We are meeting to mulch and ready the grounds for planting. Our area has been measured, our plants selected and purchased. One final review of our plan for planting to make sure that everything is in place. Plants that need extra water will be at the base of our bed so they can catch the runoff from the plants at the upper edge.

Proposal for Pollinator Garden at Nokesville Library
Nokesville Library would like to create a small demonstration garden to serve as an outdoor classroom in the space behind the library. Nokesville already has a variety of pollinator plants in the garden area at the front of our building to include campanula, nepeta, columbine, lavender, rudbeckia, sedum spectabile and sheffield mum. We may add to this existing pollinator garden, as needed.
To create a demonstration garden which can serve as a model or inspiration for northern VA homeowners, selected plants must meet several criteria:
- native or nativar and highly attractive to pollinators
- drought resistant
- disease resistant (pollinator gardens are never sprayed)
- deer resistant
- long blooming

This ensures that anyone can grow the plants successfully with minimal care. Also, the garden must be attractive and buzzing with bugs from April to November to be worthy of emulation. Selection of long blooming plants to ensure three seasons of bloom is important. Plants on the list below are widely available commercially. They would be best planted in April or May. We may also decide to add bulbs in Fall 2021.
Possible sources for seeds are Select Seeds (www.selectseeds.com) and Bluestone (www.bluestoneperennials.com).
PLANT SOURCE COST
monarda Claire Grace Select Seeds 8.95
aster Raydon's Favorite Select Seeds 7.95
asclepia incarnata Select Seeds 8.95
agastache Honeybee Blue Bluestone 12.95
achillea Coronation Gold Bluestone 12.95
echinacea purpurea Bluestone 14.95

For the semi-circle design discussed, we propose using 3 monarda, 5 asters, 2 asclepias, 5 agastache, 3 achillea and 5 echinacea for a total cost of $271.85 plus tax and shipping. The plants would be shipped in pint sized pots. We would need to place pavers for a walkway to accommodate visitors to the garden.
Grant funds would be used for the following:
Soil
Mulch
Gravel? Grass? In between pavers
Pavers
Seeds
Teaching materials-pots, tools, soil, plants ,seeds, trowels, watering cans, etc.

Future Programming:
Butterfly kit? Helpful garden insects-praying mantis?

If programming is allowed in spring, we could involve children in planting the garden. Naturally, this would depend largely on the Covid situation in our area. In the event that virtual programming is still in place in the spring, we would be able to incorporate programming for children in which we could share small pots, seeds, soil and directions in a kit for pickup. In the future, possible programming would include collaborations and demonstrations with the Prince William County Beekeepers Association, a local area business/apiary and an educator who teaches about bees in our schools.

Louise Edsall, Bees In Schools LLC (beesinschools.org)

Prince William County Beekeepers Association (pwrbeekeepers.com)

Evergreen Acres (evergreenacres.biz)