Flowers blooming in the new Pollinator Garden.
Photo by Erin Smaldone.
It’s been a busy year for development at WVBG. Dave Davis, Groundskeeper, led the development of a new Pollinator Garden between the Secret Garden and Education and Event Building this spring. In July, campers in Camp SOAR installed new insect boxes and planted milkweed and daisies in the space as well. Make sure you enjoy their efforts the next time you are at the garden. The Hillside Trail was recently extended into the upper parking area with the trailhead immediately adjacent the kiosk. Trails have been improved site-wide, hundreds of new plants have been strategically placed, a few rare plants have been acquired, and American Kestral boxes installed.
Many great projects are on the horizon here at the West Virginia Botanic Garden. One focus will be the next phase of improvements
to our Maintenance and Service area which will include earthwork for a future maintenance building, large composting bins, electrical
service, and additional parking. The improvements to this area are foundational to our growth and development of our Master Plan.
We are excited to be planning and seeking funding for the new Children’s Adventure Garden, a feature that was strongly supported
in a recent board retreat. The proposed location is below the Education and Event building on the opposite side of the Reservoir
Loop Trail where there are currently stacked stones. It was those rock cairns that sparked the idea to have a more interactive play
space for children to explore and enjoy in addition to inspiring our youngest visitors to learn more about plants and our natural world.
The garden has also recently received a personal donation from Karl and Pam Yagle to extend their namesake garden around the Education and Events Building. – Thank you!
Other projects on the horizon include a bird blind on the Basin View Trail, minor improvements to the Fairy Garden, a new “Underground Garden” fossil exhibit, and new signage and waymarking site-wide.ublic education, plant sales, flower shows, seed exchanges, and scientific research.
By Phil Cole, Site Manager
originally published in our Fall/Winter 2019 newsletter