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Audubon Rose Pollinator Discovery Garden Web Content Coming Soon

The Palmieri Pollinator Garden

at the Audubon Nature Center and Aquarium

Exploring the Garden

Bringing Nature Back

Create Your Own Pollinator Garden

Careful planning is essential to creating a successful pollinator garden. Follow these easy steps to make sure you have everything covered before you make your investment.

Choose Your Location
Many pollinators like to bask in the sun. A variety of their favorite wildflowers grow best in full or partial sun with some protection from the wind.

Identify Your Soil and Sunlight
Look at your soil. Is it sandy and well-drained or more clay-like and wet? Your soil type and the amount of sunlight it gets will help determine the kinds of plants you can grow. The University of Rhode Island offers soil testing throughout the state. Visit their website for a schedule of dates and locations.

Choose Your Plants
Varieties of wildflowers are native to our state. These plants are the ideal choice as they require minimal maintenance, water, and fertilizer. They also tend to be heartier. It's essential to choose plants that have not been treated with pesticides, insecticides or neonicotinoids. You'll also want to select perennials to ensure your plants come back each year.

Remember to consider more than just the summer growing season. Pollinators need plants that bloom early in the spring, throughout the summer and even into the fall. Choosing the plants that bloom at different times will help you create a bright and colorful garden that both you and pollinators will enjo for many months of the year!

Resources to Get Started

New England Wild Flower Society

Rhode Island Natural History Survey's Rhody Native

Rhode Island Wild Plant Society