Now in our third year, this is our Pollinator Garden's leap year. If you've heard the native plant rule of thumb - sleep, creep, leap - you know what that means.
During the first summer the plants appear to sleep as roots quietly establish underground. In the second year they creep, with significantly more growth and decent flowering as they settle comfortably into their locations. But the third year? Look out. The plants take off, taller, fuller, denser, and the gaps between them are disappearing. They're becoming swaths of species rather than individuals. A true native plant community.
This leap year also brings many new plants from the abundance of seeds left behind last season. Mature plants will feed more pollinators, shelter more insects and other small creatures, and offer up seeds for birds, wildlife, and eventually our own collecting to share with others.
Our thanks to the Jack & Dorothy Byrne Foundation, The Lyme Foundation, the Utility Club of Lyme, and the many generous neighbors who make this garden possible.
