Visit this beautiful demonstration garden that showcases native plants while educating the public about their beauty and value to the ecosystem.
Photo of a native garden, Photo credit: Jeannine Mitchell
The garden themed after Doug Tallamy’s famous line "Garden as if life depends on it" is a native garden that highlights the beauty and value of native plants.
Proposed in 2013 with a groundbreaking in the spring of 2014, the idea was to enhance the Environmental Education Center in Doylestown's 140-acre Central Park. It started with a small crew removing invasives near the existing bird blind and a small outdoor classroom. Since then, it has flourished into a beautiful demonstration garden that showcases native plants while educating the public about their beauty and value to the ecosystem in which they reside.
Today, through some donations and the help of the community and volunteers, this ¼-acre garden continues to grow. The original space is now filled with native canopy trees, understory trees, shrubs, and perennials. A meandering path goes through the garden and is connected to the outdoor classroom by a stone path.
The garden is well worth the visit with its flora and educational value. There is also the added feature of the surrounding education center with complementary gardens such as the Pollinator Palace and Lenape Recognition Garden.
Keeping the garden on your radar is also a good idea; future plans include an expansion area with spring ephemerals, native trees, shrubs, and more perennials.
