Pollinator Garden

Explore and experience this pollinator-friendly garden featuring primarily native plants that attract and provide a habitat for birds, bees, larval and adult forms of butterflies and moths, and other beneficial insects. The garden includes herbaceous plants, vines, and shrubs that support the floral preferences of various pollinators throughout the growing season. In turn, the pollinators facilitate plant propagation protecting plant diversity and our food supply.

It is designated as a "Certified Pennsylvania Pollinator-Friendly Garden" by the Penn State Extension Master Gardeners. As such, it provides food, water, shelter, and safeguards habitat for pollinators. To certify your garden, go to Penn State University's, Center for Pollinator Research

Pause for a while to marvel at this haven for birds, bees and butterflies. Consider taking away some ideas to attract pollinators to your garden.

Growing Conditions

This gently sloping garden is located on the sunny side of the Environmental Center. Throughout the day, a portion of the garden experiences some shade cast off from the Environmental Center, but most of the garden receives full sun in the morning and partial sun in the afternoon.

Description

The flowers of the herbaceous plants and shrubs provide an array of vibrant colors throughout the growing season. Visitors can follow the pathway or sit for a while on the bench to enjoy the garden's naturalistic beauty. Frequently, visitors become mesmerized by the captivating birds, bees, and butterflies busy at work pollinating the flowers.

Garden enhancements include:

• Bird houses and bird baths
• A whimsical metal tree that displays pollinator ornaments
• Mason bee house
• Plant labels to identify plant names and usage
• Signs explaining the importance of pollinators

Background

The garden was established in 2002 as a Master Gardener class project. It has evolved over the years as Master Gardeners added pollinator-friendly species well suited to this environment. The garden was awarded the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society Greening Award in 2012.

Featured Plants*

Herbaceous Plants

• Agastache foeniculum, Anise hyssop
• Ajuga reptans, Bugleweed
• Allium orientale, Oriental onion
• Asclepias tuberosa, Butterfly-weed
• Belamcanda chinensis, Blackberry-lily
• Caryopteris sp., Bluebeard
• Coreopsis lanceolata, Tickseed
• Coreopsis verticillata 'Moonbeam', Tickseed
• Echinacea purpurea, Coneflower
• Echinacea purpurea 'Pixie Meadowbrite', Coneflower
• Eupatorium dubium 'Little Joe', Joe-pye-weed
• Eupatorium purpureum, Joe-pye-weed
• Euphorbia amygdaloides, Wood spurge
• Foeniculum vulgare, Bronze fennel
• Galium odoratum, Sweet woodruff
• Helenium autumnale, Common sneezeweed
• Hemerocallis fulva, Orange Daylily
• Hemerocallis fulva 'Stella d'Oro', Daylily
• Heuchera micrantha 'Harmonic Convergence', Coral bells
• Heuchera 'Blackberry Ice', Coral bells
• Heuchera 'Blackcurrant', Coral bells
• Impatiens pallida, Pale jewelweed
• Inula helenium, Elecampane
• Liatris spicata 'Kobold', Gayfeather
• Lilium superbum, Turk's-cap lily
• Lobelia cardinalis, Cardinal flower
• Lobelia siphilitica, Great blue lobelia
• Lysimachia ciliata 'Firecracker', Fringed loosestrife
• Monarda didyma 'Marshall's Delight', Bee balm
• Monarda didyma 'Linda', Bee balm
• Monarda didyma 'Jacob Cline', Bee balm
• Monarda fistulosa, Wild bergamot
• Narcissus sp., Daffodils
• Nepeta x faassenii 'Walker's Low', Catmint
• Oenothera biennis, Evening-primrose
• Penstemon 'Husker Red', Beardtongue
• Phlox paniculata, phlox
• Phlox paniculata 'David', phlox
• Phlox paniculata 'Jeana', phlox
• Physostegia virginiana, Obedient plant
• Rudbeckia hirta, Black-eyed susan
• Sedum telephium 'Autumn Joy', Sedum
• Solidago rugosa 'Fireworks', Goldenrod
• Solidago sp., Goldenrod
• Spigelia marilandica, Woodland pinkroot
• Stachys byzantina, Lamb's ear
• Symphyotrichum novae-angliae 'Purple Dome', New England aster
• Symphyotrichum oblongifolium 'October Skies', Aromatic aster
• Symphytum officinale, Comfrey
• Urtica dioica, Stinging nettle
• Verbena bonariensis, Brazilian verbena
• Vernonia noveboracensis, New York ironweed
• Viola labradorica, Labrador violet

Shrubs

• Amelanchier canadensis, Serviceberry
• Clethra alnifolia 'Ruby Spice', Summersweet
• Clethra alnifolia 'Hummingbird', Summersweet
• Cornus sp., Dogwood
• Cotinus coggyria 'Royal Purple', Eurasian smoketree
• Euonymus japonica 'Microphylla', Dwarf boxleaf euonymus
• Itea virginica 'Henry's Garnet', Virginia Sweetspire
• Lindera benzoin, Spicebush
• Rosa rugosa, Rugosa rose
• Viburnum rhytidophyllum, Leatherleaf viburnum
• Viburnum sp., Arrowroot

Vines

*This is not a comprehensive plant list. The garden is dynamic in nature and plants may vary from year to year.