PARSIPPANY — At the Parsippany Library at 449 Halsey Road, avid gardeners eagerly collected their purchased plants from The Great Swamp Watershed Association’s 3rd annual online Plant for Pollinators Native Plant Sale. The sale featured a diverse range of attractively priced native perennials and simple instructions for planting pollinator gardens that will flourish with minimal upkeep.
The Native Plant Sale is operated with promotional support and volunteers from the Community Plant Sale Partners, which include 16 local towns and eight non-governmental organizations. Our joint goal is to foster broad adoption of native plant gardens across our area to create necessary habitat for the pollinator insects and bird communities that are foundation elements of our local ecosystem – pooling our private yards to create what the popular lecturer and entomologist Doug Tallamy describe as a Homegrown National Park.
The yards have the power to provide critical habitat for threatened bird and insect populations and also provide us with beautiful flowers to enjoy. Create an important part of the region-wide network of yards supporting a sustainable ecosystem – a Homegrown National Park.
Finding a good selection of locally appropriate native plants for your garden can be difficult. This GSWA sale makes it easy for you by providing a selection of native plants suited to our local soils and climate (our local ecoregion).
Why is a native plant more appropriate than an exotic or non-native plant? Wildlife may eat the fruit and seeds of exotics or non-native plants, but it does not mean their nutritional needs are fully met. Pollinators and other wildlife co-evolved with native plants and require them for food and habitat throughout their life cycle.
To request ongoing email updates and reminders about the GSWA Native Plant Program, click here.
