“The glory of gardening: hands in the dirt, head in the sun, heart with nature. To nurture a garden is to feed not just the body, but the soul.” — Alfred Austin
The Native Plant and Pollinator Garden is located behind the last Community Garden plots and across from the beehives. It is ideally suited to attract native bees, butterflies, moths, AND birds to the area. This garden is an expansion of the Pollinator Gardens planted in 2020 by some of the community gardeners with the goal of supporting our local bees, butterflies, and birds by reclaiming an area overrun by invasive plants. Planting native pollinator plants provides the habitat that helps the threatened species of bees, birds, and butterflies. We hope that the Native Plant and Pollinator Garden will not only show off some of our gorgeous pollinator plants (and the bees and butterflies) but will also help you to choose pollinator plants for your personal gardens and for plantings in your villages.
So, wander through the Garden as it grows. Or take in the high road view as you walk the lagoon track which provides an excellent vantage point. And if you would like to help, please let one of us know. Many thanks and kudos to the volunteers who have braved poison ivy and dug and planted our starter plants – with plugs and wildflower seeds to come this month! Weeding and watering will be our focus this summer, so we will continue to need help! In the fall, we will share a helpful list of successful pollinator plants for Hershey’s Mill.
If you haven’t already, join the Nature Group! (HMNatureComm@HMHOA.com). And join the Native Plant and Pollinator Subcommittee of the Nature Group and help us create a Homegrown Nature Park. Barb Crispin (Inverness), Derek Stedman (Chandler), Sue Staas (Kennett).