Saving Running Cedar

Before the property was cleared, I came across an unusual ground cover while walking in the woods. It grew on a creeping vine, but had leaves like a spruce. Jimmy Edwards, our architect, told me that it was called Running Cedar, and had been a common plant in our region for some time. It stays green through winter, and was often used to trim Christmas centerpieces and mantles. While not endangered, it has become increasingly rare due to all the development in town.

When I realized the plant was right where the infield of the baseball field would be, I looked into moving it. Unfortunately, the plant can't be transplanted easily because it depends on a bacteria in the soil where it grows. If you move it to different soil, it starves.

This is where Keith Morrison, one of our parents and the owner of Frolicking Ponds saves the day. Keith has a small tractor with a front scoop that was small enough to get down to where the Running Cedar was. He scooped up 4 inches of soil with the plants and drove to another location on the site that wouldn't be disturbed (near the lake) where we transplanted it. I checked on the plant today and while "we're not out of the woods yet", there appears to be a patch that survived the move (see picture) and will hopefully spread. Thanks Keith for helping to preserve this part of God's creation on our campus!