are quite fond of burying, andsubsequently digging up, a large number ofwalnut seeds making it very difcult for mature

specimens to produce sapling offspring1. Itis not perfectly clear why the walnuts on thisproperty have been so successful, but no matterthe cause, they are an impressive sight.

Another unique aspect of the walnut

grove is the relationship between the walnutsand what can grow beneath them. Black walnutroots produce a toxin called Juglone that islethal to many plants2. For example, woods ofthis type often have viburnum in the understory.Viburnum are very sensitive to Juglone,however, and are thus found mostly along thecreek. Also, the walnuts have spread roots intothe vegetable garden making the growth of some

vegetables very difcult, if not impossible

2

.This effect contributed to the demise of regularharvesting of the vegetable garden.

One tree that grows successfully inproximity to black walnuts is redbud, and inthis area, redbuds have taken a strong hold onsections of the understory. One specimen,which dates back to the 1960s, is now ofsubstantial size with a canopy that stretchesclose to thirty feet.

Privet remains the overall dominant plantin the understory in this area, not allowing forthe consistent introduction of spice bush. Thedominance of privet in the walnut grove is moreevidence that privet can resist the invasion of

other species like spice bush under the speckledshade of black walnut trees, but not in the denseshade of the sugar maple woods.

57.

1. Advance-Growth-Dependent Species of ModerateShade Tolerance. Forest Encyclopedia Network. N.p.,n.d. Web. 30 Dec. 2012.2. Black Walnut Toxicity.Black Walnut Toxicity. WestVirginia University Extension Agency, n.d. Web. 24 Dec.2012.3. West, David, and Lindsay West. Personal interview. 20June 2012.

Photograph taken from underneath the largest redbudon the property looking back toward the trunk.

Unlike the natural development of thewalnut grove, the oak eld exists as a result of

introductions planted by David and LindsayWest in the 1980s. When the Wests rst moved

to the Keister House, this section of the propertywas used as an extension of the vegetablegarden, planted predominantly with potatoes.Later, David West began to introduce oaksbrought in from Giles County, Virginia. Thiswas another effort to improve the diversity ofthe woods with native species3. Today, the oakeld contains half a dozen white oak trees and

one pin oak tree that have reached full maturity.

Oak Field


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58.

[SPRING]

WALNUT GROVE SEASONAL CHANGE

Seasonal change has a dramaticeffect on the experience in thispart of the property. During thesummer and fall, when leaves are

still on the trees, the walnut groveand oak eld are a densely shadedwoods. In the winter, once theleaves have fallen, the experienceis dramatically different as thewhole area is open to the sky. Ona sunny day, the brightness that theopen canopy creates is startling.Similar to the maple woods, thewalnut grove does not create a

lot of color interest in the spring

aside from the pink buds of therosebud. However, shoots ofgreen with white owers are a

nice burst of color in the area

where the walnut grove meldsinto the oak eld. This sectionof color along the ground isa subtle, but nice, effect in apart of the property that will belargely dominated by Virginiacreeper and privet by earlysummer.


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59.


Goldenrod

Black Raspberry

Black Walnut

White Oak

Pin Oak

Redbud

Spice Bush

Strawberry Shrub

Early spring blooming by redbud and spice bush species, coupled with multi-seasonal color provided by black raspberry, and late summerblooming of goldenrod provide the walnut grove with color interest all year, not just in the fall. In the fall, the yellows of black walnut accented bythe burgundy of white oak and pin oak provide a colorful canopy that mirrors the color of spice bush closer to the ground. The effect is a similardensity to what is experienced during the summer, except that the deep green hues are replaced with bright yellow and red.

Walnut Grove and Oak Field Chart of Color Change

Plant ListAdditional Plant


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60.

Introduced and Did Not Survive: Approx. Date Introduced/Lost:1. Southern Lady Fern (Athyrium asplenoides) 1. Unknown2. Witch Hazel (Hamamelis) 2. September 1994/20093. Liverleaf (Hepatica americana) 3. April 1994/20074. Crested Iris (Iris cristata) 4. June 2005/after 20065. Varieties of Violet (Viola spp.) 5.1998-2004/unknown6. Shadbush (Amelanchier arborea) 6. July 2005/after 20067. Indian Physic (Gillenia trifoliata) 7. July 2005/after 2006

8. Turtlehead (Chelone lyonii) 8. 1960s/2010

Surviving Introductions: Location Introduced:1. Winterberry (Ilex verticillata) 1. Near meadow/south of creek2. Jack-in-the-Pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum) 2. Wild garden3. Buttery-Weed (Asclepias tuberosa) 3. Garden along driveway4. Dutchmans Pipe (Aristolochia macrophylla) 4. Behind garage, now widespread5. Bulbet Bladder Fern (Cystopteris bulbifera) 5. Wild garden6. Crested Fern (Dryopteris cristata) 6. Maple woods7. Sensitive Fern (Onoclea sensibilis) 7. Meadow8. Christmas Fern (Polystichum acrostichoides) 8. Wild garden

9. Broad Beech-Fern (Thelypteris hexagonaptera) 9. Wild garden10. White Woodland Aster (Aster cordifolius) 10. Wild garden/maple woods11. Mistower (Eupatorium coelestinum) 11. Front yard garden12. Joe-Pye-Weed (Eupatorium stulosum) 12. Meadow13. White Snakeroot (Eupatorium rugosum) 13. South of front porch14. Black-Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta) 14. Above vegetable garden15. Ragwort (Senecio aureus) 15. Maple woods16. Yellow Jewel Weed (Impatiens pallida) 16. Widespread17. May-Apple (Podophyllum peltatum) 17. Maple woods18. Hop Hornbeam (Ostrya virginiana) 18. Top of slope19. Hornbeam (Carpinus caroliniana) 19. Edge of the meadow20. Beaked Hazel (Corylus cornuta) 20. Along slope east of maple woods

21. Puccoon (Lithospermum canescens) 21. Along driveway22. Virginia Bluebells (Mertensia virginica) 22. Wild garden/meadow23. Toothwort (Dentaria laciniata) 23. Maple woods24. Giant Chickweed (Stellaria pubera) 24. Maple woods25. Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis) 25. Gardens around the house26. Sedum (Sedum ternatum) 26. Maple woods27. Red Cedar (Juniperus virginiana) 27. North of the meadow28. Wild Yam (Dioscorea villosa) 28. Maple woods29. American Beech (Fagus grandifolia) 29. Edge of walnut grove30. Wild Geranium (Geranium maculatum) 30. Wild garden31. Buckeye (Aesculus octandra) 31. Slope above the milk shed

32. Red Buckeye (Aesculus pavia) 32. Edge of maple woods

Introductions David and Lindsay West have activelyintroduced a variety of regional plant species tothe Keister House property since they movedin during the 1960s. Their intent has alwaysbeen to create a diverse yet regional woodland.

Most of the introductions were via seeds fromproperty owned by the Wests in Giles County,just north of Blacksburg. Those that did notcome from Giles County still remained true tothe native palette of southwest Virginia1. The

plant list presented here illustrates the effortmade by the Wests to diversify their property.The list is also a testament to their detailed andexhaustive record keeping.

Even though the plant materialintroduced was regionally appropriate, and theWests took care to plant them in appropriateconditions, some of the plants did not survive.The reason for their losses are not certain but acouple of factors are most likely to blame. Thenagging presence of deer on the property hasmade it difcult for small saplings to survive.

The location of the property, surrounded bythe town of Blacksburg, is both a gift to those

that are lucky enough to experience it, and acurse because animals enjoy it just as much.Deer have been periodically inhabiting themeadow for the last couple of decades andtheir presence contributed to the demise of thevegetable garden and made it very difcult for

certain plants to grow elsewhere. The deerare particularly fond of Solomons seal, which

the Wests continue to nurse along in the maplewoods without much success.

Surviving Introductions: Location Introduced:i (Cl ) l d


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61.

33. Spring Beauty (Claytonia virginica) 33. Maple woods34. Shooting Star (Dodecatheon meadia) 34. Maple woods35. Maidenhair Fern (Adiantum pedatum) 35. Wild garden36. White Baneberry (Actaea pachypoda) 36. Maple woods37. Marsh Marigold (Catha palustris) 37. Near meadow38. Black Cohosh (Cimicifuga racemosa) 38. Wild garden39. Liverwort (Hepatica acutiloba) 39. Maple woods40. Quicksilver-Weed (Thalictrum dioicum) 40. Meadow/maple woods

41. Hoptree (Ptelea trifoliata) 41. North of the meadow42. Fringe Tree (Chionanthus virginicus) 42. Behind the house43. Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis) 43. Widespread44. Phlox (Phlox divaricata) 44. Maple woods45. Allium (Allium sp.) 45. Widespread46. Yellow Fairybells (Disporum lanuginosum) 46. Maple woods47. Dogtooth Violet (Erythronium americanum) 47. Maple woods48. Wake Robin (Trillium erectum) 48. Maple woods49. Large-Flowering Tillium (Trillium grandiorum) 49. Maple woods50. Hickory (Carya spp.) 50. Widespread51. Ramps (Allium tricoccum) 51. Maple woods52. Prickly Ash (Zanthoxylum americanum) 52. North of meadow

53. Turtlehead (Chelone glabra) 53. Maple woods54. Silverbell (Halesia carolina) 54. Edge of maple woods55. Striped Violet (Viola striata) 55. Widespread

From late spring to early fall, the deepshade that exists on most of the property alsomakes it difcult for young plants to get enough

sunlight to grow and thrive, even when plantedin compatible soil conditions2. Because of this,

some plants that are surviving do not thrive asmuch as they might in better conditions. Forexample, turtlehead has been growing on theproperty for a number of years, but the shadyconditions mean that it rarely owers.

Other introductions have done quitewell and are spreading themselves around theproperty. The most obvious example of thisis spice bush. David West introduced spicebush a couple of decades ago in an attempt to

attract butteries to the property. Spice bush

can now be found in just about every corner ofthe property and is especially common alongthe north fence line, in the meadow, and inthe maple woods where it has successfullysuppressed the privet that once dominated the

understory there.Other unique changes to the propertysplant palette include English and Americanboxwoods that are clumped in front ofthe house. The Wests have been activelysuppressing the latter for a number of yearsand have limited its spread around both sidesof the house. According to David West, whenthe Shrivers owned the property, boxwoodslined the front walk leading to the front of the

house. At some point those boxwoods were

sold to Virginia Tech and are now part of thelandscaping in front of Burruss Hall.

The Wests general attitude toward

their landscape is to let it be what it willbe1. Even so, their active participation in

increasing the diversity of the woods isimpossible to miss.

(West, David. 2012)

1. West, David, and Lindsay West. Personalinterview. 20 June 2012.2. Sorrie, Bruce A.A Field Guide to Wildowersof the Sandhills Region: North Carolina, South

Carolina, Georgia. Chapel Hill: University of NorthCarolina, 2011. Print.



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Keister House Climate and

Keister House

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