Demonstration Gardens at the Penn State Extension Office in Butler County
Have you visited the Penn State Extension office in Butler County recently? If so, did you notice that the landscape is going through renovations?
The Penn State Master Gardeners of Butler County have maintained this garden for many years, and over time, teams of these Master Gardeners have altered the design and content of the garden based on new ideas and best evidence.
Recently, the Master Gardener pollinator team has taken responsibility for this garden and has begun the process of planting it as a native plant and pollinator-friendly demonstration garden.
The office is surrounded by narrow strips of landscaping; however, the main garden at the front entry doors is where most of the changes have occurred.
The step-by-step redesign process began with an evaluation of the plant species currently growing in the space.
The process phases included evaluating existing plants, deciding which plants would stay or be removed, analyzing the soil, and amending the soil based on the soil test results.
A design plan was created to plant the area entirely with native plants. A native plant is most generally defined as one that naturally occurs in a specific region, ecosystem or habitat prior to European settlement, without human introduction.
In Pennsylvania, these plants have evolved alongside local wildlife and insects for hundreds, if not thousands, of years, and are specifically suited to the state’s climatic conditions.
In addition, these native plants provide the food and habitat needed by our local pollinators.
To concentrate on native species that are pollinator-friendly, plants were chosen that would provide blooms from spring through frost — ensuring a continuous supply of nectar and pollen.
A few are also host plants for caterpillars of butterfly species, including a large patch of common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) planted for the monarch (Danaus plexippus) and golden Alexanders (Zizia aurea), which is a host plant for the black swallowtail butterfly (Papilio polyxenes).
A few of the other native plants found in the garden include wild columbine (Aquilegia canadensis), wild bergamot (Monarda fistulosa) and zigzag goldenrod (Solidago flexicaulis).
Once planting is complete and the plants are established, signage will be added to allow for easy identification of each plant. Educational materials will be developed that explain the relationship between native plants and pollinators.
A water source was already available in the form of a birdbath and was kept as part of our plan. There is also a rain barrel in the front garden that will be used to keep the plants watered.
Further to the right of the front garden bed, you will notice two areas that are works in progress: an area where small trees and shrubs have been removed, and a steep hillside covered in plastic.
Soil solarization is the process of using clear plastic over a garden area during the heat of the summer to kill weeds and other unwanted vegetation. In the future, these areas will be planted with native shrubs and ground covers.
Following around to the back of the building, another sloped area is currently planted in little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium), a native grass. This area will be interplanted around the grass clumps with more native pollinator-friendly species.
If you are at the office — or in the area — please stop by to see the progress on the gardens and enjoy the pollinators.
If you have questions about native plants, pollinators or other gardening practices, call the Penn State Master Gardeners of Butler County at the Garden Hotline at 724-287-4761, Ext. 7, or email the Master Gardeners at butlermg@psu.edu.
Diane Walczak is a Penn State Extension Butler County Master Gardener.
