The Swellesley Report

More than you really want to know about Wellesley, Mass.

Wellesley Police Dept. pollinator garden — what a difference a year makes

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The pollinator garden put in last summer in front of the Wellesley Police Department (WPD) has been thriving in this season’s combination of wet weather and sunny skies. If you thought June 2019 seemed rainier than usual, you were right. According to the National Weather Service, the area received 5.1″ of rain in June, a month when the normal average is 3.68″.

All to the good of the garden, as farmers and hobbyists alike know. Here are some pics of the native plants growing at the WPD:

Pollinator garden, Wellesley Police station
Here’s what the Pollinator Garden looked like at the end of June 2018. Town volunteers and staff from the Natural Resources Commission and Department of Public Works did the prep work and planting.

 

Pollinator garden, Wellesley Police Department
What a difference one year makes. The WPD pollinator garden was put in to feed and house local birds, bees, and other insects.
Pollinator garden, Wellesley Police Department
In conjunction with the planting, town volunteers and staff from the NRC and Dept. of Public Works participated in two educational programs to learn how to help these critical native plants. Pictured: white Obedient Plants.
Wellesley Police Department
The pollinator garden project is closely aligned with the NRC’s Grow Green Wellesley initiative, which encourages reduced pesticide use and promotes earth- and pollinator-friendly landscaping and lawn care. The town currently uses pollinator-friendly plants, such as Joe Pye Weed (above) in many of its garden spaces and plans to expand this practice.
Wellesley Police Department
The Grow Green Wellesley Initiative is intended to inspire the community to use eco-friendly landscaping methods to protect our health and environment. The town of Wellesley currently maintains all public land – including schools and playing fields – without harmful chemicals, and emphasizes native plants to create biodiversity in town.
Wellesley Police Department
Butterfly weed is one of the most ornamental of the milkweed varieties. Bees and butterflies love them.

Is your garden just as pretty as this one? Let Swellesley feature your beautiful yard in a gardening post. Email our gardening editor, Deborah Brown, at d[email protected] and let’s talk plants.

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