Pollinator Garden
Bayberry Garden – a Native Pollinator Pathway
Previously a patch of grass and weeds, the Bayberry common area traffic island is now a pollinator garden. Native shrubs and wildflowers planted here provide food and shelter for the bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds that summer in New York.
Pollinators are declining worldwide, posing a threat to both agriculture and our natural environments. This traffic island is intended to serve as a demonstration garden of wildflowers Bayberry residents might grow on their own property.
How was the garden created?
The grass was smothered with layers of newspapers and several inches of topsoil in May and June.
After a few weeks, the established grass died off and the soil was suitable for planting. In early July, a group of campers from Bayberry Summer Camp helped in the design and installation of the plants.
The patch is protected from browsing deer, rabbits, and groundhogs with a fence. In the initial summer season, the plants are watered using a soaker hose on a timer while the root system gets established. In the fall, leaves that accumulate will create a mulch to help protect and nourish the overwintering plants. The stalks and plant matter will remain over the winter to serve as homes for hibernating insects and then will be cut back when the weather warms again in the spring.
Plants listed by label # in the Garden
# | Common Name | Species name | Height | Color | Blooms |
| 1 | Golden Alexander | Zizia aurea | 2′ – 3′ | gold | May – June |
| 2 | Blue Star | Amsonia Tabernaemontana | 2′ – 3′ | blue | May – June |
| 3 | Foxglove Beardtongue | Penstemon digitalis | 3′ – 5′ | white | May – July |
| 4 | Tickseed | Coreopsis verticillata | 1′ – 3′ | yellow | June – Aug |
| 5 | Garden Phlox | Phlox maculata | 2′ – 3′ | purple | June – Aug |
| 6 | Butterflyweed (Milkweed) | Asclepias tuberosa | 1′ – 3′ | orange | June – Aug |
| 7 | Blackeyed Susan | Rudbeckia hirta | 2′ – 3′ | yellow | June – Sept |
| 8 | Swamp Milkweed | Asclepias incarnata | 2′ – 4′ | pink | June – Sept |
| 9 | Beebalm | Monarda didyma | 3′ – 4′ | red | June – Sept |
| 10 | Cardinal flower | Lobelia cardinalis | 3′ – 6′ | red | July – Sept |
| 11 | Wild Bergamot | Monarda fistulosa | 3′ – 6′ | red | July – Sept |
| 12 | Mountain Mint | Pycnanthenum tenuifolium | 1′ – 3′ | white | July – Sept |
| 13 | Coneflower | Echinacea purperea | 2′ – 5′ | purple | July – Sept |
| 14 | Dense blazing star | Liatris spicata | 3′ – 4′ | purple | July – Sept |
| 15 | Joe-pye Weed | Eutrochium dubium | 5′ – 8′ | purple | July – Oct |
| 16 | Bayberry Bush | Myrica pensylvanica | 5′ – 10′ | yellow | July – Oct |
| 17 | New England Aster | Symphyotrichum novae-angliae | 4′ – 8′ | purple | Aug – Oct |
Ways you can get involved?
- Look for planting, weeding and cleanup days.
- Plant a diverse collection of native plants in your own yard, much like what has been planted here, or refer to this useful list by the Xerces Society.