Bee City USA Gainesville native plant garden coming to Grow Hub
Published on October 10, 2023
The Florida Wildflower Foundation (FWF) and the City of Gainesville will host a volunteer planting event to install the first Bee City USA Gainesville native plant demonstration garden at Grow Hub, a local nonprofit nursery.
Where: Grow Hub, 2900 NE Eighth Ave.
When: Sat., Oct. 21 from 9-11 a.m.
The garden was designed by Zamia Design, a Gainesville-based landscape architectural firm, and features native wildflowers and shrubs that provide resources for native butterflies, bees, birds and other wildlife.
"We are thrilled to see the first Bee City USA Gainesville native plant garden take root at Grow Hub. These gardens will not only provide a haven for our beleaguered pollinators, but will also bring an abundance of beauty, biodiversity and educational opportunities to the community," said FWF Executive Director Stacey Matrazzo.
The garden’s native plants will require fewer pesticides and less water than non-native plants, making them an eco-friendly choice.
“This is a great opportunity for all neighbors to learn how they, themselves, can support bee populations with native wildflowers, and flowering trees and shrubs in their own lawns and gardens across our city,” said Gainesville Mayor Harvey Ward.
By supporting this and future gardens, the City of Gainesville is actively contributing to the preservation of native plant species, creating essential habitat for pollinators, birds and other wildlife, and reducing the city's carbon footprint. Additional gardens are planned. Public input is encouraged.
An initiative of the Xerces Society, Bee City USA®’s mission is to galvanize communities to sustain pollinators by providing them with healthy habitat, rich in a variety of native plants and free of insecticides. Pollinators like bumble bees, sweat bees, mason bees, honey bees, butterflies, moths, beetles, flies, hummingbirds, and many others are responsible for the reproduction of almost ninety percent of the world's flowering plant species and one in every three bites of food consumed.
The City of Gainesville earned a Bee City USA® designation in November 2022.
The Florida Wildflower Foundation protects, connects and expands native wildflower habitats through education, research, planting and conservation.
For more information, contact the FWF at Info@FlaWildflowers.org.