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Our Pollinator Garden was funded by a grant from Sustainable Jersey and installed in June 2017 by GL's Environmental Science students. It is maintained by the Environmental Club.
Composed entirely of native plants, it offers a haven of biodiversity. These plants provide shelter and food for insects, birds, and small mammals. Because pollinator gardens are designed to attract beneficial insects, we do not use pesticides. Pesticide overuse and misuse has killed hundreds of thousands of pollinating insects.
Our rain and pollinator gardens are both registered Monarch Waystations. This means they contain host plants for monarch butterflies such as common, swamp, and butterfly milkweed, as well as nectar plants like black-eyed susan, goldenrod, bee balm, joe-pye weed, phlox, and purple coneflower.
Because they are adapted to local environmental conditions, native plants are easier to grow than non-natives. They do not require fertilizers, pesticides, or water once they are established.
We like to use the PictureThis app to identify and learn about plants.
Read more about native plants:
Places to buy native plants:
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Local Great Swamp Greenhouses
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Online Toad Shade Wildflower Farm
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New Jersey Where to Buy Native Plants
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Annually Master Gardeners Spring Garden Fair & Plant Sale
Be sure to avoid purchasing invasive plants such as English ivy, pachysandra, wisteria, barberry, burning bush, and butterfly bush. These plants have been introduced from other continents and have spread to natural habitats, displacing native plants and disrupting the ecosystem.
Read more about invasive plants:
This garden was made possible by a grant from Sustainable Jersey for Schools.
Contact: Lara Mendenhall
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