UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Pollinators’ Garden in The Arboretum at Penn State will have an entryway that invites visitors to explore and experience pollinators in their natural habitat, thanks to the students of Penn State’s class of 2019.
The Pollinators’ Garden brings together a combination of plants, nest sites, and other resources essential for a productive pollinator community, thereby promoting a better understanding of pollinators and their vital contribution to the health and welfare of society. Many outstanding Pennsylvania native plants are featured in the garden, including blue mistflower, New England aster, and clustered mountain-mint.
Over the past two years, the Arboretum has partnered with the Center for Pollinator Research on campus, and is finalizing a conceptual design that will improve and expand the Pollinators’ Garden to nearly triple its present size. Didier Designs Studio, which is working with Penn State on the final design for the garden, also previously designed the Childhood's Gate Children's Garden at the Arboretum. The new design includes space for research plots as well as displays that will provide examples of strategies that homeowners and others can implement to protect threatened pollinators. The design includes an entry gate, voted last fall to be the 2019 class gift.
“The gift of an entry gate, which is a small part of a larger landscape project, will be an inviting doorway into an area that seeks to highlight the beauty of the pollination process,” said Jack Davenport, 2019 Class Gift communications director. “By showcasing both plants and animals, the Pollinators’ Garden will be able to teach visitors firsthand how the pollination cycle not only works, but also how it impacts our food and environment. The Class of 2019 hopes to build upon this lesson by creating an appealing entry gate that invites all visitors to discover the excitement around the pollination process.”
Follow the Class Gift Program for updates on Instagram: @psuclassgift, and Twitter: @PSUClassGift. Make a donation to the 2019 class gift.