University of Maryland Extension

Tawes Garden

The five-acre Helen A. Tawes Garden, located at the Tawes State Office Building in Annapolis, was named for a former Maryland First Lady, whose husband was Governor from 1959-1967. Prior to construction of the Tawes State Office Building in the early 1970's, the garden site was a flat cinder lot, used for traveling carnivals. Beginning in 1975, the garden developers dug ponds, built a stream, and formed a “mountain” with large boulders to change the topography to represent the state’s various geographic areas: a Western Maryland forest, a streamside environment, and an Eastern Shore peninsula.

Possible projects within the Tawes Garden include:

  • Develop a practical invasives program with an educational component tied to identification for the Tawes site and followed up with physical removal
  • Investigate potential for developing e-materials and e-guides and a PowerPoint presentation for use by Tawes personnel
  • Adopt-a-Native-Habitat (there are three habitats in the garden: Eastern Shore, Mountain, and Coastal Plain) – evaluate status of the areas and develop a plan to address outstanding issues
  • Develop interpretive programming for public (e.g., lecture series on native plants, garden/yard stewardship, invasives, etc.
Section: 
Anne Arundel County
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