This garden showcases native perennials, shrubs, and trees that attract pollinators and provide refuge and nesting sites for wildlife.
The lively pollinator garden. Photo credit: Joan Pavilca.
Address: 301 W. Mill Street, Quakertown, PA 18951. To access the garden, enter the driveway next to the digital Univest sign. Follow the driveway back to a parking lot on your left. Enter the path to the right of the snack stand and follow it back to the garden.
Hours: Dawn to dusk, year-round.
Established: Designed and planted in 2016 by American Native Nursery (now Archewild). Master Gardeners of Bucks County became involved in 2019.
Volunteers maintaining the garden: Four to eight Master Gardeners
Type of garden: Native plants
Description of the garden: This 3,000-square-foot native plant garden had fallen into disrepair over the years. Under the direction of the Master Gardeners of Bucks County, and with assistance from borough employees and residents, the garden was restored and enhanced with hundreds of healthy native flowering plants and grasses.
Native shrubs and trees were donated by the Master Watershed Stewards and planted with the assistance of students from the United Friends Middle School Science class.
Materials for constructing a stack stone border defining the garden were donated by Ceramino, and wood chips to define the garden paths were donated by Richland Township. Second- and third-grade students from United Friend School built and installed a birdhouse. Also added was a handmade bee house.
Currently, there are over 40 native species of perennials, shrubs, and trees designed to attract bees, butterflies, and other beneficial insects, as well as provide shelter and nesting areas for birds.
List of plants: Currently, the pollinator garden has over 45 species of perennials, shrubs, and trees. Here is a list of some of the most important Keystone plant species in the garden:
| Scientific Name | Common Name | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Eupatorium fistulosum | Joe Pye Weed | ||
| Asclepias syriaca | Common Milkweed | ||
| Rudbeckia hirta | Black-eyed Susan | ||
| Monarda fistulosa | Wild Bergamont | ||
| Echinacea purpurea | Purple Coneflower | ||
| Penstemon digitalis | Foxglove Beardtongue | ||
| Packera aurea | Golden Ragwort | ||
| Hypericum prolificum | Shrubby St. John's Wort | ||
| Pycnanthemum | Mountain Mint | ||
| Carex | Sedges | ||
| Heliant helianthoideshus | False Sunflower | ||
| Eurybia divericata | White WoodAster | ||
| Cercis canadensis | Eastern Redbud | ||
| Lindera benzoin | Spicebush | ||
| Salix nigra | Black Willow | ||
| Amelanchier | Serviceberry | ||
| Juniperus virginiana | Eastern Red Cedar | ||
| Betula nigra | River Birch |
