At 7 p.m. on Wednesday, June 10, the Garden Keepers at Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge and the Duck Creek Horticulture Society invite the public to a free program titled “Native and Near Native Plants for Delaware Gardens.” The program will be held in the Visitors Center Auditorium at Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge near Smyrna as part of the celebration of National Garden Week.
The program is being presented by Quentin Schlieder, a member of the Society and a noted garden writer, teacher and lecturer who has presented programs at Longwood Gardens, the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens and fro groups like the Delaware Native Plant Society. He also is a founding member of the New Jersey Native Plant Society and is a member of the Delaware Valley Fern and Wildflower Society.
Schlieder points out that there are many reasons to grow native plants in Delaware. Native plants conserve soil and water and provide the backbone for non-polluting landscapes because they don't need fertilizers or pesticides. They support a diversity of wildlife through improved habitat and reduce long-term maintenance. They are winter hardy and drought tolerant and are less prone to destructive insects and diseases.
The slide presentation will include plants which grow in the wild in Delaware and those native east of the Mississippi which can supplement a native planting. Emphasis will be on how to incorporate these into a landscape to reduce maintenance and to enhance habitat.
Free plants will be given to all who attend, the Eastern or Willow Bluestar, an adaptable, low maintenance plant that can be used in a wide range of sites. The sky blue flowers are star-shaped and are produced in late spring or early summer. The plant has few pest problems and retains a healthy appearance throughout the growing season. The foliage resembles that of willows and the leaves turn yellow in the fall. Willow Bluestar is regarded as an excellent garden flower. The nectar of the flowers attracts the Ruby-Throated Hummingbird and various long-tongued insects. These insect visitors include the Large Carpenter bee, Hummingbird moths, and various butterflies. There will be door prizes and refreshments will be served following the program.
National Garden Clubs, Inc. has designated the first full week in June of each year as National Garden Week. Both the Garden Keepers and members of the Duck Creek Horticulture Society invite the public to discover Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge which preserves 15,978 acres of open space including one of the largest expanses of nearly unaltered tidal salt marsh in the mid-Atlantic region. The Refuge was established in 1937 as a link in the chain of refuges that extends from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico. It is primarily a refuge and breeding ground for migrating birds and other wildlife.
Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge hosts 120,000 visitors a year to view wildlife in natural settings. Hearing impaired visitors may call the Delaware Relay Center at 1 800/232-5460 TDD or 1 800/232-5470 voice. Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge is located at 2591 Whitehall Neck Road five miles southeast of Smyrna. The Refuge is open daily from sunrise to sunset.
SMYRNA, Del. —
