South Hampton Roads – October meeting

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Date/Time
Thursday, October 28, 2021
6:30 pm - 8:00 pm

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Please join us!

We will meet on Thursday, October 28th at the Norfolk Botanical Garden, 6700 Azalea Garden Road, Norfolk, VA 23518 at 6:30 p.m.

Our speaker Janet Pawlukiewicz will be giving an update on the Westminster-Canterbury grounds. Over the past three years, Westminster Canterbury on Chesapeake Bay, a retirement community in Virginia Beach, has converted about 2.5 acres of turf to native plant gardens. The primary goal of this transformation has been to create wildlife habitat while beautifying the campus.

Using lots of photos, Janet Pawlukiewicz, chair of the resident landscape community and former 1st VP of VNPS, will explain the rationale for this work, show before and after pictures and review the native plants included on the windy, sandy site. She hopes the success of this endeavor may be inspirational for other communities and commercial properties.

Southern Plains Bumble Bee bore witness to our success (a bee expert from USGS confirmed this ID). The species has experienced dramatic decline in both population (abundance down to about 14% of historic numbers) and distribution (range reduced by approximately 30%) over the past decade. As a result, the Commonwealth of Virginia lists it as an “imperiled” species. Despite the vulnerable status of its species, this individual turned up to take pollen and nectar from the JoePye Weed planted in the new wildlife gardens.

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Learn which native plants would be best for your landscaped beds, naturalized areas and wetland buffers. Find out how large the plants get the color of the leaves and the seasons of interest. Find out which plants will host certain insects and small animals so you can provide a diversity of wildlife habitats. Most native plants are very low maintenance to the gardener. Many plants just need their winter coats removed in early spring. “If it’s brown, cut it down; if it’s green, let it be seen” is an easy way to remember. If you do not know where to start, come to one of our meetings or email us your question or your concern. Our members are glad to assist you in your plant questions. Happy gardening!

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