The Penn State Extension Master Gardeners of Pike County with cooperation from the County Commissioners installed a demonstration garden in front of the County Courthouse. Check out the five different raised bed gardens using native plants!
September 2024
The Master Gardeners of Pike County created a new Penn State Extension Demonstration Garden in front of the Pike County Courthouse. The initial plan for the garden project was to have only one raised bed garden. Later, the county commissioners approached the Master Gardeners with a proposal to add more gardens. The commissioners enlisted landscape architect Maria Torffield to design multiple hardscape raised beds using local blue stone. Local nurseries worked with the Master Gardeners to provide many native plants. The funding for the purchase of the plants came from the local Pike County Bar Association, private donors, and the Pike County Master Gardeners.
After a few meetings and much research, the Master Gardeners highlighted each garden with a different planting motif using native plants. The different gardening beds feature an evergreen garden bed, an herb garden, a garden with numerous varieties of grasses, a pollinator garden, an evergreen garden, and a bulb garden. Each garden contains many native plant varieties that would work well in a homeowners landscape. Native plants were chosen to help with pollinator populations, such as, native bees and butterflies. Some non-native annuals were added to have continual color throughout the growing season. To view what is in each garden, please follow the links below.
Looking to the future, the county commissioners have decided to add a water feature designed by Maria Torffield to the garden area. Ultimately, a fountain garden will be added to accommodate plants that can tolerate more water.
