Virginia Cooperative Extension Office Demo Gardens
The Bedford Master Gardeners call the Virginia Co-Op Extension office their home base and it is a mutually beneficial relationship. One of the benefits for the Extension Office is that the MGs maintain several areas of the landscaping including the garden in the roundabout, the pathways to the side entrance and the area around the picnic tables. This is a work in progress as are most gardens! Currently, our focus is to get the native perennials labeled and create QRCs for them as well as adding more natives to the existing plantings.
As you wander through these areas you will probably notice plants that are definitely not natives. There have been donations made and seeds cast that add to the diversity of the gardens and we have decided to go for a ‘realistic” plan of about 80% natives to 20% other. So enjoy the elegant irises in the spring and the vibrant zinnias in the summer that we couldn’t bear to pull out!
Plants featured in the VCE Demo Garden
Coneflower (Echinacea)- Perennial native to Eastern and Central US. Long blooming season attracts bees and butterflies. The seed heads provide food for songbirds especially goldfinches. Great cutting flower and moderately deer resistant. Full sun
Eastern Bluestar (Amsonia tabernaemontana)
Other Common Name(s): Blue Dogbane, Blue Star, Blue Star Flower, Woodland Bluestar Native Perennial likes full sun and is deer resistant. Hummingbirds, carpenter bees, hummingbird moths, as well as butterflies like Mourning Cloak, feed on the nectar from the blooms.
Threadleaf Bluestar (Amsonia hubrichtii)
Perennial native to OK and AR. The pale blue star shaped flowers will bloom in full sun to part shade in late spring. The billowy foliage turns a golden yellow in fall. Attracts butterflies and is resistant to deer and rabbits.
Virginia Sweet Spire (Itea Virginica)
Native deciduous to semi-evergreen shrub with showy white flowers which become edible fruit. Attracts pollinators and songbirds. Resistant to deer. Grows best in dappled sun to part shade.
Evening Primrose (Oenothera biennis)
Native biennial that re-seeds easily. The flowers open in the evening and close in late morning which attracts night feeding moths and specialized bees. Songbirds eat the seeds. Drought resistant.
Information and Photos submitted by Rosemary F., Bedford Extension Master Gardener