Gardiner Library's Pollinator Garden
The Gardiner Library and volunteers from the Wallkill Valley Pollinator Pathway (an initiative of the Wallkill Valley Land Trust) teamed up to create a pollinator garden behind the library in the Fall of 2021. The newly planted garden provides food and habitat for wildlife along the Wallkill Valley Rail Trail wildlife corridor and is part of the Wallkill Valley Pollinator Pathway. The garden is a stepping stone for pollinators using the rail trail as their pathway and part of a larger effort to encourage more pollinator plantings along the rail trail.
Step one of the project was completed in November of 2021 when black plastic was laid to smother 500 square feet of lawn for the new garden. In mid-May of 2022, the garden was planted and maintained (weeded and watered). By the following year the plants became more established, requiring less maintenance.
In 2023, the library added bark mulch to the garden to lessen erosion and the need for weeding. In 2024, the library plans to incorporate stone mulch on the pathways between the beds. Stone mulch is a natural product and is more sustainable than wood mulch (doesn't decompose) and will offer better erosion control for the sloped pathways.
Also, in 2023, the library received an ecological restoration grant from Partners for Climate Action Hudson Valley. This grant provided money to remove and replace invasive species around the parking lot on the east side of the library with the intention of surrounding the library with as many native, non-invasive species as possible. This project will be completed in 2024.
If you would like to get involved or learn more contact Nicole at nlane@rcls.org or Angela Sisson at pollinators@wallkillvalleylt.org.
This garden was fully funded with donations from community members and is maintained by volunteers.
Click here for a list of resources complied by Gardiner's Environmental Conservation Committee.
Click here for the "Evolve Your Lawn" PowerPoint presentation by Angela Sisson on March 12, 2022 and click here for the accompanying spreadsheet.
Click here for notes from the 2024 Winter Seed Sowing Workshop.
Click here and here to watch Winter Seed Sowing youtube videos by Wild Seed Project.
Click here to learn about how to divide up the seedlings should they become too crowded in the pots before planting out in the garden from the Wild Seed Project.
Upcoming Events
Native Plant Sale
Saturday, May 4
10 - 12 PM
The Gardiner Library and Wild Ones Mid-Hudson Valley are hosting a native plant sale to complement the library’s pollinator garden. The small plants, called landscape plugs, are much less expensive than container plants and an excellent way to keep costs down while trying out some new plants. Proceeds to benefit the library.
Master Gardeners from Ulster County Cornell Cooperative Extension on site to answer all gardening questions.
Plants are $4 each. Cash or check preferred. Debit/credit available.
Plant species available at this year’s sale include:
To ensure that we have enough plants available this year:
-We have increased the number of plants to 1200.
-We will also limit the quantity to 1/2 flat per customer (either 16 or 25 plants depending on flat size). Please note that anyone interested in purchasing more than the 1/2 flat limit should contact Angela Sisson at wildonesmhv@gmail.com to see about making arrangements for a larger purchase.
Species for sale include:
Wild Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis)
Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata)
Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa)
False Blue Indigo (Baptisia australis)
Longflower Alumroot (Heuchera longiflora)
Blue Flag (Iris versicolor)
Beebalm (Monarda didyma ‘Jacob Cline’)
Sundrops (Oenothera fruticosa)
Golden Ragwort (Packera aurea)
Woodland Phlox (Phlox divaricata ‘Blue Moon’)
Jacob’s Ladder (Polemonium reptans)
Mountain Mint (Pycnanthemum muticum)
