A night of fun

Last evening we went to a pollinator's challenge.  For those of you who don't know, my garden is registered with Penn State as well as the Audubon Society as a "natural" garden. 

For the Audubon Society it's registered as a bird sanctuary.  With Penn State it's registered as Pollinator Friendly.

Basically what this means is that I limit the herbicides and insecticides in the garden which allows a more poison free environment for both birds and insects.  There was a very small fee of about $10 each to register my garden and my garden as also inspected by Penn State Master Gardener's which was no big deal since by then it was already registered with the Audubon Society.

 Last night was the first every Pollinator's Challenge that was put on by the Penn State Master Gardener's at the test gardens in Landisville.  It was very fun and even though I didn't win any of the door prizes, I had such a great time exchanging observations with others of like mind.  There were bee keepers there explaining how the hives were kept and the honey extracted.  There was a honey tasting event and snack that were wonderful!  There was a lecture on the pollinator's garden and what it should be and as usual, the push for more registered gardens.

Above is a picture of an Agastache plant.  In my opinion this is one of the the best plants for bees and butterflies.  This plant will get about 4 feet tall and will spread nicely, creating a wonderful colony of flowers.
Below is the Heliopsis.  Another very lovely large daisy that is a big draw for bees and butterflies.  This plant can get close to 6 feet tall if in the right place and will also create a nice colony of plants as it ages.

After the lecture, we ventured out with the hostess for a tour of the test gardens.  A really lovely place.  We entered through an arbor of honey suckle (below).

We discussed all the native plants that were growing in the test garden.  Did you know that Pennsylvania has it's own native petunia?  Ruellia is the native petunia.  A small plant that will definitely find a spot in my garden.  I love petunias and have them around the house every year.

One of Husband's plants of interest is the Yucca.  I've always tried to discourage them because of the massive root system.  But when they are in flower they are impressive, so I might have to agree to put some back in the meadow garden.  Our hostess was telling us that they are surprisingly sought after by bees and butterflies.

Other plants that I have in the garden and saw peeping from under some of the other natives were the lovely wild violets.  I got six plants several years ago at the Penn State native plant sale usually held around Mother's Day.  They've now spread to just about every flower plot in my garden.  We know these lovelies and won't pull them out as they cover the ground with their lovely purple leaves and deep indigo blue flowers in the spring.

It was a wonderful time altogether.  It was nice to converse with and spend time with people of like mind - who realize what it is to have gardens that are pesticide free.  To grow food and herbs in gardens without pesticides or herbicides and know that when you eat out of it, you are eating food as nature intended. 

This was very last minute for me, but I'm glad I decided not to miss it.