Devon Elementary Pollinator Project
by Barbara Geltosky

This spring, members of the Gardeners partnered with Devon Elementary school to plant a pollinator garden in raised beds at the school. Although the scope of the program changed when the State legislature enacted stringent backround check requirements for anyone coming in contact with children, we went ahead and created the garden for the school.

Our first work sessions was clearing debris and then on subsequent visits, including one in the pouring rain, we planted the garden.  We assembled divisions from our gardens; purchased plants which included asclepias, anise hyssop, lavender, coneflower, hostas, salvia coral nymph, pulmonaria and more; donated vegetable plants and saved scarlet runner bean seeds to the school, which were used in science lessons or taken home by the students.

On our last visit, we removed a jungle’s worth of weeds, staked and labeled plants and mulched the beds. We are now working toward getting the garden certified, and hope the school children enjoy it when they return in the fall.  The pictures below are of some of the children who participated in this project and gardeners from our club who volunteered.  To see the picture magnified, just click on the photo.