By Marypat Ehlmann
Fran Glass, Board Secretary
Dawn Weber, Board Member-at-Large
Fran Glass and Marypat Ehlmann at Greenscape
The Pollinator Palette program was created by Greenscape Gardens to increase awareness and engagement in our communities for pollinator issues and the value of native plants. Each month a different native plant that serves as a nectar source or host plant will be featured as a gift with purchase at Greenscape.
In 2016, like-minded community partners are being featured alongside each month’s plant to help raise awareness of that organization’s mission. Wild Ones was chosen to be the featured organization in March.
While our volunteer event at Greenscape on March 19 was cancelled due to weather, Fran, Marypat, and Dawn were there on March 26 to hand out squaw weed (Packera obovata) and spread the news about Wild Ones.
Dawn enjoyed engaging customers by saying “Do you have room in your garden for a pollinator plant?” because it’s pretty hard for someone to say, “No I don’t have room for one plant!” We shared planting tips for squaw weed in terms of sun and moisture requirements, its benefits to pollinators, as well as information about the St. Louis chapter of Wild Ones.
Wild Ones March display at Greenscape
We all tried to remember to use the more friendly “golden groundsel” common name for the plant, rather than squaw weed, as the general reaction to “weeds” is not always positive. Old habits die hard though!
Over the month of March, almost 300 golden groundsel plants were distributed by Greenscape. There are going to be a lot of happy pollinators seeing these plants in the landscape!
When Dawn visited with Jennifer Schamber from Greenscape at the end of the month, she said “Greenscape Gardens is so very appreciative to our friends at Wild Ones for their help in promoting the message about our Pollinator Palette… The team of pollinator advocates is growing thanks to the efforts of Wild Ones!”
Thank you to Greenscape for beaming some warm spring sunlight onto our organization!
Such valuable volunteers, Fran Glass & Marypat Ehlmann!
They even look like flowers!
Mary Pat thanks for writing this blog. You two do look like flowers.