Thursday, May 5, 2022

AdkAction’s 5th annual Pollinator-Friendly Native Plant Sale going on now

AdkAction’s Adirondack Pollinator Project is delighted to offer its 5th Annual Pollinator-Friendly Native Plant Sale. Whether you plant a few plants or many, you will help rebuild the monarch butterfly population, attract hummingbirds, and strengthen native bee and moth populations.

This year we have carefully chosen 10 varieties of native flowering plants to benefit pollinators that live in the Adirondacks. Thanks to the Uihlein Foundation, the Pollinator Project is able to grow the plants at the Uihlein Farm Greenhouse in Lake Placid, and you will be able to pick them up directly from the greenhouse! All plants will be ready to plant directly in your garden and to thrive during their first season. Each plant has been carefully sourced or grown from seed to ensure that they have never come in contact with neonicotinoids (a class of insecticides that are harmful to pollinators).

All proceeds of the sale support pollinator habitat conservation by the Adirondack Pollinator Project, a project of AdkAction in partnership with The Wild Center, and Paul Smith’s College.

Shop the plant sale by clicking here: https://www.adkaction.org/plantsale/

Plant Pick-Up will take place at the Uihlein Farm Greenhouse, 281 Bear Cub Road, Lake Placid, NY on May 28, June 18, and June 25.

A group of volunteers helped this year’s pollinator-friendly plants get a great start. Photo provided by AdkAction.

Resources:

Here is a Quick Guide provided by the Adirondack Pollinator Project of AdkAction to help those who wish to add plants to an existing pollinator garden or begin one from scratch.

Congratulations on your pollinator garden! You are making a difference.  Your efforts are increasing populations of Monarch butterflies, native bees, hummingbirds, and other pollinators in the Adirondacks.  Just imagine how beautiful and beneficial your garden will be as it grows and flourishes. To get you started and ensure your garden flourishes and expands its value for pollinators, we have some tips and tricks for you!

If you are adding plants to an existing garden

  • Remove weeds while they are small in the spring, and keep up with weeding throughout the season.  Weeds outcompete many plants, robbing them of moisture, nutrients, and sunlight.
  • Prune all overwintered stalks to within 6” of the ground.
  • Divide and transplant plants that are overgrown or crowding others.  Dig, divide, and transplant clumps around the garden or better yet create new pollinator plantings.
  • Remove any dead, weak, or infected plants.
  • Replace plants that you’ve removed with the new plants you’ve purchased from our annual plant sale.
  • Clean-up garden beds by removing any dead and infected plant material.
  • Add compost or fertilizer to beds close to plants and gently work it into the soil being careful not to damage plant roots.
  • Avoid mulch, or at least leave some areas of bare soil exposed for ground nesting bees. If you decide to mulch some areas, cover bare earth with weed suffocating mulch like straw, shredded leaves, grass clippings, newspapers, compost, or natural wood chips.
  • Weed – yes, again. Diligence is a gardener’s most powerful ally. Deal with weeds as soon as they appear so that in the future you will be able to spend less time weeding and more time enjoying your garden.

If you are creating a new garden from scratch, you might consider a no-till garden installation that will keep soil structure and microbes intact, keep sequestered carbon in the soil, and prevent erosion. To start a no till garden:

  • Select an area in your yard that will receive at least 6 hours of direct sunlight.
  • Lay out material such as paper grocery store bags, cardboard, or newspapers.
  • Use a hose with a wand attachment or a watering can to wet the material down.
  • Cover the material with heavy compost and leaves, grass clippings, or pine needles.  Lay the organic material on thick, ideally 12 inches, and water it well.
  • Plant directly into the thick compost and mulch mix.

Photo at top provided by AdkAction. 

 

 

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Community news stories come from press releases and other notices from organizations, businesses, state agencies and other groups. Submit your contributions to Almanack Editor Melissa Hart at editor@adirondackalmanack.com.




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