Native plants attract a variety of birds, butterflies, pollinators, and other wildlife by providing diverse habitats and food sources. Native plants feed the insects that are the base of the food web, and insects that are especially important as food … [Read more...]
The Importance of Pollinators
Pollinators like native bees, moths and butterflies, birds, bats and other animals are hard at work providing vital but often unnoticed services. They pollinate crops like apples, bananas, blueberries, strawberries, melon, peaches, potatoes, vanilla, … [Read more...]
Pollinator Plants; Mid-Atlantic Region
Providing wildflower-rich habitat is the most significant action you can take to support pollinators. Adult bees, butterflies, and other pollinators require nectar as their primary food source, and female bees collect pollen as food for their … [Read more...]
SASSAFRAS: NATIVE GEM OF NORTH AMERICA
Sassafras (Sassafras albidum) is a North American tree steeped in Indigenous culture throughout its range within deciduous woodlands of the northeast and southeast United States. Continued: … [Read more...]
Native PawPaw Tree
The pawpaw tree (Asimina triloba) is a native fruit-bearing tree that grows in the eastern United States, from Canada to Florida, and as far west as Nebraska. The pawpaw fruit resembles a green mango, and the tree has many nicknames including … [Read more...]
Viburnum–A Shrub for Many Settings
Viburnums are evergreen or deciduous, depending on the species and the location. Most prefer sun, but some do well in partial shade. Their hardiness is well suited to the cold winters of USDA hardiness zone 7. They are adaptable to a range of soil … [Read more...]
Insect Hotels
In the wild, solitary insect species, like wood-boring beetles and solitary bees, search for cavities in wood to lay eggs. These cavities are typically left by burrowing beetles, woodpeckers, or the tree’s own natural growth. Some species, like … [Read more...]
PHILADELPHIA
FLEABANE
Erigeron philadelphicus L
Philadelphia fleabane is a native, biennial or short-lived, somewhat weedy, perennialherb. Read More: … [Read more...]
How to Grow and Care for Hellebore
The common name hellebore is assigned to several species of plants in the Helleborus genus of the Ranunculaceae family, which also includes monkshood, delphinium, and anemone. Hellebore foliage is thick, evergreen, and forms a low lying clump with … [Read more...]
Bedford Extension Master Gardener Plant Sale
IT'S ALMOST TIME! The Bedford Extension Master Gardeners have been hard at work growing plants for their annual Plant Sale. Laurel Denne, Plant Sale Coordinator, stated, "Our goal is to provide quality plants and also offer unique plants that … [Read more...]