What’s the Buzz? April 2018

In this issue:  of Merit: Phipps Conservatory  Protecting : Avoiding Invasives—Exotic Bush Honeysuckles  Outstanding Pollinator : Joe Pye  News from the Center for Pollinator Research—Pollinators’ Garden At the Penn State

Outstanding Pollinator By Linda and Rich Silverman, Penn State Master

In order to certify your garden as pollinator-friendly, you need to follow simple guidelines to make your yard a home for pollinators. You must provide and larval food sources, provide water and shelter and safeguard habitat by removing invasive plants and reduce use. The Phipps Conservatory has created native area gardens that do just that. This is a departure from our usual articles on private homes.

Opened in 1893, our sixth 'Garden of Merit' is awarded to the Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

In 1993, management was transferred from the city of Pittsburgh to a non-profit public garden. In 1999, the CSL (Center for Sustainable Landscapes) was the first to meet all 4 of the highest green certifications. As an education, administration and research facility, the Center for Sustainable Landscapes (CSL) generates all of its own energy and treats all storm and sanitary water captured on- site. It has met the requirements for LEED Platinum, WELL Building Platinum, Four-Stars Sustainable Site, and Living Building Challenge.

(Master Gardeners who are planning to attend the 2018 Penn State Master Gardeners State Conference in Seven Springs, Pennsylvania, Thursday June 28th- Sunday, July 1st will have a chance to visit the Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens with a docent-led tour.)

1 Garden of Merit (continued)

Sustainable Gardens 1. Describe your gardens (Jessica Horenstein, Outdoor Foreman) The Sustainable Gardens flank the dome of the Welcome Center at Phipps. These gardens consist of 8 distinct linear beds, 4 on each side of the Welcome Center. They are about 10’ x 50’. They range from full sun to part shade under large Metasequoia trees.

2. How old are your gardens and how long have you been at this site? (Jessica Horenstein, Outdoor Foreman) These beds are about 10 years old. I have been the foreman overseeing this area for under a year, but I have worked in these gardens longer.

3. How many species of native plants do you have? (Jessica Horenstein, Outdoor Foreman) In all the areas I oversee, including the Sustainable Gardens, CSL Environs, and the Green Roof, we have over 150 species. (Dr. Ryan Gott, IPM Specialist) In our native areas, we do allow some natural evolution in terms of plant composition; so the number of natives in a specific area can change over time. We replant important natives if they disappear to maintain diversity though.

4. What kind of pollinators do you attract? What have you done to increase pollinator diversity? (Dr. Ryan Gott, IPM Specialist) The early season pollinators are especially interesting to observe in the Sustainable Gardens. We have many early blooming plants that are important food sources for honey bees, bumble bees, and solitary bees. Our outdoor team is constantly improving the beds by introducing natives and managing invasives. We even have a stand of common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) that served as a host for a few monarch caterpillars this year.

5. What is the importance of natives to increasing pollination? (Jessica Horenstein, Outdoor Foreman) Native plants and our native insects have co-evolved. There are certain insects that specialize in particular plant and , and these are the best choices for them. Non-native flowering plants can provide nectar but it is unclear what the quality is for our native pollinators and whether it fulfills all of their biological and physiological needs.

6. What are your future plans to increase pollinator diversity in your garden? (Jessica Horenstein, Outdoor Foreman) We have plans to increase native plant species diversity every year to provide more choices for pollinators at different times of the growing season.

7. What have you observed this year in regard to the number of bees and other pollinators? (Jessica Horenstein, Outdoor Foreman) This was a stellar year for our gardens. The consistent rain and moderate temperatures were perfect conditions for our flowering perennial plants. We saw native bees, wasps, many butterflies including swallowtails, and flies; and our honeybees were very visible as well.

2 Garden of Merit (continued)

Discovery Garden 1. Describe your gardens (Claire Dusak, Outdoor Foreman) The Discovery Garden is about 9,000 square feet. It has shady, sunny, dry, and moist areas.

2. How old are your gardens and how long have you been at this site? (Claire Dusak, Outdoor Foreman). The garden opened in 1995. I have been working in this garden since 2004, although I was responsible for the ordering and purchasing of all the original plant material.

3. How many species of native plants do you have? (Claire Dusak, Outdoor Foreman) Over 45.

4. What kind of pollinators do you attract? What have you done to increase pollinator diversity? (Claire Dusak, Outdoor Foreman) We see hummingbirds, many butterflies and bees, and flies. We have steadily planted native plants and use annuals specific to butterfly, bee, or bird needs.

5. What is the importance of natives to increasing pollination? (Dr. Ryan Gott, IPM Specialist) Native pollinators are responsible for more pollination than most people realize. Western honey bees (Apis mellifera) tend to get all the credit, especially in food , but native pollinators including native bees, butterflies, moths, flies, beetles, and birds all contribute to pollination of many plants. In fact many native insects are much more efficient at pollinating certain plants that they have evolved alongside compared to a species from a different continent like the Western honey bee.

6. What are your future plans to increase pollinator diversity in your garden? (Claire Dusak, Outdoor Foreman) We have added a Bug Hotel and will have beneficial insect-attracting plants in front. (Dr. Ryan Gott, IPM Specialist) Our Bug Hotel is outfitted with a variety of nesting and hiding spots to create spaces for beneficial insects to live, lay eggs, nest, and overwinter. This mean we will support beneficial insects like pollinators all through their life cycle and serve as their home rather than stopping at only providing food plants.

7. What have you observed this year in regard to the number of bees and other pollinators? (Claire Dusak, Outdoor Foreman) There are many more monarch this year as well as hummingbirds and all different types of bees.

MOVING? If you have a certified Pollinator friendly garden and are moving, please take your sign with you and send a note to [email protected] to let us know you have moved. The new owner of your property will need to recertify. When the gardens at your new address are ready, send us a new application and mention that you that you have moved. We can certify you and waive the application fee.

3 OUTSTANDING POLLINATOR PLANTS From Bees, Bugs and Blooms Each issue we will highlight plants from our trial at the Southeast Research and Extension Center — Bees, Bugs, & Blooms. From 2012 to 2014, 84 plants and some of their cultivars were monitored for their attractiveness to a wide variety of pollinators. The results are on our Pollinator Friendly Garden Certification website. Go to http:// ento.psu.edu/pollinators/public-outreach/cert and click on Step 1 – Provide Food. On that page you will find a list of links. The first one, Bees, Bugs Blooms, contains our results. Check it out!

Who Doesn't Like Butterflies! Priscilla Waldman, Master

A sure way to attract butterflies to your yard is to plant some Joe Pye. The species is a wonderful nectar source for both bees and butterflies - you will attract tiger swallowtail, spicebush swallowtail and monarchs just to name a few. Eutrochium dubium (common Joe-Pye weed) or E. fistulosum (hollowstem Joe-Pye) produce tall stalks with large billowing heads of pink-to-purple foliage which makes it a great replacement plant \or those looking to remove butterfly bush. Joe-Pye develops a silvery purple hue several weeks before bloom which acts as an advertisement to pollinators that the nectar is on the way! This species provides a vital late-season nectar source for butterflies because many other perennials are finished blooming.

Not only is Joe-Pye beneficial to pollinators, it is relatively easy to grow. While much of the literature indicates that it likes water, and it does perform most magnificently in a moist spot, it will do well in average moisture placement as well. It will thrive in sun or part-sun locations. In his book, Wildflowers, A Guide to Growing and Propagating Native Flowers of North America (a MUST have), William Cullina suggests that the seed ripens in the Fall - about a month after flowering - and, like other Composites, should be collected when the heads spit and dry and the fluffy seed begins to float away. The seed will germinate upon shifting to 70 degrees F after 90 days of moist, cold stratification at 40 degrees F. It is an easy-to-grow species that William Cullina recommends for beginners!

All of our garden spaces are different and there is a Joy-Pye that should work for all of us. E. dubium and E. fistulosum both can reach 7'. f you are looking for a plant with a shorter stature, try the cultivar E. dubium 'Little Joe' which grows to a height of only 3' - 4' . If 'Little Joe' is still too tall, another option is E. dubium 'Baby Joe' which tops out at 3'. All of these provide the same garden beauty and wildlife benefit. An additional benefit, according to Dr. Douglas Tallamy in his book, Bringing Nature Home, Joe Pyes also act as a host for more than 3 dozen species of Lepidoptera! That supply of larvae guarantees that the birds in the neighborhood will also appreciate the value of this genus.

Give it a try and you'll love the buzz!

Editor’s Note: In our trials, all Joe Pyes were a hit with pollinators. Coastal Plain Joe-Pye, Eutrochium dubium, was the top performing butterfly plant for 3 years in a row.

4 PROTECTING POLLINATORS: Avoiding Invasives By Connie Schmotzer, Penn State Extension, York

Exotic Bush Honeysuckles Lonicera Mackii, and Lonicera morrowii,

First introduced from Japan, China and Korea in the 1800’s for use as ornamentals, wildlife cover and erosion control, exotic bush honeysuckles quickly escaped and have highly impacted our natural areas. They have invaded our forests, floodplains and old fields. Exotic bush honeysuckles leaf out earlier than most natives, forming dense thickets that crowd out native species. Their branch structure allows predators more access to nests built by robins and other birds. Bush honeysuckles invade a York County forest These plants are spread mostly by birds that readily eat the plentiful berries The fruits, however, are very low in There are many outstanding plants to consider nutrients and don’t provide migrating birds with the fat instead of bush honeysuckles. If berries for mi- they need for their long journey. grating birds is your objective, try our native shrub dogwoods, silky (Cornus amomum), gray, Most of the bush honeysuckles grow 7’ to 15’ tall and (Cornus racemosa), or red twig (Cornus sericea). have stem pith that is hollow and white or tan. Leaves are Winterberry holly (Ilex verticillata) is a great opposite. Flowers and bright red berries are paired, shrub to brighten up our yards in mid-winter coming out of the leaf axils. while providing food for our resident birds. Other invasive bush honeysuckles include Tartarian (L. tartarica, and Standish’s (L. standishii, Bells (L.x bella) If you need a smaller shrub, Diervilla lonicera, and fragrant (L. fragrantissima) lowbush honeysuckle is a good option. Gardeners should avoid planting any of the exotic bush honeysuckles. If they are already present on your property, small seedlings can be pulled by hand or with a weed wrench. To remove larger plants you may need the help of an . A good technique is cutting the stems and immediately painting the open cut with herbicide. It may be necessary to do this several times during the season.

Winterberry holly feeds the birds and our need for fall and winter color. Remember that you need both a male and Red twig dogwood - a great shrub for many uses. female to get berries. 5

The Pollinators’ Garden at The Arboretum at Penn State

Investment from Skip Smith to launch construction of Pollinators' Garden

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Investment from Penn State alumnus and leading philanthropist Charles H. “Skip” Smith will enable The Arboretum at Penn State to fulfill its longstanding vision for a garden that will attract and sustain native pollinator species of birds and insects. Smith, whose founding gift launched construction of the Arboretum in 2010, has made a series of gifts totaling $4.5 million to support construction of a new and enhanced Pollinators’ Garden in the H.O. Smith Botanic Gardens. The gifts — together with commitments from other donors — complete the project’s initial fundraising goal of $5.3 million and will allow con- struction to begin.

“Just over a decade ago, Skip Smith enabled the University’s longstanding plans for an arboretum to come to fruition,” said O. Richard Bundy III, vice president for development and alumni relations. “These plans had always included a world-class pollinators’ garden, and once again we owe a debt to Skip for enabling the full scope of that vision to become reality.”

While a version of the Pollinators’ Garden currently exists in the H.O. Smith Botanic Gardens, the new Pollinators’ Garden will be greatly improved and expanded, according to Kim Steiner, director of the Arboretum and professor of forest biology.

“The garden will tell the story of pollinators and their relationship to plants and the food we eat,” said Steiner. “Unique in the world, the garden will be associated with ongoing pollinator research at Penn State, especially undergraduate research, and an important part of its mission will be public outreach. A goal of the garden’s research will be to learn how to attract all of the hundreds of native pollinators in central Pennsylvania. This knowledge is essential to an understanding of how to counteract declining populations of native pollinators.”

“It has been a real delight to see the Arboretum quite literally grow and flourish through the years and to have played a role in this growth,” said Smith. “It’s a pleasure now to support the construction of a new pollinators’ garden that will be a haven to birds, bees, and visitors alike, and I hope that this new space — like the Arboretum as a whole — will offer tranquility for all who visit.”

A resident of State College, Smith graduated from Penn State with a bachelor of science degree in electrical engineering in 1948. Along with his brothers and fellow Penn State graduates James B. Smith and Thomas L. Smith, Skip joined his father in the firm H.O. Smith and Sons, a real estate development and rental company established in 1951. In 1950 he also founded State College Televi- sion Co., now State College Audio-Visual Supply, owned by his son John. In addition to his sustained and significant support for the Arboretum, Smith has given $5 million to support brain repair research in the Eberly College of Science. He stands among the most generous donors in Penn State’s history.

The Arboretum is continuing to seek gifts from alumni and friends who wish to name a space within the new Pollinators’ Garden. To discuss how you can become involved, con- tact Patrick Williams, director of development for the Arboretum, at [email protected] or 814-865-0441.Gifts from Penn State's alumni and friends have been essential to the suc- cess of the University's historic land-grant mission to serve the public good. To fulfill that mission for a new era of rapid change and global connections, the University has begun "A Greater Penn State for 21st Century Excellence," a fast-paced campaign focused on the three key imperatives of a public university: Private support will keep the doors to higher education open to hard- working students regardless of financial well-being; create transformative experiences that go beyond the classroom; and impact the world by fueling discovery, innovation and entrepreneurship. To learn more, visit greaterpennstate.psu.edu.

6

The Pollinators’ Garden at The Arboretum at Penn State

$1M gift from Galen and Nancy Dreibelbis to support Pollinators' Garden

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — A generous commitment from local lead- ers will help The Arboretum at Penn State to move forward with its plans for a world-class pollinators’ garden. State College real estate de- veloper Galen Dreibelbis, and his wife, Nancy, have committed $1 mil- lion to support construction of the new Pollinators’ Garden in the H.O. Smith Botanic Gardens. The Dreibelbises’ gift — together with a major investment from Skip Smith and gifts from other donors — completes the project’s initial fundraising goal and will allow the University to break ground on the project.

“The Pollinators’ Garden will not only enhance research and teaching on pollinators but will also make the Arboretum an even more beautiful and enriching space for the thousands of community members who visit eve- ry year,” said O. Richard Bundy III, vice president for development and alumni relations at Penn State. “We are grateful to Galen and Nancy for their generosity in helping to make this new feature possible.”

The new Pollinators’ Garden will fulfill the University’s long-standing vision for such a resource.

“For as long as we have imagined the creation of a world-class arboretum at Penn State, we have envisioned a Pollinators’ Garden that would rival the very best of its kind in the world,” said Kim Steiner, director of The Arboretum at Penn State and professor of forest biology in the College of Agricultural Sciences. “Galen and Nancy’s generous commitment will enable us finally to fulfill this vision, and for that I am profoundly grateful.”

The Pollinators’ Garden will include four main areas with a new Sun Garden at the heart of it all:

 The Habitat Gardens will feature three pollinator habitats native to central Pennsylvania — woodland, wetland, and a meadow — with the goal of setting the space abuzz with pollinators.  The Demonstration Gardens will be home to garden-sized vignettes that each tells a story about how to attract pollinators into backyard gardens.  The Research Gardens will invite visitors to participate in research on pollinators that will inform the planting of the Pollinators’ Garden over time.  The Food Gardens will feature trees and plants that depend upon insect pollinators to produce fruits and vegetables for human consumption.  The Sun Garden will be the focal point to draw visitors into the various components of the Pollinators’ Garden. In recognition of the Dreibelbises’ generosity, the University will name a space within the Arboretum in the couple’s honor.

“Nancy and I have long been committed to strengthening the State College community that we call home, and the Arboretum is a tremendous resource for this community,” said Galen Dreibelbis. “With this gift to support construction of the Pollinators’ Garden, we hope to make the Arboretum an even richer destination for our fellow residents to enjoy for years to come.”

7