Garden Project at Street Audubon Nature Center

We are presently engaged in the restoration of the east garden, with a focus on creating a habitat for pollinators. This redesigned garden will serve as an educational resource for visiting students and the general public. Jason Totoiu, the project leader, initiated the process by solarizing the grounds to control the growth of unwanted plants. The previous garden was dominated by Sunshine Mimosa, which was encroaching upon other native species. The upcoming garden aims to offer an improved habitat for birds and insects, with the anticipation of attracting a significant number of pollinators to the property.

To populate the garden, we are currently in the process of propagating numerous plants. We’re grateful for the collaboration and guidance provided by the Fort Meade Garden Club. Their expertise and generosity in contributing plants to this project are highly valued and appreciated.

Below is the tentative landscape design, subject to potential adjustments based on plant availability. The Grand Opening is anticipated to take place in the spring of 2024, and it will feature a series of programs focused on pollinators, along with guidance on establishing a pollinator haven in your own backyard.

Grasses

1. Love Grass
2. Dwarf Fakahatchee Grass (Tripsacum dactyloides)

 

Flowering Plants

3. Blanket Flowers (Gaillardia pulchella)
4. Spotted Beebalm (Monarda punctata)
5. Florida Green Eyes (Berlandiera subacaulis)
6. Starry Rosinweed (Silphium astericus)
7. Wild Petunia (Ruellia caroliniensis)
8. Goldenrod (Solidago sempervirens)
9. Florida Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta)
10. Giant ironweed (Vernonia gigantea)
11. Partridge Pea (Chamaecrista fasciculata)
12. Leavenworth’s tickseed (Coreopsis leavenworthii)
13. Corky Stem Passionvine (Passiflora suberosa)
14. Dense Gayfeather (Liatris spicata)
15. Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata)

Shrubs

16. Wild Coffee (Psychotria nervosa)
17. Firebush (Hamelia patens)
18. Beautyberry (Callicarpa americana)

Others

19. Saw Palmetto (Serenoa repens)
20. Coontie (Zamia integrifolia)