Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium: Landscaping with Pride for a Patriotic Property

Inside the Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, memorials honor soldiers, exuberant football fans cheer their Navy team and lacrosse-loving kids attend camps to boost their skills. 

But a lot happens just outside the stadium, too, and Bill Givens, Senior Associate Athletic Director, says that’s also important. 

“The Navy-Marine Corps memorial stadium is a place of pride for us, for our fan base and visitors,” Givens says. “It’s important that the grounds be pretty, well-kept and looking good all the time.

“But we’re also in a neighborhood,” he says. “We’re surrounded by houses on three sides. It’s important to us that our neighbors take pride in the stadium, too.”

When it was time to partner with a new landscaping company, the Naval Academy Athletic Association chose Level Green Landscaping to keep the stadium’s landscaping healthy and beautiful. 

Level Green account manager Tyler Kreft walks us through what it takes, and Givens shares why the landscaping at this point-of-pride property has to impress. 

Welcome to the Stadium

The Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium is an open-air stadium located at 550 Taylor Avenue, off the campus of the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. 

The 34,000-seat facility is the home stadium of the Navy Midshipmen college football and lacrosse teams, as well as local, regional and state sports tournaments and other events.  

The stadium also serves as a memorial to the Navy and Marine Corps. 

“We take the memorial very seriously,” Givens says. “It’s honoring the men and women who have served our country and continue to serve.”

The stadium also hosts the Naval Academy’s graduation and commissioning ceremony each May, which often includes the attendance of distinguished guests such as the President, Vice President, Secretary of the Navy, and other high-ranking officials.

Navy Neighbors 

As Givens pointed out, the stadium is surrounded by homes, where families have a clear view of the busy facility.

A walking trail more than a mile long surrounds the stadium, a much-used buffer between the stadium and its neighbors. Residents walk their dogs, take their morning jog, and push strollers along the tree-lined path. 

“We want our neighbors to be proud of this part of our property, too,” Givens says. 

“We have a lot of green space, flower beds, and trees — not just in the stadium but around the stadium,” he says. “There’s a lot to take care of and it’s a big responsibility. Level Green does a fantastic job.”

What does the work entail?

Meticulous Weekly Maintenance 

The stadium’s lawn care is handled by the U.S. Naval Academy Golf Club staff, but Level Green crews take care of all other weekly maintenance tasks. 

The stadium’s contract includes 24 weekly visits that include weeding and edging flower beds, pruning shrubs, and clearing sticks, leaves and other natural debris. 

An additional five visits to prune a multitude of shrubs keeps them neat and healthy.

An annual spring cleanup visit has crews tidying up for the growing season — clearing debris, cutting back perennials, edging flower beds and installing fresh mulch

“They keep us busy,” Kreft says. 

Givens loves seeing the activity. 

“They’re very visible,” Givens says of busy Level Green crews. “They’re here all hours of the day. I’ve seen them here watering at 9 at night on a Friday.”

Whatever it takes, Kreft says. 

“We want to make sure the stadium landscaping is safe for the staff and all the visitors who come to enjoy the games,” Kreft says. “We’re looking for any tripping hazards like loose pavers and low-hanging tree branches that create a concern.”

Kreft also looks at the property from the view of fans in the stands. 

“When you’re in the stands you’re high up and you’re looking down,” he says. He wants to see everything the thousands of fans see from their elevated perch.

Crowds of people typically leave the stadium at the same time, Kreft says, so he’s extra aware of pedestrian safety. 

“We make sure paths are clear and safe,” he says. “If there’s a muddy area we turn it into a mulched area. If there’s an area where people walk where they shouldn’t, we install plants that prevent people from passing through.”

Enhancements in Action

Level Green crews have been busy adding much-needed enhancements throughout the stadium property.

Some highlights:

Removing Damaging Trees

Stadium sewer drains were clogged by the tree roots of 12 mature Crape Myrtle trees, Kreft says. 

“We removed the trees and planted a nice selection of hydrangeas, two types of liriope and leopard plant,” Kreft says. “These plants don’t have invasive root systems.”

Vibrant New Plants 

Many of the stadium’s mature plantings were overgrown and past their prime, Kreft says. Crews added fresh new plants, including boxwood; butterfly bushes; 
‘Karl Foerster’ ornamental grass and catmint. 

Kreft chose these plants with purpose. 

“They’re in the blue and gold of the Navy school colors,” he says, “and they bloom in the peak of football season.”

A Tree-Lined Trail  

“Each year we add 20-25 trees along the walking trail that goes around the stadium,” Kreft says, including dogwood, serviceberry and oak.

“They help screen the stadium from the surrounding neighborhood and add a buffer to reduce noise,” he says. “It also adds shade along the path.”

Three benches are added along the path each year, too, he says, made of recycled materials. 

Hardscape Repair

Occasional hardscape issues always pop up on a property of this size. 

Crews repaired a small retaining wall that had been hit by a car and repaired pavers causing a tripping hazard. 

“Mature trees around the concession stand pushed up some pavers, causing them to heave up,” Kreft says. “We pulled up the pavers, carefully pruned the invasive roots, and re-installed the pavers so they’re level and safe for everyone.”

Seasonal Flowers Add Patriotic Pops of Blue and White

 A centerpiece of the landscaping is a giant N for Navy emblazoned on a hillside, created totally of planted flowers.

Masses of white begonias create the letter in summer, replaced by a mix of blue and white violas in the fall.

Those same flowers brighten flower beds throughout the property, welcoming visitors at entrances, surrounding flag poles and flanking the stadium scoreboard.

New flower installations happen each spring and fall to keep beds bright and impressive. 

Celebratory White Roses 

The Naval Academy graduation and commissioning ceremony is a dignified celebration each spring, with about 1,000 midshipmen becoming ensigns in the Navy or second lieutenants in the Marine Corps.

Level Green provides 30 3-gallon white “Knockout” rose bushes that are used as stage decoration during the ceremony. After the ceremony, they’re available to graduates to take home, first come, first served, Kreft says. Any unclaimed rose bushes are planted on the stadium grounds.  

Appreciating Proactivity 

Givens loves that Kreft and crews handle potential issues before he has a chance to worry about them.

“Rarely do we have to call and say, ‘You missed something’ or ‘There’s an area that needs attention,’” he says. “In fact, just the opposite. Tyler is very forward thinking. He’s always bringing me proposals and ideas. He’ll reach out and say, ‘Hey, Bill, have you thought about doing this? It would really dress things up.’

“We don’t need to get into the weeds with them, if you’ll pardon my pun,” Givens says. “We know they’ll take care of what needs to be done.

“Tyler is very easy to get in touch with,” Givens says. “If I need something, he’ll have a proposal to me the next day.”

That’s how he works, Kreft says. 

“I’ve been proactively offering ideas, adding planting beds, really trying to keep things simple, both for ease and budget,” he says. 

“It starts with understanding what’s important to them,” Kreft says. He meets with Givens monthly to walk the stadium area, talk about safety concerns, detect issues early and provide solutions.
 
He also keeps in touch with the stadium operations manager, the athletic director and the Navy golf course superintendent to coordinate landscaping care and projects. 

Regular texts, emails and phone calls keep communication flowing.

“There might be a phone call to recap a visit, or an email to go over options for enhancements,” Kreft says. 

Next Up: A Harrier Jet Memorial 

Fundraising is in progress for the next big project for the stadium’s memorial — the addition of a U.S. Marine Corps Harrier Jet. It would join an existing memorial that features a U.S. Navy Blue Angels jet, near the main entrance to the stadium parking lot. 

The jet is currently in North Carolina and would be relocated here. Kreft has been in contact with a logistics company with experience transporting airplanes, helicopters and even a space shuttle. 

“Besides getting it here safely we have to mount it to the structure we’re building using the specific type of brackets used at other memorial sites around the country,” Kreft says. “Then we’ll mimic the same landscaping that’s around the Navy jet so they look the same, with the same fencing, pavers and river rock.”

“The aesthetic of that will be very important,” Givens says. “It needs to meet our expectations. I know Level Green is up to the challenge.”

A Proud Partnership

Caring for the landscaping of such an esteemed property is an honor, Kreft says.

“This is the Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium,” Kreft says. “It’s in honor of the people who defend our country. We want to make sure we honor them in a great way that reflects how grateful we are to them for putting their lives on the line for use. This is the least we can do.

“We’re very proud to have a great partnership with them and we hope it continues for years to come.” 

Meanwhile, Givens is proud of the impression the stadium landscaping makes. 

“The proof is in the pudding,” he says. “You can see the difference. The stadium takes up a full block. Take a drive around it and you’ll see the result of their work.”

Would he recommend Level Green?

“I would,” he says, “and I have.”

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