Blacksburg Presbyterian Creation Care Garden

This garden, nurtured by the church's Creation Care Team since 2014, focuses mostly on native plants with an emphasis on color and attracting pollinators and other wildlife.

Our Creation Care Team, formed in the spring of 2014, helps us maintain our certification as an Earth Care Congregation in the Presbyterian Church (USA) by continuing activities and projects which nurture and celebrate the earth and help protect its resources, in the areas of worship, education, facilities and outreach.

This garden began with a Monarch Butterfly Habitat at the side of the church near the parking lot, planted by children in the fall of 2014 with seeds gathered from Common Milkweed.

In 2016, we established a Creation Care garden, incorporating previously established plants into the garden, along with new native species and cultivars of natives. Plants were chosen for their ability to attract pollinators and wildlife and for interesting foliage and colorful flowers balanced over the seasons.The garden also provides a venue for environmental care education and the value of native plants.

We have not used herbicides, pesticides or fossil-fuel based fertilizers in the garden. In 2018, we suspended use of chemical pesticides and fossil-fuel based fertilizers on the church grounds in order to protect pollinators.